The Enthymeme

The Enthymeme, volume 1 by James Fredal, challenges the traditional understanding of one of the most central devices in rhetorical theory. While the enthymeme is typically defined as a truncated syllogism that relies on audience knowledge to complete an argument, Fredal argues this interpretation is inaccurate. Through a detailed exegesis of Aristotle and classic Attic oratory, this work of philosophy and logic demonstrates that the standard reading of Aristotle distorts how these rhetorical tools actually function.

By analyzing the Rhetoric, Topics, and Analytics, the author reveals that the original enthymeme is a technique of forensic storytelling rather than formal logic. This study in communication studies and classical rhetoric shifts the focus toward narrative as the foundation of the device. The Enthymeme provides a new framework for scholars of literary criticism and ancient Greece to understand how narratives elicit specific inferences from an audience.