The Recapitulatio: An Apocalyptic Pattern in Middle English Literature

Abstract

This article examines the evolution in medieval English literature of the Recapitulatio, an organizing narrative principle often used in apocalyptic writings, starting with John’s Revelation. This structural pattern combined a repetitive but expanding series of correlations with a centripetal fragmentation of discourse to convey revelatory messages in which prophecy involved past and present to unlock the future. In Middle English, the recapitulation technique evolved from eschatological concern to social and moral teaching, but its apocalyptic undertone was still evident in the confluence with futurist judgment. The article attempts to show the traces of this narrative model in spiritual and allegorical works of the late medieval period, especially Piers Plowman where social criticism is reinforced by the eschatological significance of this device.