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Literary notes about Recapitulate (AI summary)

In literature, "recapitulate" serves as a tool for summarizing or reasserting ideas once they have been elaborated upon. Authors invoke it to consolidate prior arguments or narrative details, guiding readers through the progression of complex discussions—as seen when a writer succinctly restates earlier explanations to avoid redundancy [1] or when a detective narrative succinctly reviews investigative actions [2]. At times the term is employed not merely for repetition but as an aid to reinforce key themes and ensure clarity, whether in the context of philosophical discourse [3] or scientific argumentation [4]. This deliberate retracing of vital points helps to emphasize continuity and coherence within the text.
  1. It is not my intention to retrace the path I have already pursued, and a very few lines will suffice to recapitulate what I have previously explained.
    — from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville
  2. I shall now recapitulate what the police have done in the matter.
    — from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
  3. Like Socrates, we may recapitulate the virtues of the philosopher.
    — from The Republic of Plato by Plato
  4. Summary Origin and stimulus We may recapitulate by saying that the origin of thinking is some perplexity, confusion, or doubt.
    — from How We Think by John Dewey

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