The Enthymeme: Syllogism, Reasoning, and Narrative in Ancient Greek Rhetoric - Hardcover

Fredal, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0271086130 ISBN 13: 9780271086132

Publisher: Penn State University Press, 2020

Synopsis

Central to rhetorical theory, the enthymeme is most often defined as a truncated syllogism. Suppressing a premise that the audience already knows, this rhetorical device relies on the audience to fill in the missing information, thereby making the argument more persuasive. James Fredal argues that this view of the enthymeme is wrong. Presenting a new exegesis of Aristotle and classic texts of Attic oratory, Fredal shows that not only is the standard reading of Aristotle’s enthymeme inaccurate, but Aristotle himself distorts what enthymemes are and how they work.

From close analysis of the Rhetoric, Topics, and Analytics, Fredal finds that Aristotle’s enthymeme is, in fact, not syllogistic and is different from the enthymeme as it was used by Attic orators such as Lysias and Isaeus. Fredal argues that the enthymeme, as it was originally understood and used, is a technique of storytelling, primarily forensic storytelling, aimed at eliciting from the audience an inference about a narrative. According to Fredal, narrative rather than formal logic is the seedbed of the enthymeme and of rhetoric more broadly.

Groundbreaking in its scope, The Enthymeme reassesses a fundamental doctrine of rhetorical instruction, clarifies the viewpoints of the tradition, and presents a new form of rhetoric for further study and use. This book will be welcomed by scholars and students of classical rhetoric, the history of rhetoric, and rhetorical theory, as well as communications studies, classical studies, and classical philosophy.

About this title

About the Author

James A. Fredal is Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University. He is the author of Rhetorical Action in Ancient Athens: Persuasive Artistry from Solon to Demosthenes.

Review

“James Fredal challenges traditional Aristotelian interpretations of the enthymeme as an abstract theoretical concept by examining ‘enthymizing’ as a situational activity occurring within rhetorical narratives of Greek oratory. A provocative and insightful study that compels readers to reconsider long-accepted notions of Hellenic rhetorical theory.”

—Richard Leo Enos, author of Greek Rhetoric Before Aristotle

About this edition

• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 0271086130
• ISBN 13: 9780271086132
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 226