Arguing with style: How persuasion and the enthymeme work together in on invention book 3

Abstract

By considering the detailed construction and presentation of an “argumentative trope” in Book 3 of On Invention, this study highlights an intriguing overlap between style and argument, where stylistic devices (especially enthymematic antithesis) are specifically and consciously employed to create and enhance persuasion through manipulation of audience identity. As such, it suggests that ancient authors, and especially those within the Byzantine tradition, were perhaps less naive than is generally supposed with regard both to the psychological aspects of style and to the complex nature of audiences. The study also argues that, contrary to much contemporary opinion, the concepts of the ancient enthymeme, epicheireme, and related terminology are still very much worth exploring.