Epiphany

A Christian festival. Cudden defines epiphany as the term primarily denotes the festival which commemorates the manifestation of christ to the Geniles in the persons of the Magi. The feast is observed on January 6th,'Twelfth Night',the festival of the 'Three Kings'. (277). Cudden also states " More generally, the term denotes a manifestation of God's presence in the world". (277).

A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into reality or the essential meaning of something, often initiated by some simple, commonplace occurance.

The Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature states "A literary representation of an epiphany, or a symbolically revealing work or part of a work." (383). " The use of the word in relation to literature is associated particularly with James Joyce because of description of the concept in a draft of the work that became A Portrait of the Artist as as Young Man." (383). Cudden states " Joyce elaborates this theme at considerable lenght. The epiphany is a symbol of a spiritual state.This aspect of aesthetic theory is left out of A Portrait, but a knowledge of it is essential for an understanding of Joyce as an artist." (277).