Epiphany
Pronounced ih-PIF-uh-nee.
Epiphany: A moment when a character suddenly sees their situation, or themselves, clearly.
An epiphany turns a story's climax inward: nothing external needs to explode if the character's understanding does. Joyce built the modern short story around it.
Epiphany examples
"Till this moment I never knew myself."
— Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
"Gabriel Conroy, watching the snow fall, finally sees his marriage and his own vanity clearly."
— The Dead, James Joyce
"Joyce used the word itself for these moments of sudden revelation, and Dubliners is structured around them."
— Dubliners, James Joyce
"Halfway through apologising, he realised he was not sorry, and that this was the problem."
— original example
Spot the Epiphany
Score: 0/0A moment when a character suddenly sees their situation, or themselves, clearly.
"Till this moment I never knew myself."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Epiphany: common questions
What is epiphany in literature?
A moment when a character suddenly sees their situation, or themselves, clearly. An epiphany turns a story's climax inward: nothing external needs to explode if the character's understanding does. Joyce built the modern short story around it.
What is an example of epiphany?
A classic example is "Till this moment I never knew myself." (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen).
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