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> 何の躊躇いもなく晒された令音の裸体は、同性である **琴里をして** 息を呑んでしまうほどに美しかった。

What is the usage of the bold part (i.e. name of a person＋をする)? Does it mean
琴里として?
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2021-05-25T16:46:16.870
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2021-12-31T03:47:54.740
2021-05-26T22:15:27.467
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question
grammar
Understanding “name of a person＋をして”
That をして indicates the agent of a verb in a causative construction. It is an
old form and should actually be paired with an old causative form, 〜しむ or
〜しめる. 琴里をして息を呑ましめる would mean the same as 琴里に息を呑ませる. In modern usage, it is
often used with the normal causative form 〜せる, as in 琴里をして息を呑ませる, and somehow
tends to carry a sense of emphasis as if the agent is hard to make perform the
action of the verb. It’s like saying 琴里にさえ／すら息を呑ませる.

Now, in your example, the verb is not even causative. Though it seems a misuse
to me, it still retains the emphasizing effect as the author probably
intended. It’s like saying 琴里（で）さえ／すら息を呑んでしまう

This sense of emphasis may be because it is confused with を[以]{も}ってしても. I’m
not sure.
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2021-05-26T00:57:44.403
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2021-12-31T03:47:54.740
2021-12-31T03:47:54.740
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answer
(人)をして is an archaic or old-fashioned usage. According to the grammar of the
old Japanese, as Chocolate clearly stated, it should be 琴音をして息を呑ましめる or
琴音をして息を呑ましむ just like this example.

> 彼をして走らしむ。（彼を走らせる。）

So it will be safe to say that this sentence is a strange combination of
modern and archaic phrases. But to think of the author's intention of using
the archaic phrase of (人)をして, the author, of whom I have no idea, must have
wanted to make his or her work seem more historical or archaic by spotting
archaic words or phrases here and there in mainly modern Japanese.
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2021-05-26T01:12:20.230
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answer