Worksheet 1 on “The Dead”
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Define “epiphany” in two traditions:
Greek and Christian. When is the Feast
of Epiphany? Start your answer by
stating “According to…” to indicate the
source information. You can also
consult Robert Scholes’ notes on
“Epiphanies and Epicleti” on our class
website.
The Feast of Epiphany
Epiphany (from Koine Greek
(ἡ) ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia "appearance",
"manifestation") is a Christian feast day
that celebrates the revelation of God in
human form in the person of Jesus
Christ. It falls on 6 January or, in many
countries, on the Sunday that falls
between 2 January and 8 January.
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4/12/2015
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Epiphany, a sudden, intuitive perception of
or insight into the reality or essential
meaning of something, usually initiated by
some simple, homely, or commonplace
occurrence or experience.
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The Greek tradition
The climactic
moment when a god
appears and
imposes order on
the scene as in
Greek dramas
4/12/2015
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The Christian
tradition
a Christian festival,
observed on
January 6,
commemorating the
manifestation of
Christ to the
gentiles in the
persons of the Magi;
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Twelfth-day.
Religious vs. Secular
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The original concept
has its religious
connotation
Christian
Epiphany:
Manifestation of
god’s
presence within the
created world
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James Joyce’s
definition is
secular in that the
source for
epiphanies is
rooted in daily
commonplace
occurrences.
Sudden revelation
Joycean Epiphany: a secular
experience signifying
 a sudden sense of radiance &
revelation that one may feel while
perceiving a commonplace object
 Standard (now): the sudden flare
into revelation of an ordinary object
or scene
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Epicleti/Epiclesis
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In a letter to Constantine Curran in
August of 1904 Joyce wrote "I am writing
a series of epicleti-- ten-- for a paper... I
call the series Dubliners to betray the
soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which
many consider a city."
the relationship between "epiphany" and
"epicleti" as epicleti being the catalyst
that leads to the epiphanic moment.
Epicleti/Epiclesis
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A part of the prayer of consecration in
which the presence of the Holy Spirit is
invoked to bless the Eucharistic
elements, Holy Communion , or the
communicants, or both.
Paralysis/Hemiplegia
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Hemiplegia refers to paralysis of one
side of the body
Paresis is a condition typified by
partial loss of movement, or impaired
movement. Neurologists use the term
paresis to describe weakness, and
plegia to describe paralysis in which
all movement is lost. The term paresis
comes from the Ancient Greek:
πάρεσις "letting go" or "paralysis" from
παρίημι "to let go, to let fall."
Paralysis & Paresis
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a late
manifestation of
syphilis,
characterized
by progressive
dementia and
paralysis.
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A pun or a cover-up
word for the real
reason why the
priest died in the
first story “The
Sisters” in
Dubliners.
In “The Dead” there
are no priests
invited or present at
the party.
Colonized by an idea
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“The stickiness
factor” [of an
idea] shows the
powerfulness of
that idea;
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Another way to
look at this is to
say how
vulnerable
human beings
can be!
Who are paralyzed by what
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Lily: stuck with her job/failed romance 42;
Freddy: drowned in his booze ;
Mary Jane: intoxicated in her academy piece
which has no melody 50;
Monks sleeping in the coffins 64;
Johnny the horse circling around forever 7071;
Gretta: unable to live her life to the fullest;
Lily’s role
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Comment on Lily’s role in presenting
Gabriel’s dramatic entrance. What can
we infer about Gabriel from his faux pas
or clumsy interactions with Lily?
Faux pas, French for “false steps” on
social occasions, a slip or blunder in
etiquette, manners, or conduct; an
embarrassing social blunder or
indiscretion.
Irony
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The stage is set
up: everybody is
craning his or her
neck to Gabriel’s
arrival;
To everybody’s
disappointment,
Gabriel pushes
wrong buttons
right and left;
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Lily’s name
implies purity;
however, she is
not longer a girl
she used to be;
The Uncle Charles Principle
Stylistic inflection
from Hugh Kenner, Joyce’s Voices
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“The narrative idiom need not be the
narrator’s.”
“Reality […] does not answer to the ‘point
of view,’ the monocular vision, the single
ascertainable tone. A tone, a voice, is
somebody’s, a person’s, and people are
confined to being themselves, are
Evelines, are Croftons, are Stephens.”
Lily’s diction in “The Dead”
Point of View
omniscient or limited
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Author/writer
Narrator/persona
Characters
Major/Minor
Flat/Round
Protagonist/antagon
ist/Counterparts
Reader/Critic
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First-person
Second-person
Third-person
At the level of
diction: whose
language?
Lily vs. Gabriel
Gabriel’s Duties
One of the archangels seated
next to God’s throne
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explains mysteries about future political
events
(Milton)
delivers special
revelations from God to individuals
(annunciation)
intercedes with God for those oppressed by
evil
interpreter of dreams
Question 4
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Perform a character analysis of Lily.
Though a flat character, Lily has her
“round” share of pains and problems. In
addition to her stated status as a servant
girl for the Morkans, where else can you
infer that Lily is a poor girl from the lower
class in Dublin? Describe the language
she ues in the text. How does paralysis
apply to her case?
Lily’s pains and Problems
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Failed romance
Lily’s view of men
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Paralysis
Taking a fraction of
a part for the whole
Fallacious
reasoning
Irony: as caretaker’s
daughter, who is
going to take care of
Lily? Could she
recover from her
paralysis?
Significance of Goloshes 45
Narrative Economy vs. Narrative Ecology
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Focus on the goloshes/galoshes as a text
and spell out different readings or
interpretations. Why are they given such a
significant space in a short story?
Gretta’s perspective on galoshes:
Gabriel’s attitude towards galoshes:
Aunt Julie’s perplexity about galoshes:
Connection between Gabriel and Michael
Gabriel vs. Michael
Is it just the weather to blame?
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Take things into his
own hands:
Goloshes for its
protective function;
Booked a room at a
fancy hotel so that
his wife won’t catch
a dreadful cold
again this year;
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Got consumption as
a result of working
at the gasworks;
The word “gas” is
mentioned several
times;
Came to see Grett
for the last time
without any
protection on a rainy
night;
From a mother’s point of view,
whom Gretta should marry?
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Gabriel
Gretta: sent to a
convent all of a sudden;
Speculation on her
potential pregnancy;
Disapproval of this
relationship from her
parents;
Gretta passively
accepted the
arrangement;
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Michael: Not
accepted by
Gretta’s family;
In poor health with
an incurable
disease at the time;
Give up on living;
Who is really
suicidal: Gabriel or
Michael?
Different readings of
goloshes/galoshes (Fr.)
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Gretta’s perspective
“Gretta” means a
child of light in
Greek;
Aunt Julia’s
ignorance about
Goloshes
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Gabriel’s attitude:
“Everybody has a pair
on the continent” (red
herring)
Red herring is an
idiomatic expression
referring to a rhetorical
tactic of diverting
attention away from an
item of significance