Both Uses of
epiphany
in
Looking for Alaska
- I had an epiphany.
p. 69..1 *epiphany = sudden realization
- That was the epiphany.
p. 69..3
Definition:
-
(epiphany) a sudden realization -- especially one of importanceeditor's notes: James Joyce coined common use of the term from Christianity where it refers to the moment it was realized that Jesus was divine. When capitalized, "Epiphany" references that day twelve days after Christmas -- January 6th.
The term was widely used by James Joyce in his critical writings, and the stories in Joyce's Dubliners are commonly called "epiphanies."