On Stephen's Epiphany

Abstract

Almost every critical term is notorious for its ambiguity and lack of concensus among critics with regard to its definite meaning. This is especially the case with 'epiphany,' a term employed by James Joyce who'is in turn the most puzzling of all literary artists. To. many Joyce critics, epiphany is one of his major techniques by which, it is claimed, Joyce reveals the essence of things small and great, from a fragment of an inane conversation to the whole history of the human race. Thus Irene Hendry Chayes asserts that "Joyce's work is a tissue of epiphanies, great and small, from fleeting images to whole books, from the briefest revelation in his lyrics to the epiphany that occupies one gigantic, enduring 'moment' in Finnegans Wake, ...." This statement can give rise to a series of such questions: "Is every detail, image, word, episode or scene in Joyce's works .epiphany? if so, can it be sharply distinguished from the writings of other writers, for every writing is an attempt at showing some thing forth? or if otherwise, can epiphanic detail be distinguished from those which are not?" In short, such a sweeping generalization as Chayes's tends to be more confusing than elucidating.