The Epiphanies of Joyce

Author(s): Robert Scholes and Florence L. Walzl

Source: PMLA, Vol. 82, No. 1 (Mar., 1967), pp. 152-154
Published by: Modern Language Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/461060
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NOTES, DOCUMENTS,

AND CRITICAL
OF JOYCE

THE EPIPHANIES

II

I
A COMMENT on Florence L. Walzl's essay, "The
LiturgyoftheEpiphanySeason and theEpiphaniesof
Joyce," PMLA, LXXX (Sept. 1965), 436-450. The
author of this essay has overlookedsome pertinent
factual materialon Joyce's Epiphanies. Rather than
take up some of her specificpoints forcorrectionor
I shouldlike to presenthereas muchas I
refutation,
have been able to discoverabout the Epiphanies in
several years of investigation,and invite others to
refuteor correctme wheremyfactsare inadequate or
myinferences
illogical.For convenienceI shallnumber
each itemand providegeneraldocumentation.
1. For Joyce the word "Epiphany" designateda
prosegenrein whichhe worked.
2. From 1900 to 1904 he wrote over seventy
Epiphaniesand put themtogetherin a fixedsequence
beginning with the famous "Pull out his eyes"
Epiphanywhichappears earlyin A Portrait.
3. Of these seventy-someEpiphanies, fortyhave
survived: twenty-twoof these are in the Lockwood
Collectionat the UniversityofBuffalo.Eighteenadditional Epiphaniesare in the CornellUniversityJoyce
Collection. All fortywere published by the NorthwesternUniversityPress in the springof 1965 in The
WorkshopofDaedalus, to whichthe readeris referred
for elaboration and documentationof the present
comments.
4. Joyceused his Epiphaniesas a skeletaloutlinefor
Stephen Hero, copying them in where appropriate,
withsomechangesto suitthecontext.
5. He later used some in A Portrait,and a fewin
Ulysses.
6. No knownEpiphanyhas beenfoundin Dubliners.
7. Joyceneverused the wordEpiphany in connectionwithDubliners,or as a termfora structuraldevice
in longerfiction.His own Epiphanies wereall recordings of actual experiencesor moods. None were invented.In fact,by his own definition,
theycould not
be inventedbut had to be recorded.
8. Thus the term"Epiphany" as all too commonly
used in discussionof Dublinersand Joyce'sotherfiction has nothingto do with the term"Epiphany" as
Joycehimselfused it.
9. Since Joycehimselfpre-emptedthe termto apply to one of the genresin whichhe worked,it would
seem appropriateforcriticsto followhis lead. To use
his word to referto an aspect of his workotherthan
the one he intendedby it is to gain a spuriousauthorityformanya tenuousaperCu,whichmightseemmuch
less impressiveifnot cloakedin the borrowedraiment
ofJoyce'sphraseology.
10. May I suggestthat forcriticsas well as poets,
"there'smoreenterprisein walkingnaked."
University
ofIowa

COMMENT

ROBERT SCHOLES

At the presenttimethe termepiphany,in addition

has at least two distinct
to its religioussignifications,
meaningsin Joycecriticism.It may referspecifically
to a certaintype of briefprose workthat Joycecomposed between1900 and 1904. It may mean revelation
in certainliteraryand technicalsenses.
or illumination
to
In thislattermeaningit is widelyused in reference
all ofJoyce'sworks.
As to the firstsignification:
Joycehimselfapplied
the religioustermepiphanyto the briefnarrativesand
vignettes,whichhe describedin StephenHero as recordings of "the most delicate and evanescent of
moments"'and in Ulyssesas "epiphanieson greenoval
leaves."2At the timeofcompositionofmystudy(sent
to PMLA on 27 August 1964), twenty-twoof these
epiphanies had been published.3Subsequently ProfessorsRobertScholesand RichardM. Kain published
theirbook, The WorkshopofDaedalus, whichgivesthe
textoffortyepiphanies.4RegrettablyI could not consult theirwork.I have referredto these early epiphanies of Joycein the introductionof my article. My
main concern was not, however, with these short
works, but with the influenceof the sequence of
liturgicalepiphanies in the Epiphany season rites
(January1 to Candlemas) both upon Joyce'schangingconceptofepiphanyat thetimehe was writingthe
Dublinersstoriesand on the narrativesthemselves.In
my discussionof DublinersI emphasizedthat Joyce
never called these stories epiphanies, but rather
epicleti,a word derived from another ecclesiastical
term. I speculated as to the meaningof epicletito
Joyce,its relationshipto epiphany,and the reasons
Joyce may have preferredit. I also suggestedthat
Joyce'somissionof the termepiphanyin the esthetic
discussionofthe Portraitprobablyindicateda changingviewand mightrelateto his experiencesin composing the Dubliners stories. It is possible that Joyce
mighthave preferredthat the termepiphanybe restrictedto theearlyproseparagraphs,but his own use
ofthetermdoes notseemso limited.
As to the more general significationof epiphany:
Joycehimselfset the patternforthe use of the term
epiphanyas a spiritualor intellectualapprehension
whichrepresentedan enlightenment.
In the esthetic
discussion of Stephen Hero, where the qualities of
beautyare definedas integritas
(wholeness),consonantia (symmetry),and claritas (radiance), he defines
epiphanyas an apprehensionthatradianceis quiddity.
I

JamesJoyce,StephenHero (New York, 1944), p. 211.

JamesJoyce,Ulysses(New York, 1946), p. 41.
3 JamesJoyce,Epiphanies,ed. 0. A. Silverman(Buffalo,
N. Y., 1956).
4 The Workshopof Daedalus: James Joyceand the Raw
Materialsfor A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
(Evanston, In., 1965).
2

152

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153

RobertScholesand FlorenceL. Walzl

"Claritasis quidditas. . . This is the momentwhichI
call epiphany.... we recognizethat it is thatthing
whichit is. Its soul,its whatness,leaps to us fromthe
vestmentof its appearance."5Later in the Portraitin
discussionof estheticsJoyceagain
the corresponding
definedclaritasas beingan apprehensionof quidditas;
it is "the
however,he then describedit differently;
clear radiance of the estheticimage . . . apprehended
luminouslyby the mind" of the artist.6Joycedid not
call this realizationepiphany,a fact many observers
overlook.Yet the similaritybetweenthe two discussions has led to associationof the termepiphanywith
the moretechnicaltype of revelationdescribedin the
Portrait.Thus followingJoyce'slead eitherdirectlyor
criticshave used the termepiphanyto refer
indirectly,
to an illuminationof the essentialnature of a thing,
and by extensionalso, to an apprehensionof the narrative or imagisticmeans whicheffectsuch a revelation. Epiphany in these senses has been applied frequentlyto all ofJoyce'sworks.For example,in one of
the firstimportantdiscussionsof the epiphany,Irene
Hendry[Chayes]'s"Joyce'sEpiphanies,"theepiphany
is discussed as an "estheticrevelation" and Joyce's
work describedas "a tissue of epiphanies,great and
small, fromfleetingimages to whole books, fromthe
briefestrevelationin his lyricsto the epiphanythat
occupiesone gigantic,enduring'moment'in Finnegans
Wake."7 Otherswho have used the termepiphanyin
referenceto Joyce's esthetic theories and fictional
techniquesinclude Maurice Beebe, who analyzes the
epiphanyas part of Joyce'sestheticand refersto the
"epiphanies" which "appear in the Portrait and
Ulysses"; Haskell Block, who examines Joyce's
"theoryof epiphanies" as part of a general "critical
theory"; Hugh Kenner, who in a discussionon the
relationshipbetween "epiphany and the intuitionof
being" draws examples from Ulyssesand Finnegans
Wake; Geddes MacGregor,who equates "epiphany"
withthe "Crocean 'momentofexpression'"and illustrateswith epiphaniesfrom Ulysses;and WilliamT.
Noon, who traces the developmentfromthe "largely
parentheticaltranscriptions"of the "earliest Epiphanies" to the "highlycompressed. . . verbal formulations of the Wake" and illustrates "epiphanic
strategy"in Dublinersstories.8In a recentstudy,S. L.
Goldberg, discussingJoyce's esthetic,has "concentrated" on Joyce's "conception of 'epiphany' or
symbol," noted the differencesin the concept of
epiphanyin StephenHero, the Portrait,and Ulysses,
and cited typical epiphanies from Ulysses.9Among
apprehension
otherswho discussthe claritas-quidditas
in termsof an esthetictheorygenerallyapplicable to
Joyce'swritingare A. D. Hope, Thomas E. Connolly,
and WilliamYork Tindall."0
It shouldbe pointedout that the termepiphanyhas
also been applied frequentlyto the Dublinersnarratives. Three well-knownexamples will suffice:Theodore Spencerin the introductionto StephenHero calls
Dublinersa "series of epiphanies"; Harry Levin in
James Joyceinterpretsthe book as a "collection"of
epiphanies;and William York Tindall in A Reader's

GuidetoJamesJoycedescribesit as "a greatepiphany

and the containerof little epiphanies,an epiphanyof
epiphanies.""
It is evident that the term epiphanyhas several
meaningsin currentJoycecriticism.It may referto an
earlyprosetype,to a spiritualand intellectualilluminationof thenatureof a thing,and also, by extension,
to the artisticinsightsand means by which such a
revelationis achieved.
As to the religioussignificationof epiphany: the
epiphanyis universallydefinedas a visiblemanifestation of deity, and the liturgicalepiphany is such a
in thelifeofChrist,theaccountofwhich
manifestation
is incorporatedin the liturgyof the Mass or Divine
Office.The purpose of my study was to examinethe
influenceof a group of these epiphaniesupon the illuminationsofDubliners,whetherJoycelabelledthem
"epiphanies"or not. The liturgicalepiphanies,in general, employa narrativemethodin whicha sequence
a suddenrevelaofdetailsin a simplytold storyeffects
tion of spiritualor moral meaning,usually as to the
essentialbeingof a personor thing.There is inherent
symbolism:as a resultof a long traditionof Biblical
exegesisthe charactersare regardedas figuraeand the
at variouslevelsofmeaning.Such a
actioninterpreted
narrativeapproachseemsrelevantto Dubliners,where
each storyleads to a moral manifestationand where
each characteris a social type also. In addition,the
arrangementof epiphanies in the gospels of the
Epiphany-season Mass liturgyseems to have influenced Joycealso. A seriesof chronologicalepiphanies
in Christ's life is followed by a series illustrating
typical aspects of His messiahship.This two-part
arrangementhas certain likenesses to the order of
stories in Dubliners where a chronologicalseries of
storiesabout individualsis followedby a set of stories
6 StephenHero, p.

213.

6 James Joyce,A Porfraitof theArtistas a Young Man,

CompassEdition(NewYork,1956),p. 213.
in James
"Joyce'sEpiphanies,"
7Irene Hendry[Chayes],

ed. Seon Givens(New York,

Joyce:Two DecadesofCriticism,

1948),pp. 27-46.
andAquinas:The Theoryof
8 See MauriceBeebe,"Joyce
PQ, xxxvi (January1957), 30-34; Haskell
Aesthetics,"
Block,"The CriticalTheoryofJamesJoyce,"JAAC,vm
(March 1950), 181-184; Hugh Kenner,Dublin's Joyce
Ind., 1956), pp. 144-154; Geddes Mac(Bloomington,
Theoryin Joyce,"Life and Letters,LIV
Gregor,"Artistic
andAquinas
T. Noon,Joyce
(July1947),21-22;andWilliam
(NewHaven,1957),pp. 60-85.
9 S. L. Goldberg,The Classical Temper:A StudyofJames

Joyce'sUlysses(London,1961),p. 312. See pp. 41-65,78,

214-215, and 269-270.

10A. D. Hope, "The EstheticTheoryof JamesJoyce,"

Australasian Journal of Psychologyand Philosophy,xxi

"Joyce's
(December1943),93-114;ThomasE. Connolly,
Theory,"UKCR,xxiII (October1956),47-50;and
Aesthetic

WilliamYork Tindall, JamesJoyce:His Way ofInterpreting

thleModernWorld(New York,1950),pp. 120-121;and A
Reader'sGuideto JamesJoyce(New York, 1959), pp. 10-12.
11Theodore Spencer,"Introduction"to StephenHero,pp.
16-17; Harry Levin, James Joyce: A CriticalIntroduction

Conn.,1941),p. 29; and Tindall,Guide,p. 11.

(Norfolk,

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154

The Epiphanies of Joyce

about public typesand public morality.Therefore,in

appropriating the term epiphany from religious
liturgy,Joyce seems to have borrowedmore than a
name. The word implieda manifestationof being,a
view of charactersas types,and moral and spiritual
levels of symbolism.My studysuggeststhat the term
epiphanyin connectionwithJoyce'snarrativesshould
includesomeofthesereligioussignifications.
FLORENCE L. WALZL

University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
III

All fortyof the extantEpiphanies have been available for some years. No scholar needed to wait for
theirpublication.But that is not the issue here.The
issue is a confusionof terminology
fostered,no doubt
accidentally,by many of the criticslisted in Mrs.
Walzl's reply,who take the termEpiphanyto referto
an artistic device which can be traced throughout
Joyce's work. Now lots of devices can be traced
throughoutJoyce's work but we are not obliged to
give them fancy Greek names with liturgicalovertones. Mrs. Walzl's list of quotationsshowsas well as
can be shown just how much of a cliche the term
Epiphany has become in Joyce criticism.Far from
aiding us in our reading,it has becomean obstacle to
an arid formulaforcrankingout ununderstanding,
necessaryinterpretations.
I suggestthat we put this
particular formulaaside, for the sake of the work
whichit tends to obscure,and, if we must writeon

Dubliners,let's try to writelike Harry Stone in his

essay on "Araby" (AntiochReview,Fall 1965), where
the termEpiphany,ifit appears at all, does not get in
the way of a learned and sensitivereadingof one of
Joyce'sstories.
ROBERTSCHOLES
University
ofIowa

IV
Two pointsmightbe made. First,it was Joyce,not
his critics,who,in a passage in StephenHero wherehe
specificallycites St. Thomas Aquinas, applied the
term epiphanyto certain intellectualapprehensions.
It seemsto me a definitionin sucha contextcannotbe
divorced from its philosophicaland religious overtones.
Second,the termepiphanyis a commonplacein the
to manifestations
of divinityin the
liturgy,referring
lifeof Christ.It was a familiartermto Joyce,and the
liturgists'view that in these epiphaniesthe narration
of eventsleads to a revelationof theiressentialspiritual significance
seemsreflectedin Joyce'sview of the
epiphanyas an illuminationof the spiritualessenceof
an object or experience.Since Joyce used scholastic
and liturgicaltermsin variouscontexts,it is my view
that a studyof theiroriginalmeaningtendsto illuminate,ratherthanobscure,his definitions
and to clarify
his ownlaterpracticesin fiction.
FLORENCE

Univtersity
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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L. WALZL