Thelenean Analysis

First appearance and context

During a meal in the refectory on the eve of Apert, the narrator notes that he refrains from subjecting Fraa Corlandin, First Among Equals of the New Circle, to “a withering blast of Thelenean analysis” after the fraa offers polite nothings. The phrase is used as an offhand, in-world idiom rather than a formal doctrine or discipline.

Definition and rationale

In context, “Thelenean analysis” denotes turning a hard, unsparing eye on another’s words—pressing them with pointed questions and logical scrutiny instead of observing social niceties. The eponym points to Thelenes, suggesting a style associated with that figure’s argumentative rigor in the mathic tradition. No formal steps or rules are given in-text; it functions as shorthand for a sharp analytical dissection.

Relationships and references

• The usage stands alongside other named analytic habits cited by avout, such as Diax's Rake, though “Thelenean analysis” is invoked as an attitude or approach rather than a codified rule.

Current status

Only an informal usage is attested so far, with no detailed method or institutional sponsorship. It reads as a conversational label that signals a shift from courtesy to rigorous critique.