Genre Studies- Unit III EPIPHANY

 

EPIPHANY

·         Epiphany means "a manifestation" or "showing forth" and by Christian thinkers was used to signify a manifestation of God's presents within the created world.

·         A character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story.

·         Epiphany is a literary term which means exploring moments of sudden realization or self-discovery in literary works.

·         Epiphany is when a character experience a moment of realization that is triggered by a particular person or situation. In other words, it is a moment of clarity for the character which changes his understanding.

·         The term "Epiphany" comes from Greek word Epiphaneia which means "to manifest" or "show".

·         This term came into popularity as a literary device through the works of James Joyce. He links the concept of epiphany to the Christian understanding of the term which means the manifestation or very close experience of the Divine and he adopted it into early version of a "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man".

·         Joyce experimented with epiphany throughout his career right from his early work to his late novel, " Finnegans Wake".

·         Epiphany is a psychological or emotional realization that often leads to a significant change in the character's perspective, beliefs or behaviour.

·         Epiphanies are moments of personal growth or enlightenment for the character and can occur at various points throughout the story.

·         We can see the traces of epiphany in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The central character Hamlet is on a ship sailing to England. Suddenly he experiences of flash of realization and he says,

"There is a divinity that shapes our ends,

Rough-hew them how we will."

·         He realizes that there is no wisdom in taking revenge on his uncle Claudins. Until this point he was plotting a revenge for the person who killed his father, but now, he realizes that only divine power can shape our ends.

·         Epiphany can occur in various genres of literature.

§  Tragedy

§  Comedy

§  Dramatic works

§  Philosophical or Psychological

 

1.      Tragedy - leads to a realization of their flaws. The consequences of their actions or the inevitability of their fate.

These revelations can intensify the emotional impact of the tragedy and contribute to the downfall of the characters.

For instance, William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

2.      Comedy – leads to a positive transformation reunion or the resolution of conflicts.This realization can bring about comic misunderstandings or humorous situations.

E.g: Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

3.      Dramatic works – Characters can experience epiphanies that lead to profound emotional connections. The resolution of personal conflict or pursuit of truth and justice.

E.g: Willie Loman from “Death of a Salesman”

4.      Philosophical/Psychological works – It may heavily rely on epiphanies to explore existential questions, inner turmoil or the nature of human consciousness.

E.g: “The Stranger” (novel) by Albert Camus.