Consolation in Medieval Narrative - Augustinian Authority and Open Form

Medieval writers such as Chaucer, Abelard, and Langland often overlaid personal story and sacred history to produce a distinct narrative form. The form''s simple and flexible shape - prospect, fulfillment, interpretive retrospect - derives from Augustine''s Christian exegetical practice. The first of its kind, this study traces this widely used narrative tradition to Augustine''s two great histories: Confessions and City of God.