A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany

A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Artur Schouten s1092146 MA thesis June 2014 first reader: Dr. Wim Tigges second reader: Prof. Dr. Peter Liebregts A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 1 Preamble I gratefully acknowledge the sustained support of my wife Dominique who has seen me through the hectic times of combining work and study and a family life. I salute my son Stephen who has had to do without the immediate availability of his dad on many occasions when play was wanted or attention required. I am greatly indebted to my most learned tutors at Leiden University, foremost the First and Second Readers of this thesis, Dr. Wim Tigges and Prof. Dr. Peter Liebregts. Through their example, I have been reminded of the importance of life-long study. I pay my respects to Dr. Tony Foster, who coached me through a first attempt at developing a thesis, then pointed me into the direction of another, and has always remained supportive of my efforts, even the aborted ones. I am thankful for the useful advice given by Dr Theo Damsteegt, who proofread the first drafts of this manuscript and gave valuable feedback on my work. I appreciate the good wishes and encouragements of my colleagues at the Rijnlands Lyceum in Oegstgeest, in particular Mrs Maida Reiziger, who has never ceased to express her faith in me and who remains an important source of inspiration in my work. I give due credit to my former English teacher Mrs Pauline Keith, who was a defining influence in my formative years, who has always encouraged me to develop my skills, and who has remained a loyal friend throughout my life. I tip my hat to my dear old friend Michael Stikkelorum, who enticed me into becoming a teacher of English, threw me in at the deep end and then left me to my own devices. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 2 I owe much, if not everything, to my late parents who have guided me in the right direction, sent me to school, fed, clothed, nursed and supported me; who have always believed in me and never given up on me. I am truly sorry for not having been able to present them in time with the fruits of their labour of love. I thank my lucky stars for remaining relatively healthy until the ripe old age of 60-plus and still being sufficiently sound of mind to be able to finish this work of endurance. There have ee ti es I felt like Eliot s Ed a d Casau o , istfull o ki g a a to a ds a goal that seemed forever out of reach. Finally, but not conclusively, I wish it to be known that although I am a child of the sixties, and some of my own epiphanies may have been drug-inspired, essentially and crucially they were never drug-induced. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 3 Table of Contents: page: 1. Introduction 4 2. Defining epiphany and associated notions 8 3. The literary epiphany - an overview of received knowledge and previous research 12 4. Thesis Statement: A Cycle of C-Changes 27 5. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: entering the world of the artist as he enters into the world 36 6. Visio a d e isio : the lo g oad to ealizatio i the de elop e t of Ke oua s On the Road 59 7. Conclusion 86 Selected bibliography and works cited 92 A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 4 1. Introduction Cha ge is a ke o di u h of the o ld s lite atu e, as hu a ei gs a e ha dl ever static and unchanging. Although there are instances in which hardly any change of character, or change of heart, or change of scene occurs in the course of a narrative – Be kett s Waiting for Godot comes to mind – o e ofte the p otago ist s p og ess is marked by significant changes. Hence, one of the most commonly discussed aspects when dealing with a work of literature is that of character development. Another key mechanism is that of rising and falling action. This is conventionally associated with drama, but equally applies to prose. Introduced in 1894 by the German critic and dramatist Gustav Freytag (Prince 36), the f a e o k fo plot a al sis hi h e a e k o as F e tag s P a id consists of an upright triangular shape depicting on the left-hand side of the triangle the notion of rising action or the increase of tension, the tip of the pyramid representing the climax or culmination of the action, and the right-hand side standing for falling action or the decrease of tension. This concept is mostly applied to the structure of a dramatic piece in five acts such as the typical Shakespearean play but is also applicable to prose fiction (Abrams 161). Aristotle first posited that a unified plot consists of a relevant sequence of events with a beginning, a middle part, and an end. After the introduction of one or more characters or a situation in the exposition, we move into a phase of complication in which the action rises and a conflict develops, leading to the climactic events which mark the high point of the plot. In Hamlet, for instance, this climax is reached at the moment when the play within a play is being staged, thus adding a metaphysical layer to the drama. At the climax, a crisis marks the tu i g poi t i hi h the p otago ist s fate is dete i ed. Afte A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 5 this, the dramatic tension gradually decreases in the falling action of events leading to the inevitable outcome known as the resolution or denouement. This thesis attempts to link certain aspects of literary analysis, i.e. character development and rising/falling action, to the phenomenon of the literary epiphany. After providing a general definition of epiphany I will present various types of literary epiphany, before narrowing the scope down to one specific type: the epiphany which comes after a prolonged period of mounting tension culminating in a personal crisis. At this point, I will introduce my own model: a logical progression of states of mind or being, moving towards an epiphany which has a lasting effect on the character. Though the visionary moment may be spontaneous, it does not occur haphazardly but rather is the result of a series of consecutive events which lead up to the point of epiphany; it may be out of the ordinary, but it is not out of context. This progression can be perceived as an upward spiral representing a mental development towards a wider consciousness, a better understanding of the self and the other, and a greater degree of self-realization or self-actualization. Thus, the literary notions of rising and falling action and character development are tied in to the type of epiphany I am proposing in my model. In discussing the phenomenon of the epiphany, some indispensable links will be made to the field of psychology, without straying too far from the literary implications. This thesis intends to highlight the importance of the epiphany in the context of literary character development, as well as its contribution to the role of literature as a morally uplifting force. It will also be noted that epiphanies are not an end in themselves, but rather an inherent part of the transitions in life. To corroborate my findings, I will compare the said stages in the progression toward epiphany with developments in two works of primary literature: James Jo e s A Portrait of A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 6 the Artist as a Young Man, and Jack Ke oua s On the Road. After discussing these two works in detail I will refer far more su i tl to th ee othe o els Ke oua s The Dharma Bums, Pi sig s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a d Walke s The Color Purple), and indicate how key developments in these works relate to some of the said stages in my model. Naturally, I will emphasize the combination of stages as proposed in my model and go beyond merely unconnected and separate examples of the various states of being described in this model. In doing so, I will explore some of the theoretical background to the literary epiphany, as discussed by Morris Beja, Ashton Nichols, Robert Langbaum, Philipp Wolf, Christel van Boheemen-Saaf, and Wim Tigges. I will also attempt to counter Paul Malt s post ode iti ue a d de o st u tio of the epipha i lite a t aditio . M response, and my thesis as a whole, will express a professed belief in the mental and moral e olutio i a , ased o a deep o i tio that t uth ill out a d that a ki d is, i a moral sense, upwardly mobile. Character development is, in my model at least, a development for the better. I have opted to focus on novels as the primary material for my thesis, rather than poetry or short stories. Through its longer literary format, the novel offers more scope for character development and thus serves better to illustrate the various phases of my proposed model. Poetry and short stories are dictated by their brevity; there is no time for long complications. The central character undergoes one single experience. Character is therefore revealed, but not developed as in a novel. Epiphanic poetry tends to describe the supreme moment of experience, but omits the stages which have led up to this; it merely highlights selected details which are relevant to the experience itself. As far as narrative structure is concerned, a short story may have the same stages as a novel. However, the A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 7 reader generally only learns something about the character's present state, and only for as far as it is relevant to the story itself. The story relates mostly to one event in the protagonist's life; the events leading up to the climax are often only slightly touched upon. There is an anecdote about a Zen Master who is asked what comes before E lighte e t. His espo se is: Enlighte e t, he eplies: u h hoppi g of ood . Whe asked hat o es afte o e hoppi g of ood . What akes this a t pi al )e sto is the way in which it puts the listener off balance by proposing the unexpected: whoever supposes that after Enlightenment the hard graft is over will be sorely disappointed. This anecdote illustrates the cyclical nature of personal, psychological, and spiritual development: the mental growth of a human being usually does not proceed in a linear fashion, starting from a given point of departure and moving, perhaps in leaps and bounds, but more or less straight towards the goal of self-realisation. Rather, it moves in circles, revisiting points one has passed before, and reliving those same focal points from a new perspective, a different point of view. These circles are upwardly mobile, as the person accumulates experience throughout his life, and the expanding body of experience allows for a wider view, a higher vantage point every time his consciousness focuses on the same object, action, or situation. Although moments of doubt and brief periods of stagnation may momentarily slow down the process, eventually the only way is onward and upward, and thus man is destined to improve himself, and in doing so will improve the world around him. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 8 2. Defining epiphany and associated notions A epipha ealizatio is a iousl des i ed as a moment of sudden and great revelation or o fo ddi tio a ies. o ), a flash of recognition in which someone or something is seen in a new light (Nordquist, about.com), o di a e pe ie e Ni hols o e ta a ifestatio s of sig ifi a e i o a sudde se se of adia e a d e elatio that o e a feel while perceiving a commonplace object. . . . the sudden flare into revelation of an o di a o je t o s e e A ams 57). The term has been derived from the ancient Greek epiphaneia, ea i g a ifestatio , sho i g fo th, st iki g appea a e a d is applied i science, literature, psychology, philosophy, and religion. Archimedes is supposed to have had his eu eka! moment when he took a bath and Newton may well have had an epiphany when he saw an apple fall from a tree. In literature, the term was first coined by Emerson in a lecture on 19 December , though still e u h ith a eligious o otatio : Da creeps after day, each full of facts, dull, strange, despised things. . . . presently the aroused intellect finds gold and gems in one of these scorned facts, then finds . . . that a fact is an Epipha of God . Joyce later re-introduces the word in Stephen Hero, as he describes the moment when the soul of the commonest object ... seems to us radiant. The object achieves it epiphany (213). Joyce goes on to use the concept in Dubliners and in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In Lord Jim, Conrad defines epiphany as one of those rare moments of awakening [in which] everything [occurs] in a flash (Langbaum 42). Woolf refers to it as little dail i a les, illu i atio s, at hes st u k u e pe tedl i the da k 161). Epiphanies are relatively rare occurrences, and they are usually associated with the result of A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 9 a process of significant labour, intensive study, or intense experience. Though the experience itself may appear to be a sudden, out-of-the-blue, flash of insight, it will more often than not happen at the end of a period of prolonged effort (Berkun 10). An epiphany is a rewarding experience precisely because we never know if and when it will happen, or whether we will be rewarded for our efforts; it is not the predictable and calculable result of a conscious process of reflection and consideration. The word epiphany originally referred to insight through the divine (Berkun 5). It remains a widely-held conception that an epiphany comes to us from outside ourselves, as if it is a notion which is not produced by our own mind, but by some external, even supernatural, force. It is linked to the concepts of catharsis and kenosis in Ancient Greek drama, and these concepts also reflect states of mind which are produced at the end of a chain of events and after a period of mounting tension. Catharsis, from Ancient Greek katharsis, ea i g lea si g, pu gi g , a e des i ed as elease of e otio al te sio , e otio al lea si g , pu ifi atio o pu gi g of e otio s . It de otes a e t e e change in emotion, occurring as a result of experiencing strong feelings. Kenosis, from Ancient Greek ke óō, ea i g to e pt out , is the o ept of the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God and the divine will. In Christianity, the Epiphany is the name of the feast celebrated twelve days after Christmas. It is the celebration of the appearance of Christ to the Magi. To be precise, it was the appea a e of the “ta of Bethlehe hi h sho ed fo th the a to the e -born incarnation of godhead. The image of the star is in effect a fitting representation of the epiphany in that it captures the elements of illumination, timelessness and boundlessness; the sudde fla e (Abrams 57) of revelation may even be compared to a supernova (Tigges A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany . I a ide eligious se se, the o d epipha efe s to the Schouten 10 o e t he a pe so s faith is realised or confirmed. In Buddhism, for instance, it might point to the moment when the Buddha attains Nirvana as he realizes the nature of the universe (Rhys Davids 362). As we shall see later, though, revelations of a religious nature are not to be equated with the literary epiphany. From the perspective of psychology, one of the key notions which ties in to the idea of character development is that of self-actualisation or self-realisation, or the fulfilment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality. Maslow defines selfa tualizatio as: the desi e to e o e that o e is apa le of e o i g o ea d o e hat o e is, to e o e e e thi g . Based o this defi itio , self-actualisation is generally regarded as psychological growth, or the fruition of the latent potential within a human being. Maslow calls this the desi e fo self-fulfilment . . . the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. . . . A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be (382). Maslow distinguishes five sets of human needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualisation. Self-actualisation is the final stage of psychological development and is only achieved after all other physical and mental needs are fulfilled. Some of the characteristics of those who have attained this phase of development are: acceptance of reality and of oneself and an extraverted rather than an introverted mindset. Analogous to this, Jung develops the idea of i di iduatio , a life-long process in which the i ate ele e ts of o e s pe so alit , the diffe e t e pe ie es of o e s life a d the diffe e t aspects and components of the psyche become integrated over time, to form a mature human being. In general, it is the process by which individual beings are formed and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 11 differentiated [from other human beings]; in particular, it is the development of the psychological individual as a being distinct from the general, collective psychology (par.757). Jung maintains that individuation has a holistic healing effect on the person, both mentally and physically. As a first attempt at arriving at a comprehensive definition of the literary epiphany, this chapter has been necessarily succinct. The next chapter of this thesis will focus on an overview of existing sources and further explore the lines of thought of those who have tried to shed light on this elusive subject. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 12 3. The literary epiphany - an overview of received knowledge and previous research It as Jo e ho popula ized the te epipha i his o el Stephen Hero which was to become the basis of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. However, the notion of a sudden revelation by way of exposure to a seemingly trivial object, event, or even image, had been around for much longer. Chekhov and Proust had earlier availed themselves of this literary notion, and within the English-speaki g o ld Wo ds o th had spoke of spots of ti e ith i if i g i tue in The Prelude “a d a d held I fi it i the pal “helle had defe ded poet , Blake had see a Wo ld i a G ai of of ou ha d / A d Ete it i a hou ,a d i oki g the i spi atio of e a es e t isitatio s of thought and feeling . . . arising unforeseen and departing unbidden, but elevating and delightful . Another to emphasize the transitory nature of time with regards to personal insight was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who, i his essa Gi s o ds The O e -“oul uoted Rev. David Emerson o d ete it i a hou , / O st et h a hou to ete it and added: Befo e the e elatio s of the soul, Time, “pa e, a d Natu e sh i k a a universe is represented in an atom, in a moment of time a d the . The fleeting nature, the momentariness of the epiphany, as well as its intensity, is voiced by many others: Browning speaks of i fi ite o e t , Yeats of g eat Walla e “te e s of o e t , o e t of a ake i g , Pate of pauses i ti e , Henry James of su li e i sta ts , Co ad of the e is the aptl o e t , T.“. Eliot of ti eless o e t of isio td. in Tigges 24); and then of course hose title of Tigges a tholog : Mo e ts of Mo e t . A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Morris Beja e tio s as the ea liest e a ple of a lite a Schouten 13 epipha “te e s novel Tristam Shandy, in which a fly is set free, causing the protagonist to experience a revelation which will stay with him forever – though it can be argued that this situation is simply to be interpreted as a regular memory which is recalled later. Most, if not all, scholars agree that the epiphany is to take place spontaneously, and often through a process of involuntary memory, rather than caused by an effort of will to remember a past event or by attempting to call up a heightened state of awareness. Ashton Ni hols i olu ta e o ,i akes a disti tio hi h the se se of sig ifi a e (Poetics et ee the p olepti i d t a sfo epipha , t igge ed s a past e pe ie e to p odu e a e , a d the adelo i epipha , t igge ed o di a e e ts as the happe , hi h efe s to a o -perceptual . . . manifestation produced immediately a po e ful pe eptual e pe ie e (75). Building on this subdivision, Tigges proposes a useful categorization of these two types of epiphanies. The proleptic epiphany can be subdi ided i Beja s et ospe ti e epipha , o e i hi h a e e t a ouses o spe ial impression when it occurs, but produces a sudden sensation of new awareness when it is recalled at so e futu e ti e (Beja 15) hi h a ou ts to a dela ed epipha , and that of the past e aptu ed in which the revealed past event is not a revelatory experience in itself, but the significance of the present recapture of that past moment takes on an epiphanic character (60-61). I sta es of the fo e o u i Jo e s o k, he eas instances of the latter can be found in the work of Proust (15). Tigges then sub-divides the adelonic epiphany in five sub-types: the first is related to a place (e.g. a mountain top, a tower, a lighthouse, a ladder, a staircase); the second is related to an encounter with a person (often a young woman – the idea of the use o es to i d ; the thi d is elated to A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 14 an object (e.g. a star, a river, a sea, an animal, an urn); the fourth is related to verbal perception (for instance the overhearing of a conversation, as in Portrait, or by meditating o a si gle o d, o o e t , the (Tigges 28- eadi g a fatal ook ; a d fi all , the fifth is elated to the ulti ate o e t of d i g, i hi h o e it esses a fi al e ie of o e s past life . Tigges fu the disti guishes et ee e pe ie ed the lite a ha a te , a d o je ti e epipha reader and/o e og ized epipha , the isolated su je ti e epipha the a ato hi h is t a sfe ed to the . As Ni hols e a ks: [i] the lite a o e t of o e i di idual s i pote tial sou e of alue i the hi h is ediate e pe ie e e o es a i ds of othe s Poetics 34). The epiphanee, the person experiencing an epiphany, can be the writer, the narrator, a character, the reader, or a combination of these. However, as Tigges notes, what creates an epiphany for one person a lea e all othe s holl u of the eholde The te o ed; epipha , like eaut , e ai s e u h i the e e . epipha is ot al a s asso iated ith pleasu a l i spi ed o e ts, however. Northrop F e speaks of de o i epipha ies , hi h Ni hols defi es as a ifestatio of the ealit of e il Poetics 2). This type of epiphany, also k o isio as t agi o anag o isis , o u s he the p otago ist, ho is a out to pe ish, sees his past, present, and future in a flash of insight. The protagonist realizes what could have been but must accept his mortal fate. This kind of epipha ould o espo d to Tigges fifth su - type, if its association with fear and pain had not ruled it out of this category. Beja even posits that this t pe of dis o e is ot a epipha , si e it is atio al, ot spi itual (16). There is also the false epipha i hi h the he o is u a le to fatho his o motives and oversee the consequences of his actions. Convinced of the validity of his A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 15 deluded vision, he determines the usually fatal outcome of his destiny. The state of apo ia does not fit into this typology either, though it may be seen as a stage towards epiphany. Derived from ancient Greek and signifying without passage the term suggests that, insofar it describes a feeling of genuine doubt rather than a rhetorical device, it denotes a mental block, a cul-de-sac, an impasse, a situation seemingly without an open end. The same goes for “a t e s ausea hi h e tails a isis of despai that, although ultimately bringing the protagonist closer to himself, at the same time leads him to alienation from the world. Sartre may have said that life egi s o the othe side of despai Carruth xi a d genius is what a man invents when he is looking for a way out Ca uth v – xiv), but in “a t e s philosophy it is man himself who is forced to re-invent and re-define himself rather than embracing the greater vision which is offered when the individual consciousness connects with what lies outside of its limited scope. As a literary and psychological term, epiphany can be equated to intuition, illumination, enlightenment, and vision. It is, however, more than mere inspiration. Frye suggests that the defining difference between the two is the element of clarity which should accompany the experience: I have never had the sort of experience the mystics talk about, never felt a revelation of reality through or beyond nature, never felt like Adam in Paradise, never felt, in direct experience, that the world is wholly other than it seems. I do t uestio the ho est , o e e the fa tualit , of those who have recorded such experiences, but I have had to content myself with the blessing to those who have not seen & yet have believed—if one can attach the o d elief to a epti g state e ts as o iousl t ue as the fa t that I A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 16 have seen New York. The nearest I have come to such experiences are glimpses of my own creative powers . . . and these are moments or intervals of inspiration rather than vision. I ot sure that I want it unless I can have clarity about other things with it. What are all the miracles and divine visions of Bernard of Clairvaux to me when I know that he preached vehemently in favor of crusades? (Third Book 60-1). Though he maintains that he is not among those who have experienced one, this quote conveniently sums up some of the elements which do constitute an epiphany: mystical, yet not constricted to institutionalized religion; experience which transcends e e da ealit , supe atu al a d atu al at the sa e ti e; k o i g direct experience there is far more to be discovered about the universe and our place in it than what may first e appa e t; a d the e ui e e t of a i tue of i he e t good ess hi h ea hes e o d the confines of our own microcosm. As such, religious experiences can of course be verbalized as literary epiphanies. ‘o e t La g au alls the epipha the ‘o a ti substitute for religion [which] becomes the means of returning to and revalidating dogma as e pe ie e . In his ground-breaking book on the subject, Morris Beja quickly establishes that the epiphanic experience cannot be identified with mystical experience or with conversion, and that Jo e s use of the o d spiritual in this context must be interpreted as figurative (1415). Beja notes that Joyce uses the term epiphany equally for the manifestation or the object itself, the o e t it p odu es, a d his des iptio of it. Depa ti g f o of a sudde spi itual Jo e s des iptio a ifestatio , hethe i the ulga it of spee h o of gestu e o i a memora le phase of the i d itself , Beja a i es at his o defi itio : a sudde spi itual A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 17 manifestation, whether from some object, scene, event, or memorable phase of the mind – the manifestation being out of proportion to the significance or strictly logical relevance of hate e p odu es it . This latte defi itio e phasizes that g eat otio s a e culled from apparently trivial occurrences, a point which Joyce had stressed earlier but hi h as ot e p essed i his o defi itio . The ph ase out of p opo tio aptl underscores the overwhelming nature of the epiphany. Beja makes a distinction between a mystic and a Romantic: the former externalizes his e pe ie e as if it is ha ded to hi natu e of the i d itself . He defi es di i e G a e , the latte sti is ill att i ute it to the as a a do i g the a a e ess of self and clearly distinguishes the religious epiphany from the secular Romantic type, while acknowledging that in describing the Romantic epiphany much of the earlier ecclesiastical terminology is applied. Beja also devotes considerable thought to the relevance in discussing epiphany of the relativity and fluidity of time. The simple linear notion of time is ruled out in the experience of time transcended, whether it is in recapturing the past through involuntary memory or retrospectively through voluntary memory. After all, the way time is experienced is subjective: it can be equally interpreted as a continuum and a series of separate moments, or even as the coexistence of all moments in an eternal present. To what extent the past - and the future, for that matter - is a part of the present is a matter of (informed) opinion, and raises so many philosophical questions that, regrettably, definitive answers cannot be expected to be given in these pages. In his se i al a ti le The Epipha i Mode i Wo ds o th a d Mode Robert Langbaum uotes Wo ds o th s o te po a Lite atu e , Hazlitt as saying that Wordsworth had made poetry democratic, taking his cue from the French Revolution, using a A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 18 e a ula st le a d deli e i g household t uths . He is o e ed ith hu a hopes , the hu a hea t a d the hu a i d of poet e te al sig s ut hi h is ot dete i ed -53). Langbaum posits that this is a new kind a ki d of Wo ds o th a d Cole idge alled i agi atio . . . . It ope ates est o e tal ope atio that ealisti ate ial that requires transformation, and helps us believe that the transformation really takes pla e . This agi ealis aptl des i es the lite a epipha u de dis ussio he e. Having originated as a theological term denoting the manifestation of the divine, as in the appearance of Christ to the Magi or the liturgical transubstantiation of the host into the od of Ch ist, the te is the de o atized a d applied to the o ki gs of the hu a mind. From theology, it has become psychology, and from psychology it has become applicable in literature. Thus, La g au disti guishes t aditio al isio fo ode epipha . Unlike visions, which take place only in the mind, epiphanies are also associated with the se ses. I additio to Beja s ite ia of I o g uit a d I sig ifi a e the epiphany is i ele a t to the [t i ial] o je t o i ide t that t igge s it , La g au of Ps hologi al Asso iatio a ps hologi al phe o e o a isi g f o e pe ie e , Mo e ta eous ess lasts o l a “udde ess a sudde p oposes the ite ia a eal se suous o e t, ut lea es a e du i g effe t , ha ge i e te al o ditio s auses a shift i se suous pe eptio that se sitizes the o se e , a d F ag e tatio o the Epipha i Leap the te t e e quite equals the epiphany; the poetry . . . co sists i the eade s leap . Thus Langbaum stresses both the predisposition to be receptive for impressions and the involvement of the reader in the epiphanic process; the ultimate goal of the poet or writer is to convey his personal epiphany to the reade as i a joi t e tu e - . ‘efe i g to Wo ds o th s A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 19 l i al allad “i o , he states: [t]he tale does ot eside i the e e ts ut i the ualit of the imagination that produced it and that receives it. The author does not tell the reader the story, but plays upon him as though he were a musical instrument – making him move through a series of associations that will produce the epiphany in him . Of the ideas discussed above, the one that is most applicable to the proposed model here is that of the adelonic epiphany, as it set off by an actual sensory experience, causing an intense reaction in the mind of the epiphanee. For example, although there may be many instances of retrospective epipha ies i Jo e s ork, the passage relating to the girl on the beach undoubtedly falls into the category of the adelonic epiphany. Tigges disti tio between subjective and objective epiphanies is also useful. Through language, meaning can communicate itself from the author to the reader. As Nichols remarks: se ula lite a e elatio e o ds the p ofou dl the to othe s, th ough the ediu o ple hu a of la guage i d-brain revealing itself to itself, and Linguistic Moments . The o ept of epiphany . . . is a paradigm of the way language does not merely process conscious activity; language is a form of o s ious a ti it . Lite a epipha ies . . . e eal the power of the human mind to make sense of the material world by way of human language, a product of consciousness . Paul Maltby, in his postmodern critique and deconstruction of the epiphanic literary tradition, chooses a rather divergent view to the authors discussed above. After surmising that the e a e fe a o g us ho ha e ot, at so e ti e, elie ed i the possi ilit of the flash of i sight that ould deli e spi ituall edee i g k o ledge , he goes o to asse t that [s]u h a elief pe sists like folklo e a d as a displa ed e p ession of eligious elief . ‘efe i g to the essa s olle ted i Tigges a tholog , he states that the A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany postmodern viewpoint, hi h ega ds the isio a Schouten 20 o e t as e eshed i etaph si al a d ideologi al assu ptio s , is largely neglected. Maltby feels that these assumptions are theo eti all u te a le a d hi h he o e spe ifi all ostl i e o ila le ith p og essi e politi al thi ki g , ea s Ma ist iti ue. He o je ts to the t uth lai s of epiphanic notions to the acquisition of transcendent knowledge through insight, the phenomenon of instantaneousness, as well as the redemptive qualities of the visionary e pe ie e. Malt ge e al sti is li ks the lite a o lite a fo epipha s , illust ati g this . . . sha a isti a d ille di e tl to the efe i g, a o g othe s, to Ne Age ial ults [a d] a u geo i g elief i the supe atu al (3). “pe ifi all , he posits that [t]he isio a o e t p o otes the i flue tial the e is a highe o de of k o ledge that . . . is . . . pe [t]he isio a sti al e pe ie e i its a e t a d u i e sal th that and that o e t i a ia l has the ualit of ulti a . . . . [T]he su je t . . . has reached the ultimate stage of spiritual and moral development. The subject, as if in some di i e state, a p og ess o fu the ith Malt s a gu e tatio : the . It is on this point that I must vehemently disagree easu e of personal truth experienced in one particular moment does not need be permanent or even universal. The moment of truth is just that: something can be very true and significant at one moment, and not be so at other times or in different circumstances, even to the same person. Maltby undermines his own argumentation here by referring to the passage in Ulysses when Stephen looks back mockingly at the epiphanies he found so important as a young man (13). I will explore this point fu the i the dis ussio of Jo e s Portrait. Malt opposes disso iati g k o ledge f o pu li life a d i te io izi g it ; this would seem to amount to the assertion that the only acceptable knowledge is that which is A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 21 publicly shared, leaving no room for any truth experienced at a personal level. Clearly, the perspective of Marxist critique becomes apparent here. Again and again, Maltby stresses the social, cultural, political aspects and implications of k o ledge, as he he states that the visionary moment presupposes the ideal of a flawless channel of communication, free of ultu e s oise (6), completely bypassing the question whether or not information might be distorted on an individual level, o a ia le a d sustainable regeneration of the individual – be it moral, intellectual, or spiritual – is contingent upon prior transformations at the so ial . . . le el of e iste e -9). Else he e, he speaks of the a ade i o ld he e educators work to connect learning to the process of social change . . . and where their curricula must reckon ith a pe asi e eo o se ati e hostilit to theo a d dis upti e fo e as a dese ati g . It is not quite clear whether he is referring here to members of a political movement such as the Tea Party or to adherents of the convention of the visionary o e t hi h he suggests a e fu da e talist . He himself uses the term desa alizi g (7) he listi g the post ode ist st ategies he e plo s i the a e of f eedo fo stifi atio a d ideolog (6), prominent among which are denaturalization, delegitimation, defiguration, decentering, demystification and disenchantment – a series of negatives which are indicative of the deconstructive discourse of postmodernist thought. Maltby does not hide his politi al age da; he is a i ated politi al ideal of hu a a o it e t to uphold a ha ge (9); there would seem to be no room for personal, individual development in his worldview. Maltby finds it remarkable that the literary convention of the epiphany has lasted more than two hundred years, but never asks himself why so many writers and critics have adhered to the idea all this time. It is evident that he has researched this particular field of A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 22 study in depth: he takes the reader through a comprehensive overview of the history of the epiphanic moment, from Wordsworth s spots of ti e a d Jo e s se ula izatio of the term epiphany, through the work of scholars such as Levin, Ellman, Nichols, and Beja. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Maltby has a philosophical axe to grind with those who profess a belief in the transcendent power of the epiphany. When pointing out the distinction between literary and mystical illumination, Maltby suggests that the fo o te platio e is effo tlessl a hie ed a d the latte o l a of a duous . I dis ussi g the gestatio of Ke oua s Road I will show that this assumption is not necessarily correct. When he poses the question if visionary moments can be experienced in real life – outside of lite atu e – he atego i all states that the e a e good reasons – postmodern and otherwise – to contest the notion that real-life insight could ever yield the equivalent in self-k o ledge . Ho e e , he e e akes it e pli it hat these easo s a e, othe tha sa i g that [t]he o je tio s to the otio of a k o ledge that full defi es the self . . . e ui e o l auto iog aphi al a ou t of a o i al e tio he e . He then quotes from the e ospi itualist , to poi t out the difference between knowledge acquired in a visionary moment and the degree of after-the-fact interpretation that can blow up such an experience to the proportions of a cosmic consciousness. This example is so ludicrous in its derogatory depiction of over-the-top ecomysticism that it seems hardly appropriate in the context of a serious discourse such as this. Maltby goes on to say that it is a categorical misconception to thi k of a eal-life isio a type of spiritual experience; rather, it is a a of u de sta di g o e o e t as a . This distinction seems hypothetical to me: if one accepts that such a thing as spiritual experience exists, why can epiphany not be one manifestation of this? Whe Malt opi es that to elie e i the A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 23 possibility of authentic visionary moments is to believe . . . that there is a presocial order of k o ledge, hi h has al a s e isted i so e di e sio less eal , one is tempted to counter: who is to say there is not? Maltby highlights three sources for the belief in the legitimacy of the visionary moment: the conversion narrative in Western religious writing, the Romantic notion of a o atio al og iti e fa ult , a d a ou geois ideolog pe so al, p i ate o e sio atte hi h ie s sal atio as a . In my view, with regard to the first, it would seem that has e e thi g to do ith letti g go, gi i g i , ope i g up to outside influences; in other words, being receptive to the possibility that man may have (moral) lessons to learn. The second would seem to represent a secularized form of religious belief, which is a point of view that is generally accepted. With regard to the last, it would seem that Maltby pre-supposes some bourgeois conspiracy, bent on i hi h [the isio a o e t] is u de stood o opolizi g the the te s . Maltby contends: The convention of the visionary moment also finds a measure of legitimation in its capacity as an ideological construct. The terms in which visionary moments are typically represented in fiction can be understood as reinforcing the doxa that accommodate subjects to the needs of a class-based social system and that blind them to politically relevant understanding of that system. . . . [R]edemption . . . is rep ese ted o l at the le el of the i di idual; it is a i te io , e lusi el private affair, lacking any material institutional basis (36). He ega ds pe so al sal atio as a false solutio , si e the phe o e al e la ge e t of pe so al life is a defi i g featu e of apitalis . He also p otests agai st the ‘o a ti and high- ode ist o eptio of the a tist as isio a a d ge ius ; the isio a A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany o e t is a lite a p a tise th ough hi h the so iall alie ated promote him- o he self a d [ ]e elie e i idea of the isio a Schouten 24 isio a a tist ho e pe ie es the ite o e ts e ause e elie e i the . I his so g Ballad of a Thi Ma , Bo D la sa g: You e e known / Because something is happe i g he e / But ou do t k o Miste Jo es? li es a asse t o ell ead / It s ell hat it is / Do ou, -52). To put it succinctly, Maltby speaks like someone who has never experienced a momentous epipha hi self. Those ho ha e speak of e ei i g knowledge from a source outside themselves; of new insight, of relevant information, of cognitive clarity that adds to their comprehension of reality – a notion which includes a better understanding of their place in society, I might add. There is no political consideration, or changing philosophical trend, that will change anything in that respect; two e tu ies o th of ite s, a tists a d thi ke s a t e that o g. Obviously, it is impossible to prove the legitimacy of the epiphany, since it is a personal, interiorized event. It can only be experienced; it is in the experience that the validity is felt in such a way that the truth becomes self-evident to the epiphanee. The only prerequisite is that one should maintain a receptive attitude towards the possibility of such an occurrence. The validity of the epiphanic moment only becomes apparent through its effect – seeing is believing, or: the only proof is in the pudding. To su sta tiate this, I a t to fi ish fo o e ti g o Malt s eadi g of a passage Ke oua s On The Road, in which Jack and Neal (Sal and Dean) discuss a visit to a jazz lu to hea the usi ia s No lo o i p o ise. The passage reads as follows: a that alto a last ight had IT---he held it once he found---I e never seen a guy who could hold so lo g. I a ted to k o hat IT ea t. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Ah ell laughed Neal He e s a gu a d e e e e od s o ou e aski g Schouten 25 e i -pon-de-rables - -ahem! od s the e, ight? Up to hi to put do hat s o i d. He sta ts the fi st ho us, he li es up his ideas, people yeah, yeah but get it, and then he rises to his fate and has to blow equal to it. All of a sudden somewhere in the middle of the chorus he GETS IT--everybody looks up and knows; they listen; he picks it up and carries. Time stops. He s filli g empty space with the substance of our lives. He has to blow across bridges and come back and do it with such infinite feeling for the tune of the o e t that e e od k o s it s ot the tu e that ou ts ut IT--- Neal could go no further; he was sweating telling about it. (304) . . . [W]e know what IT is and we know TIME and we know that everything is really fine. (306) Malt efe s to this passage i the o te t of his asse tio that Ke oua s spo ta eous p ose is a fo of heto i athe tha a ethod of iti g: Ke oua . . . akes a heto i al appeal to the timescape of visionary knowledge. He conspicuously locates the knowledge in a o o ldl ou te ti e: All of a sudde , Ti e stops, e k o TIME, a d so o . . . . And this other time of the visionary knowledge seems to serve as a guarantee of its truth and value when the dominant time code – i.e., the managed time of capitalist production – is pe ei ed as a tipatheti to isio a e pe ie e passage has othi g to do ith heto i . Ke oua is; i.e., ith the olle ti el sha ed e og itio e e . To me, the admittedly exalted e el des i es the e pe ie e as IT od k o s that the e is a k o a le t uth outside o deep i side the do i a t ti e ode . Maltby maintains that: A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 26 . . . for almost any writer to invoke the spontaneous is to appeal to the popular a d ultu all i g ai ed elief i hat is ollo uiall k o as the t uth of the o e t. Ho e e , that t uth is ot self-sustaining: as with invocations of instantaneousness and eternity, the invocation of the spontaneous amounts to yet another rhetorical prop for visionary truth claims. (109) The truth of the moment does not need to be self-sustaining, it suffices that there is truth in one particular moment, and this truth validates the truth of other moments. Malt s ie s seem rather static and motivated by political ideology; personal experience must yield to the demands and requirements of social environment and political agenda. However, everything in reality is in flux, and so is the truth – yet this does not make the truth less true. Maltby speaks of diffe i g fo s of ti e: the managed time of capitalist production as opposed to the )e lu ati ti e that a ot e . . . e ploited the s ste . He fails to acknowledge, or even notice, the possibility of time condensed, or expanded, of flexible time; the kind of time Neal Cassady is able to create as he commutes between three lovers, leaving all three of them begging for more time. Now there is someone who knows about time. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 27 4. Thesis Statement: A Cycle of C-Changes The main thrust of what I am proposing in this thesis is that there is an analogy between character development in literary characters and psychological development in individuals. Moreover, as theorists such as Maslow, Jung, and Frye have suggested, man has an innate tendency to better himself, to move up in the world in a moral sense. These internal processes of psychological development tend to follow a logical, natural and cyclical p og essio . Based o the uildi g lo ks defi ed atu e a d u tu e , this le has its beginnings on the physical, material plane and in the natural world and progresses towards the mental or spiritual plane, sometimes even appearing to venture into the supernatural, before once again returning to a more mundane level and everyday matters. In the process, however, a profound change has occurred and life is not the same it was at the beginning of the cycle. There is a sense of progress having been made, which is why we should see this process as an upward spiral rather than a closed circle. There is a constant interplay between internal and external forces in this progression, and similarly between mind and matter – the one does not go without the other. As Emerson insisted, the best moments in life , the delicious awakenings , can only be experienced if we are rooted in the material world. Epiphanies are by nature ephemeral, or we would be living in an eternal paradise, and after every mental climax there is the inevitable descent into the worldly valley of tears through which we have to move before once more being able to experience the delight of another momentary expansion of consciousness (Bluestein 150). Another mechanism at play here is one which can be related to the rising and falling of dramatic action and the development of the plot in a work of literature. An epiphany is A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 28 more likely to occur after a considerable build-up of tension, like a dam that breaks, giving way to the pressure of a rising body of water. The flood of emotion which is released sweeps away many of the mental obstacles blocking the way forward, causing a profound and lasting change to take place, which in turn enables the individual – or, in literature, the character – to obtain a degree of self-actualisation. Of course, not all literary epiphanies occur by way of this exact trajectory: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man would seem to feature types of epiphany which take place almost spontaneously and without being provoked by some form of personal crisis. However, on closer scrutiny they too are prompted by a degree of mounting tension leading up to the epiphany, followed first by a powerful release and then a decrease of tension. As has been noted in the preceding chapter, the discussion of the literary epiphany has more often focused on the momentariness of the experience, yielding a rather static model in which epiphanic moments appear and disappear suddenly and randomly, and are seemingly unconnected to anything that has gone before. The model I am putting forward emphasizes instead the process which leads up to such a defining moment, as well as the consequences the experience engenders – suggesting that an epiphany never comes alone. In this sense, the model owes something of its conceptualisation to the narratology of the quest, examples of which are the Perceval-legends, the Odyssey, and novels such as Mel ille s Moby Dick a d Tolkie s Lord of the Rings. This more dynamic model ties into the progressive narratives of self-improvement and spiritual development. Though the idea of a search for something specific or the attainment of a precise goal may not continually be in the foreground, the trajectory of character development is imbued with an intentionality that goes beyond the purely spontaneous: rather than a preconceived, explicit search for A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 29 epiphany, enlightenment, or salvation, the basic attitude is one which is conducive to growth and which leaves room for an open-endedness that is aware of the promise of the future and a willingness to embrace the possibilities of it. When I first conceived a visual representation of the epiphanic model I had in mind, it athe ese led that of F e tag s P a id: a t o-dimensional graphic illustration with a phase of rising tension on the left and falling tension on the right, the tip of the pyramid representing the climax or epiphany. An arrow along the base of the pyramid indicated that this was a cyclical model (see figure 1). C le of C- ha ges comprehension compliance crisis confusion complication conflict context catharsis clarity change consequences construction conclusion character continuation figure 1: original visual representation of model – Cycle of C-Changes It was soon felt, however, that this model did not adequately demonstrate the notion that these cycles were marked by a forward or upward movement, and that throughout the process a gradual development of character was being realised. This prompted a second, revised schematic representation which illustrates better the progressive development in the model I am proposing (see figure 2). Movement to the right represents rising action; A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 30 movement to the left represents falling action. Upward movement stands for two parallel forms of evolution: psychological self-realization and literary character development. A banner spirals upward, representing the consecutive phases in this evolution: the movement of rising action starts with character and context, through conflict, complication, confusion, crisis and compliance to comprehension (marking the point of epiphany); the movement of falling action takes us from catharsis, through clarity, change, consequences, construction and conclusion to continuation; after which a new cycle starts again with character, context, and so on. The de isio to e lusi el adopt o ds egi i g ith the lette a appea fanciful, but I have found it useful as an aid to memory, in the way alliteration and rhyme forms in general aid the process of memorization in poetry. Nevertheless, this decision demands further elucidation of the terms used and so I would like to expound on the above by providing a concise commentary which aims to tie together the ideas I have discussed so far. As I am of the opinion that this progression is applicable to all human beings, I am using the first person plural to narrate events: Character – the point of departure is our basic, innate, personal psychological make-up as individuals; it is nature as opposed to nurture; Context – the second building block is defined by our personal circumstances, our social environment, our relation to others, external forces such as the setting of time and place; it is nurture as opposed to nature; Conflict – at this point the first difficulties are encountered and differences arise; this marks the beginning of the rising action; external pressure is exerted, causing internal tension; opposing and contrary forces are at play; A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 31 Complication – obstacles are faced, the tension mounts, the plot thickens, juxtapositions are taken in, the mental load becomes increasingly heavy to bear; Confusion – life is bearing down on us; the pace becomes hectic, the feelings frantic; our minds have too much to handle; we become so overpowered by relevant and irrelevant information we a t see the t ees f o the ood; confusion reigns and chaos rules; Crisis – our feelings and emotions become extreme; built-up tensions slowly come to the boil; we just cannot take any more, we are reaching the point of no return; this stage corresponds to the state of aporia, in the sense that a final impasse has been reached; Compliance – at this penultimate point in the process of rising action, we enter a state of kenosis: after giving up all hope we drop our last defenses, surrendering to the situation, submitting to the overpowering forces tearing us apart inside; we finally let go, we accept our fate, we are ultimately prepared to die; this marks a switch in attitude which leads almost automatically to the next phase: Comprehension – the climax of the rising action is marked by the epiphany: a sudden realization of the essence of self and/or meaning of the world we inhabit and our place in it; the pieces of the puzzle finally fall together and we see the larger picture; we are overcome by the sense of being an integrated part of the universe; we experience a personal insight: a flash of awareness of something which was not perceived until that moment; this o e t of A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany o e t is a ief ut e Schouten 32 intense experience that has a profound and lasting effect on our lives; Catharsis – what follows is a rapid process of purification; our problems dissolve like melting snow, a heavy weight is taken off our shoulders, obstacles are swept out of our way; we have a sense of being reborn; Clarity – in the wake of catharsis comes clarity: clear-mindedness replaces confusion, a way forward is perceived; decisions can be made; new possibilities and options are discovered; comprehension (epiphany), catharsis, and clarity follow each other in rapid succession, marking the beginning of the phase of falling action; Change – change makes itself known as an external force; the epiphany we experience causes our lives to profoundly change for the better, and this mental revolution enables us to finally forge ahead; Consequences – change can then be applied as an internal force; we experience a new-found faith and a growing self-confidence; we are at peace with ourselves and others; there is room in our lives for compassion and empathy; we go through a conversion to a new way of thinking; we are adopting a new way of life; Construction – our characters are being re-constructed, our personalities are being renewed; our mental balance and psychological resilience is gradually restored; we are forming our new identities step by step, we are moving from strength to strength; A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 33 Conclusion – we have reached a defining point of self-actualisation: we are getting ever closer to our real selves; we have a better degree of self-knowledge; a crucial personal battle has been won and we are better prepared for the next; Continuation – a new way of life brings new challenges; we are aiming for new goals, finding new directions; equipped with a higher level of awareness we are ready to explore new horizons.1 The cyclical ebb and flow of this psychological mechanism of rising and falling tension represents only one cycle in a continuing series of cycles. Enlightenment is not the end of the road, as it is not an end in itself. Self-improvement necessarily leads to taking action and moving towards new goals. Man is upwardly mobile: each phase in the cycle is a step forward and upward, and as a consequence the cycle as a whole is similarly an upward movement, a spiral rather than a circle. It is a cycle of increasing consciousness in which we see and know a little more at every turn of the wheel, every step of the way. Perhaps even more significant, a cyclical movement such as described here is ultimately the only possible way to go. Once knowledge is acquired, once consciousness is gained, the way back to a lesser degree of understanding is effectively blocked; there may be a temporary relapse into a more confined point of view or way of thinking but this phase can never last. Knowledge of something tends to implementation of that knowledge; negation of something which has become self-evident is indeed nigh impossible. In the motion picture Pleasantville the 1 A note on the progression of time in this cycle: the development from conflict, through complication and confusion, to crisis will necessarily take a certain amount of time for tension to build up. The transitions from compliance to comprehension and on to catharsis occur in a much more rapid succession. The phase of o plia e see s to fu tio as a t igge e ha is : o e the ps he fi all de ides to let go , gi i g i to the outside pressures, the floodgates of emotion are opened and the way is cleared for the epiphany to take place. In its wake, catharsis will immediately follow to perform its cleansing action. Soon after, the effect of clarity will make itself felt. The phases of change, consequences, construction and conclusion will tend to spread their development over a relatively longer stretch of time. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany p otago ist o se es that people ha ge ; his fathe , a a s, despo de tl asks: Ca the ha ge a k? The so Schouten 34 a ho is o sessi el set i his a o l s ile a d sa : I thi k it s ha de . In view of the above, it will be clear that it is my firm conviction and outspoken belief that man is inexorably moving forward on a path of self-improvement; in other words, that man is inherently and fundamentally good, and perforce moved to be so. To ponder, conjecture, and discuss exactly which force it is that causes man to be so inclined will lead to questions which belong to the realm of philosophy and religion rather than literature and therefore this cannot be the place to ask those questions; interesting though they may be, finding possible answers to these questions is a task which must be left to other researchers and different fields of study. Having sprung from its religious origins, it could be said that the introduction of the term epiphany in Western thought and literature in itself marks a step in the e olutio of a : o i gf o Ch istia it s e lusi it of the di i e atu e of e elatio s, as i the i li al e a ple of Paul o the oad to Da as us a d Augusti e s account in Confessions, the phenomenon of the epiphany is today no longer bound by the restrictions of orthodox religion, and serves a vital inspirational purpose in a world which is becoming ever more laicized and secularized but in which human beings are still asking the same fundamental questions they always have. The answers they find are no longer passively received from some external authority; they are generated at a very personal level, at those rare occasions when a new and meaningful connection is established between the reality without and the reality within, when the unexpected confrontation with an unforeseen situation, a stirring image, a striking object, or any resounding impression, triggers an acute sense of recognition and relevance deep inside the human psyche. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 35 Cycle of C-Changes comprehension continuation comprehension figure 2: revised visual representation of epiphanic model – Cycle of C-Changes A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 36 5. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: entering the world of the artist as he enters into the world Since it was James Joyce who successfully re-i t odu ed the te epipha a d thus initiated the modern literary usage of this notion2, I will go to some length in relating the model I am proposing to the developments of plot and character in his novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In doing so, I am hoping to establish a pattern of comparative discussion which enables me to give a more succinct reading of the other primary material. The actual references to the stages in my model are represented as terms within square brackets, e.g. [compliance]. These references are interspersed throughout the text constituting my reading of the material and can thus be directly linked to what I am proposing at that particular point. Jo e s se i-autobiographical novel centring on the education and development of Stephen Dedalus is a clear example of a bildungsroman. As the title suggests, the protagonist is destined to become an artist as he comes into this world – it could even be said that he is born as an artist even though he may not yet be aware of it. The novel portrays a process of self-actualization, of becoming what one already is in esse e. The o elt of Jo e s p ose is that this process is described in leaps and bounds, recounting only the most significant episodes and leaving out most of what comes in between these defining moments. Thus the narrative is made up of a sequence of mini-portraits depicting the artist at a particular stage in life, punctuated by a climax as he rounds another corner in the course towards emotional stability, intellectual prowess, and moral maturity. Whereas its forerunner Stephen Hero was filled out with le gth p ose a ati g all the pa ti ula s of “tephe s life, Portrait only 2 Since Jo e s oi age of the te epipha has already been well documented, I will not explore this further he e. Fo efe e es, see a.o. Beja s Epiphany in the Modern Novel a d He d s a ti le Jo e s Epipha ies . A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 37 highlights the most crucial events and skips most of the less immediately relevant scenes. In doing so, Joyce employs the concept of the epiphany he announced in Hero: a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. He believed that it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care, seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and e a es e t of o e ts. Joyce was in the habit of compiling lists, records of memorable experiences, often fleeting moments when overhearing snippets of conversation from passing strangers or observing street scenes. He collected these observations and used them in his work. Projecting his own method of acquiring raw material for his literary output on his alte ego “tephe , Jo e e phasizes his p otago ist s status as a a tist – as well as himself professing to be one of course. Hence, besides providing a concise definition of what constitutes an epiphany, this passage also serves as a reminder of the ethics of the artist. Jo e s use of the o d falls i to Beja s atego of retrospective epiphany: an event hi h a ouses o spe ial i p ession when it occurs, but produces a sudden sensation of e a a e ess he it is e alled at so e futu e ti e Beja . I this a , a pa ti ula event may acquire a whole new meaning when put into a different context; an observation made one day can shed light on a separate situation occurring another day. Chronology becomes less important as past, present, and future can be seen reflected in the same instant. We follow Stephen on his journey through life, starting out as a young boy earnestly working his way through elementary school; then being drawn towards literature and unsuccessfully trying to produce poetry; winning a cash prize in an essay competition and generously treating his family with gifts and food until the funds are spent; becoming sexually aware and starting to frequent prostitutes; renouncing these wicked ways, fighting A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 38 temptation and repenting his sins; becoming profoundly affected by a fire and brimstone sermon threatening him with eternal damnation; dedicating himself entirely to the service of God and considering the calling of priesthood; and finally finding his vocation as an artist when he observes a young woman bathing at the seaside. All these phases are marked by a mounting of tension, culminating in an epiphany of sorts. The exact chronology or the parameters of time are never explicit: for instance, it is never quite clear how old Stephen is when he has his first encounter with a prostitute – presumably, he must be around 15 years of age. At a casual glance, the growing of consciousness seems to be a gradual process. However, when we focus more clearly on the actual moments of development, and zoom in more closely to the events as they unfold, they appear to arrive in leaps and bounds, in small quantum leaps, like single steps up a ladder, one at a time - or like an elevator rising from floor to floor, when the floors are more intensely observed as they sweep into view than the blind wall of the elevator shaft as it slides by unnoticed. Rather than a gradually rising movement, the acquisition of awareness manifests itself in bursts of realisations, each one representing a minor epiphany in itself. Thus progression in life is made up of a string of personal realisations, one after another. Only when viewed as a whole do these separate realisations add up to a significant and recognizable development of character. This is e e plified the u foldi g of e e ts i Jo e s o el, as I ill o p o eed to illust ate. From the opening pages, which quickly establish the narrative stance of a third person point of view from the actual first person perspective of a very young Stephen, some of the t o ajo the es of the o el a e al ead i t odu ed: politi s a e efe e ed ushes , se ualit is fo eshado ed i “tephe s i te tio to a Eilee Da te s , A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 39 and art is represented by the singing of songs (7-8). It is evident that Stephen is a bright child with a vivid mind and acute senses [character]. His early realisations are driven by the tension generated by his being away from the safe surroundings of his family home [context] and staying at the boarding school [context] where life is often dreary, demanding, and frightening [conflict]. At school, things first come to a head when he is feeling ill [complication] and sent to the infirmary [crisis], where he lies pining for home and imagining ho it ould e to die [ o plia e]; it o u s to hi su da that [ ]ou ould die just the sa e o a [ o p ehe sio ]. He is al ost o ed to tea s ut ot fo hi self [ atharsis] as he thinks of how the bells would toll at his own funeral and he vividly recalls [clarity] the words of a funeral song he was taught in which his soul is carried away by angels [change]. At home, too, there is tension even around the Christmas dinner table [conflict] when the dinner guests are divided in two camps over current topics in Irish politics and religion [complication]. Stephen is nonplussed as to which side to take [confusion]. The discussion ends in the slamming of doors [crisis]. Stephe is te o st i ke [ o plia e] ut at that e o e t he dis o e s that his fathe s e es e e full of tea s (44), which amounts to a realization [comprehension and catharsis] that the adults around him are intensely involved in the conflict of authority that rages in the country; he discovers [clarity] there is a world out there in which life is as emotionally challenging for adults as it is for children. This realization teaches Stephen [change] to dare question authority if necessary, something that helps him he he is falsel a used Fathe Dola of ei g a laz idle little loafe . The fa t that he musters up the courage [consequence] to plead his case with the rector, marks an important step in his personal development [construction]: he has grown more confident A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 40 [conclusion] and is better equipped for the challenges ahead of him [continuation]. After his s hool ates lea e hi , he feels happ a d f ee a d ishes to fi d a a to sho Fathe Dola that he is ot p oud . This is a lear indication of the progress that Stephen has made: psychologically, he has become a stronger character who is not afraid to stand on his own two feet; morally, he has grown in stature by not bearing a grudge against his accuser. In the next section of the novel, the tension is created by two new developments: on the o e ha d the e a e the fa il s fi a ial diffi ulties, fo i g “tephe to uit his s hool a d e e tuall o e to a othe , o the othe ha d the e is “tephe s g adual se ual awakening. The hapte sta ts ith the depi tio of “tephe s athe d ea dail life: f o the elation of vindication at the end of the first chapter [character] we are again firmly on solid ground, rooted in the routines of family relations. Stephen has come full circle and is back in reality, meeting the demands that life imposes on him [context]. The return to reality is a reminder that, however glorious a moment of spiritual awakening may appear, these moments are ephemeral and are bound to be seen in a more relative perspective in the cold light of the morning by the events that follow in their wake. The passage in which Mr Dedalus ridicules his son over dinner when he tells how Father Conmee and Father Dolan had had a hea t laugh togethe o e hat “tephe felt as his o e t of glo , is a witness of that. Dedalus senior is let down by the priest s p o ise of a e jo a d the fa il s fo tu es take a fu the di e to a ds destitutio [ o fli t]. E e tuall the fo ed to sell ill e u h of thei p ope t [ o pli atio ]. “tephe is a a e of his fathe s p edi a e t: the ha ge[s] i his house . . . were so many slight shocks to his boyish o eptio of the o ld [ o fusio ]. He feels the da k ess of his soul a d [a] dusk like that of the oute o ld o s u ed his i d . A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 41 The only form of escape that is open to Stephen is his own imagination, and he certainly makes the most of that. Reading The Count of Monte Cristo, his increasing romantic inclinations make him go and look for the elusive Mercedes in the streets of Dublin. After he eets a gi l at a hild e s pa t , Me edes effo tlessly turns into Emma C. – the alliteration of these two names is telling. Travelling on the last tram home, Stephen imagines that they are almost kissing; the next day, he makes his imagination come true in his first real attempt at poetry. Writing the poem appears to be more important than the actual product: the eade e e gets to see the esult, a d o does E a. “tephe s o eptio of o e is highly romanticized: they are literary archetypes rather than actual persons. He keenly feels that he is diffe e t f o othe s a d a p e o itio hi h led hi o told hi that this image [of Mercedes] would, without any overt act of his, encounter him. They would meet quietly as if they had known each other . . . and then in a moment he would be transfigured. Weak ess a d ti idit a d i e pe ie e ould fall f o hi i that agi o e t . Interestingly, this passage clearly describes an epiphanic moment, albeit one which is merely imagined, foreshadowing the ending of this particular chapter. It is indicative of his overly romanticized predisposition that, when there is talk of Emma attending the school play [suddenly mounting tension: complication], Stephen can only vaguely remember what she looks like [confusion], yet he is highly disappointed when it tu s out she is ot the e [ isis] a d u s a a f o sudde ise fi all the theat e a id the tu ult of apou s of ou ded p ide a d falle hope a d affled desi e o es to a halt at the u til he o gue [ o plia e]. A po e , aki to that hi h had often made anger or resentment fall from him, brought his steps to rest. . . . [He] breathed slowly the rank heavy air. – That is horse piss and rotted straw, he thought. It is a good odour to A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 42 breathe. It will calm my heart. My heart is quite calm now. I ill go a k. . The se so perception of the smell of horse piss is sufficient to put him right back in touch with reality. The apou s of adde i g i e se aused p ide, hope a d desi e ha e tu ed i to much more real and ultimately more palatable earthy vapours. The epiphany comes in the form of the realisation that as long as the experience is real, life is worth living [comprehension]. At this point in the narrative, the scene abruptly shifts to the railway carriage in which Dedalus senior and junior travel to Cork to sell some of the family property [character and context]. Stephen feels dejected about the prospect of the auction [conflict] and e o es e e o e dep essed at Quee s College he he sees the i itials of his fathe a d other students carved into the wood of the desks [complication]. The carved word Foetus has an immediate and profound effect on the budding sexuality of his adolescent mind [ o fusio ]. He is asha ed of the o st ous e e ies utish a d i di idual alad of his o a d he loathes hi self fo his o i d , his ad a d filth o gies [crisis]. Besides marking the stage of o fusio i a la ge epipha i le, “tephe s ea tio to the word Foetus also represents an epiphany in itself: a single word provokes a flood of powerful thoughts, a vision even: A isio of thei life, hi h his fathe s o ds had ee po e less to e oke, sp a g up efo e hi out of the o d ut i the desk -102). This sudden release of emotion is only made possible because there is the underlying build-up of sexual tension as Stephen grows into adolescence, a tension which is countered by the supp essio of his se ual ei g “tephe s atholi up i gi g. Though it may arrive suddenly, the epiphany is never without introduction; it can never be seen as wholly apart from what came before. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 43 Although his father tries to inspire him with a rousing educational speech, Stephen feels increasingly alienated from him, and this sentiment is not abated when Dedalus senior talks about the past to people he meets in the street and in the pub. Winning an appreciable su of e o e i a essa aki g u til the fu ds d i dle. He feels foolish a out s uandering his money, ha i g t ied to uild a it had all ee eak ate of o de a d elega e agai st the so did tide of life a d useless (111) [compliance]. Feeling shame about the misfortunes of his fa il as ell as the its di o petitio , he feasts his pa e ts a d othe s i a s ift seaso of e o o tal si of his se ual a ti ities u til the of da k o giasti iot Du li , a ti g to si o i g pai ed hi ith , he sta ts to a de a ou d the st eets of ith a othe of his ki d, to fo e a othe ei g to si ith hi a d to e ult ith he i si . A d so he loses his virginity with a young prostitute. His first sexual encounter is marked by passivity, as he leaves all the initiative to the girl [compliance in a othe se se]; the s e e is st a gel e i is e t of the ea lie p e o itio a out Mercedes. In this closing passage, the sexuality which was at first sublimated is finally o su ated as his i e pe ie e ... fall[s] f o ithout a hi [ o p ehe sio ]. “he has i deed, o e t a t of his [compliance, once again], e ou te ed hi , a d i a o e t he is t a sfigu ed [ atha sis] (73). Having established the cyclical movement with which Joyce has his protagonist go through the changes in his life, I will proceed to sketch the relation to my model of the events in the remaining chapters of his novel in a more rapid sequence. As the next chapter opens, it is clear we have begun another cycle: the exultation of sexual gratification has quickly turned into a mere bodily craving for food, in both a physical and a sexual sense, and Stephen is beyond a i g: The haos i hi h his a dou e ti guished itself as a old A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 44 i diffe e t k o ledge of hi self (117) [character]. He feels contempt towards his schoolmates, who he perceives as being as hypocritical as he is himself [context]. He is torn between his private preoccupations and his burning desires on the one hand, and on the other his sense of moral obligation towards God, church, school, fellow man, as well as his aspi atio fo good ess i ge e al: What did it a ail to p a lusted afte its o eligious et eat is a dest u tio ? he he k e that his soul [ o fli t]. These feelings are exacerbated when the ou ed [ o pli atio ]. Fathe A all s ste se o s o sin, judgement, hell and damnation profoundly shock Stephen and at the same time leave him feeling removed from the ecclesiastic doctrine. He is appalled by his own behaviour and convinced he can be punished for it by God at any time, while looking at his predicament as a so t of ga e: It as st a ge too that he fou d a a id pleasure in following up to the end of rigid lines of the doctrines of the church . . . only to hear and feel the more deeply his own o de atio (119) [confusion]. The p iest s g aphi des iptio s of hell a d pu gato p e o “tephe s i d ho e e : E e o d of it as fo hi . . . . The p ea he s k ife had probed deeply into his disclosed conscience and he felt now that his soul was festering in si (130) [crisis]. The sermons gradually break down his defences and make him afraid of his fate in the afterlife. Finally, they pummel him into submission: No it as God s tu : a d He as ot to e hood i ked o de ei ed [ o plia e]. At this point, another fleeting epiphany occurs as Stephen hears the laughter of a girl and is immediately reminded of E a. He feels asha ed of to hat his i d had su je ted he o ho his utelike lust had torn and trampled upon her innocence. Was that boyish love? Was that chivalry? Was that poetry? The sordid details of his orgies stank under his very nostrils. . . . Was it possible he had done these things? [comprehension]. In a somewhat childish reverie, he A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 45 imagines how Emma and he are both pardoned and joined in matrimony in a single redemptive act by the Virgin Mary [catharsis]. The moment for a complete turnaround has not yet come, however; the crisis still has to deepen - and so Stephen finds himself pondering the biblical flood as the priest resumes his fire and brimstone sermon. When he leaves the chapel, Stephen is physically shake , the s alp of his head t e li g as though it had ee tou hed ghostl fi ge s (141). His sensations amount to an out-of- od e pe ie e: he fea ed that he had al ead died, that his soul had been wrenched forth of the sheath of his body, that he was plunging headlong through space (141- . The real breaking point comes after he returns to his desk: Every word for him. It was true. God was almighty. God could call him now, call him as he sat at his desk, before he had time to be conscious of the summons. God had called him. Yes? What? Yes? His flesh shrank together as it felt the approach of the ravenous tongues of flames, dried up as it felt about it the swirl of stifling air. He had died. Yes. He was judged. A wave of fire swept through his body: the first. Again a wave. His brain began to glow. Another. His brain was simmering and bubbling within the cracking tenement of his skull. Flames burst forth from his skull like a corolla, shrieking like voices: -Hell! Hell! Hell! Hell! Hell! Voices spoke near him: -On hell. -I suppose he rubbed it into you well. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 46 -You bet he did. He put us all into a blue funk. -That s hat ou fello s a t: a d ple t of it to ake ou o k. He leaned back weakly in his desk. He had not died. God had spared him still. He was still in the familiar world of the school. (142) This revealing passage shows how Stephen experiences his epiphany: it is marked both by strong physical sensations and an overpowering mental component, and though the experience is ultimately cerebral, at no time is he out of touch with reality as his sensory pe eptio s o ti ue. The oi es i his head sh ieki g Hell! a e at the same time actual voices speaking near him. He has o ed f o the possi ilit of hea i g God s all to a tuall being called. He feels he has communed with God: Yes? What? Yes? a d i doi g so he has become a god-like eatu e: Fla es u st fo th f o his skull like a o olla . Receding from the vision, he feels he has been spared from a fate worse than death and that there is still time to repent and be forgiven. In one fell swoop he has moved from crisis, through compliance, to comprehension and catharsis. The priest has literally put the fear of God in hi . I this espe t, it is i te esti g to ote that the p ea he e tio s that [s]i , remember, is a two-fold enormity. . . . For this reason mortal sin is punished in hell by two different forms of punishme t, ph si al a d spi itual (145). “tephe s e elatio suggests that epiphany is likewise a two-fold experience. Climbing the stairs to his room after dinner, Stephen is still in fear of his spirit being condemned as the tension is literally mounting agai : at e e step his soul ou ted ith his feet, sighing in the ascent. . . . He halted on the landing before the door. . . . He waited still at the threshold as at the entrance to some dark cave. . . . He feared intensely in spirit a d i flesh . Alone in his room, he has a vision of his personal hell – if this constitutes A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 47 an epiphany, it surely falls into the category of anag o isis, o F e s demonic epiphanies. After he rids himself of his demons by vomiting [catharsis], “tephe his hea t a d goes out i to the to to seek a pla e he a ade a o e a t with o fess his si s. He is now able to think more clearly [clarity] on how temptation operates – which is surprisingly similar to one particular aspe t of epipha : It ould happe i a i sta t a solutio a p iest i a hapel, he feels . After he is given u h elie ed a d his hea t is pu ified [ atha sis again]. His change of heart and mind is complete: he feels a new compassion with his fellow man, wishes to follow the example of Jesus, and vows to obey the teachings of the church. He is e tai he has sta ted a e life: It as ot a d ea past as past fo hi h he ould ake. The [ ha ge a d o se ue e]. The fourth chapter continues the progression towards a new cycle with a rapid decrease in tension, coming after the climax of epiphany and the changes that follow in its wake [construction and conclusion]. “tephe s life is at this poi t e ti el do i ated by rigid ritual and persistent prayer [continuation]. As in chapter three, it quickly becomes clear that “tephe s epipha ies soo lose thei i itial shi e; i et ospe t, the do ot see as important as when they are first experienced and sometimes they even appear to be delusional. What begins as a spiritual awakening quickly dwindles into a rather obsessive routine. The person he has now become has dedicated himself wholly to the work of the Church [character and context] – even to the degree that he imagines his good works to ha e a i ash egiste ediate i pa t o his edit i the afte life, as he pi tu es i his i hea e i d a g eat . For a brief period he feels that he has reached a final station i life: as his soul as e i hed ith spiritual knowledge, he saw the whole world forming o e ast s et i al e p essio of God s po e a d lo e. . . . “o e ti e a d u uestio a le A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 48 was this sense of the divine meaning in all nature granted to his soul that he could scarcely understand why it was i a a e essa that he should o ti ue to li e . Ho e e , even young Stephen realises that coming full circle of course does not mean the end of time, and so the journey continues, as Stephen subjects himself to strenuous discipline and a conscious mortification of the senses, thus imposing fresh challenges on his endurance and putting himself under pressure anew [conflict]. He is only too aware of his own i pe fe tio s, as he is o asio all te pted the i siste t oi es of the flesh 3). These all-too-human imperfections continue to play up when he visits the director of the College who is probing him for a possible future as a priest [complication]: The a es of articles of dress worn by women or of certain soft and delicate stuffs used in their making ought al a s to his i d a deli ate a d si ful pe fu e . He even fantasizes about ei g a o dai ed p iest a d k o i g the si ful lo gi gs a d si ful thoughts a d si ful a ts, of others, hearing them murmured into his ears in the confessional under the shame of a da ke ed hapel the lips of o e a d of gi ls hile at the sa e ti e o tou h of sins would linger upon the hands with which he would elevate and break the host; no touch of sin would linger on his lips in prayer to make him eat and drink damnation to himself not discerning the body of the Lord. He would hold his secret knowledge and secret power, being as sinless as the innocent (181-182). I te esti gl , the si of “i o Magus a d the si agai st the Hol Ghost for which there was no forgiveness which are part of the secret knowledge “tephe is o e tl lo gi g fo , are constituted respectively through the corruption of faith by the greed for power and riches (Acts 8.9-13) and the steadfast refusal to accept the truth after it has been revealed (Hebrews 6.4-8 and 10.26-29) – let me remind the reader at this point of what I mentioned earlier with regard to knowledge once acquired A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 49 not being deniable. “tephe s attitude is indicative of his underdeveloped sense of morality and youthful ignorance at this stage of his development; in terms of theology he is in danger of committing a mortal sin just as he is considering a career as a clergyman – and even as an evolving human being he still has a long way to go. The recurrent lapses of faith and his own sinful thoughts which he is all too aware of are underscored by this seemingly casual reference to unforgivable sin, a d the di e to s fi al e a k that the sa a e t of Hol Orders is one of those which can be received only once because it imprints on the soul an i deli le spi itual a k hi h a e e e effa ed is a othe e i de that afte revelation there is no way back, after knowing there is no way of not knowing, and that a s evolution is onward and upward. Whate e it is that shapes “tephe s de isio , it appea s to e i ediatel as he steps out o to the platfo o s ious of the a ess of the ade al ost outside the di e to s offi e a d e o es ild e e i g ai . He is suddenly overcome with sensory impressions, the first of which is a snippet of music from a concertina, and its effect is i ediate: The usi passed i a i sta t, as the fi st a s of sudde usi al a s did, over the fantastic fabrics of his mind, dissolving them painlessly and noiselessly as a sudden a e dissol es the sa d uilt tu ets of hild e . He i agi es his p ospe ti e life as a priest and it comes to him in flashes of sensory perception: the smell of the corridors and baths, the sound of the gaslights, seeing himself go to early mass on an empty stomach. He e o es estless a d his thoughts a e o fused: s o e i sti t . . . st o ge tha edu atio o piet , ui ke ed ithi hi [ o fusio ]. The defining moment in his deepening crisis co es as he sees his title spelled out i f o t of his e es: The ‘e e e d “tephe Dedalus, “.J. (183) and he sees an almost ghostly image of his face as a priest, A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 50 e eless a d sou fa ed a d de out, shot ith pi k ti ges of suffo ated a ge [ isis]. As he passes a Jesuit house a d he o de ed aguel hi h i do joined the order , the hole uestio see s to fall a a f o ould e his if he ever hi : The he o de ed at the vagueness of his wonder, at the remoteness of his own soul . . . when . . . (an) i e o a le a t of his th eate ed to e d fo e e . . . his f eedo [compliance]. The crucial realization of a new and independent identity o es as he k e o that h is desti was to be elusive of social or religious orders. . . . He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the o ld [ o p ehe sio ]. Freed from the restrictions that his faith had put upon him, it suddenly becomes unimportant if he should occasio all slip a k i to si : The s a es of the o ld e e its ways of sin. He would fall. He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant. Not to fall as too ha d, too ha d .A e o s ious ess has take the pla e of the old a d what was wrong in one context is now quite acceptable as the moral and mental perspective has shifted [catharsis]. Walking home, this new awareness manifests itself in a raising of spirit and successive bouts of laughter: he smiles at the earthy smells of rotten cabbage coming from the gardens, he laughs at the memory of a farmhand and a se o d laugh, taki g ise f o the fi st afte a pause, oke f o hi i olu ta il (185) – here again, we see evidence of the spontaneous nature of an awareness that grows in leaps and bounds, unhindered by limitations of (self)restraint, aware of itself, basking in its own light [clarity]. In the controlled chaos of the family home, Stephen sits down among his younger brothers and sisters and realises that as the eldest he has a privileged position; he is granted an education that the others will lack, and they may not be given the same chances in life. As he A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 51 joins them in singing, he feels a strong bond with his siblings and expresses a melancholy sense of what life is like, by quoting the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman: that pai and weariness yet hope of better things which has been the experience of her children in every time" (Newman 75) . At the same time looking back at the past and anticipating the future, this moment represents yet another minor epiphany and heralds a new turn in the road ahead [change]. The most climactic of all the personal realizations described in the novel is the one which follows at the end of this chapter. Once more Stephen wanders through the city, heading towards the sea this time. His encounter with a group of Christian Brothers confirms his decision not to take Holy Orders. This can be interpreted as the aspect of consequence in the C-cycle just concluded, as well as establishing character and context in the next cycle. He seems to be almost in a trance-like state as he is deeply wrapped up in his own thoughts while still registering the sensory impressions of the world around him. He muses on an expression which springs to mind – A da of dappled sea o e louds – and his love for words, their rhythm and their colour. He wonders whether words are reflected by reality or vice versa [conflict]; and he is pre-occupied with his weak eyesight and his shyness [complication]. His emotional susceptibility is revealed as his mood rises and falls with the sights, sou ds, a d s ells of the it s sea f o t: A fai t li k at his hea t, a fai t th o in his th oat ; Dishea te ed, he aised his e es to a ds the slow-drifting clouds, dappled and sea o e . The direction in which the clouds are drifting is a foreshadowing of his own destiny, as he stands on the Bull looking east across the Irish Sea towards Europe. He hears o fused usi ithi hi [ o fusion] and is only called back to reality by the sound of his name being called by a group of his classmates, a scene reminiscent of the earlier one in A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 52 which he seemed to hear voices from hell. The pseudo-Latin deformations of his names which his friends jokingly call out make him think of Daedalus, father of Icarus. The mythological name and the powerful image of flight it suggests provokes an avalanche of thoughts: Now, as never before, his strange name seemed to him a prophecy. . . . all ages were as one to him. . . . Now, at the name of the fabulous artificer, he seemed to hear the noise of dim waves and to see a winged form flying above the waves and slowly climbing the air. . . . a prophecy of the end he was born to serve and had been following through the mists of childhood and boyhood, a symbol of the artists forging anew in his workshop out of the sluggish matter of the earth a new soaring impalpable imperishable being? (192) Daedalus and Icarus and the secret art of alchemy are all rolled into one mythological ball as Stephen is spiritually and even bodily launched into exaltation: His heart trembled; his breath came faster and a wild spirit passed over his limbs as though he was soaring sunward. His heart trembled in an ecstasy of fear and his soul was in flight. His soul was soaring in an air beyond the world and the body he knew was purified in a breath and delivered of incertitude and made radiant and commingled with the element of the spirit. An ecstasy of flight made radiant his eyes and wild his breath and tremulous and wild and radiant his windswept limbs. (192-193) Close upon the heels of his religious calling, he now has another calling of a wholly different nature. It is at this point that the artist in him is born: A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 53 This was the call of life to his soul. . . . An instant of wild flight had delivered him. . . . His soul had arisen from the grave of boyhood, spurning her graveclothes. Yes! Yes! Yes! He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable. . . . He felt his cheeks aflame and his throat throbbing with song. There was a lust of wandering in his feet that burned to set out for the ends of the earth. On! On! his heart seemed to cry. (193-194) Almost delirious, he wanders off along the beach and then encounters the girl who is, like himself, wading in the water. Her appearance is like a vision to him, her angelic presence is a confirmation of his new-found destiny, and when she answers his gaze he feels he has found his use, if o l fo a o e t: He i age had passed i to his soul fo e e a d o o d had broken the holy silence of his ecstasy. Her eyes had called him and his soul had leaped at the call. To li e, to e , to fall, to t iu ph, to e eate life out of life! o a sa d du e to est his i ds ept li As he sits down s a d to still the iot of his lood he slips i to a visionary dream from which he wakes some time later, a man reborn. This crucial sequence of events, stretching out across only a few pages, is the culmination of the novel. The build-up of tension is very rapid indeed – we seem to move from a slight rise of tension straight into a seemingly unprovoked epiphany, without the preceding crisis. It should be kept in mind, though, that the preceding events have already established a considerable degree of tension. The passages in which Stephen converses with the director of the college are described in terms of a near-death experience, so that the A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 54 sense of liberation after this is only deepened. Stephen is ready to experience his lifedefining epiphany, the one that will shape his identity and determine his destiny. In terms of what is discussed here, the fifth chapter represents a general falling of action after the climactic events which precede it. It opens with a description of the drab realities of the family breakfast. We are firmly back in the real world after the elated state of revelation that ends the fourth chapter; it is clear that another circle has been rounded. “tephe s fu ti e e it f o the house afte eakfast fo eshado s his e e tual lea i g of his family and his native country at the end of the narrative. The screaming nun in the madhouse is a reminder of his decision not to pursue a career as a priest. His mind is now firmly set on becoming an artist and he is in the process of developing his own theory of aesthetics, which he eagerly discusses with the dean of studies and some of his friends. It is also clear that he is not much interested in his studies as such. He sets himself apart from others more and more – a trend that has been apparent all through the novel. Unlike some of his Irish friends, and although he feels disdain for the English dean who uses words such as fu el athe tha the (seemingly) o e lo al tu dish , “tephe is o atio alist: The soul is born . . . first in those moments I told you of. It has a slow and dark birth, more mysterious than the birth of the body. When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, eligio . I shall t to fl those ets . The conversations he has with his friends are more often monologues, lectures in which he is verbalizing his developing ideas on art, eaut , aestheti s, a d the ole of the a tist hi self: The a tist, like the God of eatio , remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, pa i g his fi ge ails . A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 55 We are reminded that Emma still plays a part in his life as she is announced as his elo ed (245) by Lynch, though their relationship seems distanced and almost estranged. Later, Stephen is inspired to write a villanelle dedicated to her; the creation of this poem, p a ti all i f o t of the eade s e e, is the fi st ta gi le e ide e that “tephe is i deed becoming an artist. In a remarkable reversal of perspective, in view of his earlier rather lewd thoughts on hearing confessions as a priest, he is now irritated that his girlfriend is willing to u eil he soul s sh aked ess (252) to a clergyman instead of her boyfriend. Joyce often uses religious imagery and terminology to express his secularized epiphanies. The word epiphany itself being of religious origin, it denotes a spiritual rather than a rational form of understanding. La g au otes that: “tephe ese ts the fa t that his gi lf ie d e eals he soul to a p iest of the Chu h athe tha to hi , a p iest of eternal imagination, t a s uti g the dail ead of e pe ie e i to the adia t od of e e li i g life . . . . Jo e esta lishes a t as a i al eligio La g au . Like a Catholi s ho ha e tu ed thei back on the mother church, he is too much shaped by the institution to ever fully leave it behind – the i lusio of the uotatio of a di al Ne a s o ds i the fo e hapte is a witness to that; Newman converted to Catholicism after half a lifetime as an Anglican. William Noon quotes Joyce as saying that h is Trieste friend, Italo Svevo, remarked in 1927 that Jo e still feels ad i atio a d g atitude fo the a e of his edu ato s; hilst his si iste Dedalus his fi tio al ou te pa t i the o els a ot fi d ti e to sa so (qtd in Beebe, 250). However, it is not quite clear whether this is not an attempt to reclaim Joyce for the church by this Jesuit priest who always maintained that there is a strict and intentional difference between the author and his protagonist, highlighting the irony with which this o el s a ato t eats his su je t (Beebe 250). A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 56 To provide answers to the questions raised by this discussion, it is best to turn to the text itself. When asked by Cranly whether he believes in the Eucharist, Stephen states: I elie e i it o dis elie e i it neithe . P essed fo elu idatio , he adds that he used to elie e he he as still at s hool, ut that he as so eo e else the – a clear indication that he is a changed man, though not a total negation of himself as a believer. He fi ishes sa i g: I ill ot se e that i hi h I o lo ge elie e, hethe it all itself home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only arms I allow myself to use – sile e, e ile, a d u i g . This a ou ts to a de la atio of his e self as a artist, while at the same time using terms which have religious connotations: silence is a requisite in certain religious orders rather than a vital requirement for an artist, and exile suggests a closing off from community rather than embracing the fellowship of man; both te s e i d us of “tephe s o kish te de ies. The ironic subtext then, which is admittedly present throughout the novel, mostly serves to emphasize the distancing of Stephen from his subsequent former selves, rather than being a ploy to create a distance between the author/narrator and the protagonist; Joyce and Stephen remain more catholic than they are willing to admit. The e d of the o el a ou es itself i “tephe s thoughts e e as he o e ses ith C a l : A a the : it is ti e to go. A oi e spoke softl to “tephe s lo el hea t, bidding him go and telling him that his f ie dship as o i g to a e d. Yes; he ould go (279). The fi al pages of the o el o sist of “tephe s dia e t ies as he p epa es to lea e for the continent. His love interest Emma appears to have shifted her attentions to his friend Cranly, but Stephe , too, has o ed o : Ce tai l she e e e s the past. . . . The she A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 57 remembers the time of her childhood – and mine, if I was ever a child. The past is consumed i the p ese t a d the p ese t is li i g o l e ause it i gs fo th the futu e (286). He meets Emma by chance in the city and takes final leave of his o hood gi lf ie d: “he asked me . . . was I writing poems? About whom? I asked her. This confused her more and I felt so a d ea . The the oad is alli g hi : A a ! A a ! ). The last two diary entries are consecrated to his mother and father. Mother reminds hi of the i po ta e of the hea t i aki g hoi es i life: . . . that I a lea i o life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels. A e . “o e it. The A e defi es the e d of a p a e a d a ks the egi i g of a e le of de elop e t. “tephe is poised to fi d out hat life has to offe hi : Wel o e, O life! I go to e ou te for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the u eated o s ie e of a e . He is convinced his personal experiences are bound to become part of the collective consciousness of all mankind; once again we hear the voice of youthful presumptuousness and we cannot help but wonder if he is not overreaching himself. Old fathe is add essed as the pe so ho took a si ila ou se efo e hi ; the old a tifi e is see as a fello al he ist, a o ke of ate ial a d i Stephen asks for his blessi g fo the lo g oad ahead: . . . sta d stead . He is o e agai ead fo a e ate ial su sta e. e o a d e e i good ou d of e pe ie e, goi g out i to the o ld, facing new challenges, and creating a whole new persona, fusing life and art in a mysterious inner process that is a conscious act of creation, as only artists can. Christine van Boheemen-“aaf, uoti g Jo e f o Portrait of the A tist , the sa e a p epa ato sket h fo the o el A has oted that ea h of the fi e sepa ate hapte s a e o st u ted ith u e of a e otio , a d that ea h epipha is o e i a se ies td. in Tigges, 197-198). A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 58 We have seen that each chapter of the novel constitutes a full cycle in the proposed model of Cchanges, and that with each new chapter a new cycle is begun. At first glance, this might seem to suggest that Stephen begins anew with each cycle and that he has not progressed in a real sense. However, on closer scrutiny it becomes clear that any one cycle follows naturally upon the preceding and that each next phase is in fact impossible without having completed the last. Like wheels within wheels, we can then see the novel as a whole as one full cycle of C-changes: from the establishing of character and context in the opening chapter, moving through the conflicts and complications of growing up, leading to a confusion about morality and a crisis of faith, and culminating in the comprehension of self-realisation and the catharsis which clears the mind and clears the way for change, as Stephen discovers his true identity as an artist, accepts the consequences of having to move away from his roots, to construct his own life, build on his experiences, and keep evolving as a human being. Langbaum has noted that (t)he full de eloped epipha ies usuall ulga it of spee h a d of gestu e latte La g au ith a e o a le phase of the o i e the i d – the former producing the . As i a al he i al p o ess, Jo e s epipha ies ep ese t a t a sfigu atio of base elements into some spiritual substance; they constitute a e tal, o al, a d spi itual uplift (Stanislaus Joyce 103-4) and a gradual development of the soul. As far as the fate of Stephen Dedalus is concerned, as he sets out in his adult life, we can only hope that he does not reach too far and burn his wings – though that too, is ultimately part of the experience of growing up. Bearing in mind Tigges suggestio that t he patte eated epipha i o e ts i life, hi h a and transmitted i a t, de o st ates the u i ue ess of ea h hu a the si ulta eous u i e salit of this e pe ie e ei g s e pe ie e, as ell as , perhaps Stephen is right, after all, about his e pe ie es e o i g pa t of the uncreated conscience of my a e . The lasti g lega novel would certainly suggest so. e e o ded of Jo e s A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 59 6. Visio a d revisio : the lo g road to realizatio i the develop e t of Kerouac’s On the Road In this chapter I will argue that the epiphanic model proposed in this thesis applies to the gestation as a whole of Ke oua s se i al novel: from the first attempts, struggling with the form, almost giving up, the culmination of its creation in the scroll manuscript, followed by further important revisions which, by the time of its final publication as a fi ished p odu t , requires continuation in the shape of a follow-up narrative, as the convictions of the author have profoundly changed in the course of time. Thus the gestation period of this novel becomes a cycle of C-changes in itself, and the concentrated effort which produced the scroll can be seen as its crowning epiphanic phase. To illustrate this, I will necessarily ha e to dis uss so e ele a t iog aphi al aspe ts of Ke oua s life. Natu all , I will also discuss the epiphanic aspects in the novel as such, and test my model in the development of the narrative. It will become clear that the four road trips described represent four consecutive epiphanic cycles. Kerouac mentioned Joyce as one of his literary influences. There were obvious connections: like him, Kerouac kept compiling notes on everything he saw around him, filling stacks of notebooks with his observations of occurrences in daily life, grasping bits of o e satio s, oti g people s appea a es, a d listi g u e ed e o ies Mahe . Kerouac possessed a formidable capacity for remembering details, and he was proud of the i k a e Me o full of eti ulous Ba e hi h he as gi e i s hool Cha te s . His ote ooks e e o d ou ts a d p og ess epo ts Cha ters 100), a notion which is not i li e ith the ge e al pu li s otio of hi p odu i g off-the-cuff prose. Kerouac identified with Joyce, who he saw as a kindred spirit, an artist struggling to be heard. Like A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 60 him, he was a Catholic who wrestled with his faith throughout his life, but never relinquished it. Like Jo e, as a ou g p ostitute Mahe a he felt te pted the si e s all of the e ko i g fi ge of a iii a d then redirected his energies towards the nobler goal of becoming an artist. Torn between his Catholic upbringing and his urge to develop his art, he o fided to e a hoodlu e essa il a d a sai t i his ea that a pe so jou al. To hi , ei g a sai t did ot as f ee of te ptatio a d si Mahe : It see s to e that saints are the most imperfect, tortured, doubtful human beings in the world. . . . The thing about a saint is that he understands crime and sinning better than anyone else, from experience and long meditation. The only thing perfect about a saint is his dou t Jou al, August 11, 1947, in Windblown World). The hoodlum and the saint would prove to be two conflicting - or complementary - sides to Ke oua s pe so alit as he st uggled i easi gl with his alcoholism, and these aspects were equally present and visible in the character of his friend Neal Cassady, portrayed as Dean Moriarty in the final version of On the Road. In his o el, Ke oua o s iousl st o e to des i e the idealizatio of a t ul fla ed ha a te possessi g a spa k of di i it Mahe . In spite of popular belief, On the Road went through a long gestation period towards development. It had various precursors in the shape of false starts, unfinished manuscripts, aborted rewritings, and proto-versions, before the seemingly immaculate conception of the mythical scroll. Afterwards, the scroll manuscript was considerably and significantly edited at least two times before its final appearance in the form most people know. After finally seeing On the Road published in 1957, Kerouac himself fostered the image of him having produced the novel in the course of three weeks in April 1951, using a 120-foot roll of teletype paper. Actually, the novel had been under construction since November 1948 and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 61 had known various incarnations in the shape of short anecdotes and aborted beginnings. Beside his notebooks, Kerouac also kept journals as logbooks to mark the progress he was making and comment on the quality of his writing. The first sketches were made while Kerouac was still finishing his first novel The Town and the City, which was eventually published in February 1950. Throughout the fall of 1948 Kerouac worked on a manuscript he had titled On the Road that amounted to a total of more than 70,000 words, but which in the end had no bearing whatsoever on the novel that eventually became known to the world. In Ap il he sta ted a ha d itte e sio hi h as a o pa ied a iti e a hi h was to function as a scenario for the novel; in June he produced another 10,000 words and then stalled. In August he started anew, using a new scenario, only to become stuck again at the e d of “epte i e . Ke oua had to ad it he had ea hed a dead e d: Fo the fi st ti e ea s I DON T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I “IMPLY DO NOT HAVE A “INGLE ‘EAL IDEA WHAT TO DO Mahe . A f esh atte pt as ade i No e e , this time yielding a map on which Kerouac marked the various road trips he had made with Neil Cassady. After the excursion to Mexico in the summer of 1950, Kerouac produced yet another manuscript titled Gone on the Road, but he was still struggling with his writing style and had clearly not found the form he as looki g fo : I a t deep form, poetic form – the way the consciousness really digs e e thi g that happe s Cha te s . Cassady had started writing as well, and the two started exchanging letters as well as manuscripts. In March 1951 Cassady sent Kerouac a long letter of 13,000 words, detailing his affair with a girl five years earlier. Kerouac was swept off his feet by the direct, fast and furious autobiographical style adopted by Cassady, the us ula ush of his iti g st le – it was exactly what Kerouac had been after for so long. Combining the direct, straight A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 62 a ati e te h i ue of Bu oughs ith the f a k ess of i ti ate pe so al detail i Cassad s prose, he had finally found his o oi e. F o Tho as Wolfe s st le e ulated i The Town and the City his writing developed towards the stream-of-consciousness spontaneous prose i spi ed Cassad s lo g a li g lette s. P a ti all e e thi g Ke oua e e ote as autobiographical; he merely changed the names of his characters to protect his friends (or, urged by his editors, to avoid cases of libel). He fictionalized his life into a dramatic fantasy, but it did not take much to do so, as his life was already so full of drama and action. On April 2, 1951, Kerouac sat himself down at his desk in the loft of his then wife Joan Ha e t s apa t e t i Ma hatta a d i se ted the fi st of a u e of sheets of la ge drawing paper he had cut to size to fit the carriage of his typewriter. Fuelled by black coffee (and not Benzedrine, as myth would have it) he spit out his novel in a frenzied bout of speedt pi g. B his side e e his jou als, Cassad s lette s, so e ha a te sket hes he had previously drawn up and a list of items he planned to cover as he divided his chapters over the various stages of the trips he had made. Three weeks later the word count stood at 139,000 words and he had a roll of paper 120 feet long, held together by Scotch tape. Satisfied with the result and excited by the sheer act of completing the task, he took the s oll to his age t ‘o e t Gi ou s offi e a d u olled it a oss the floo , shouti g He e s ou o el! o l to e g eatl offe ded Gi ou s e a k that it as i possi le to ake corrections on a manuscript in this form. He stormed out, vowing that not one word was to be edited from the document since it had been di tated the Hol Ghost (Cunnell 32). In fact, Kerouac took it upon himself almost immediately to retype the manuscript in separate pages and double spacing. He kept working on the second typescript until May 1952, a year since his three-week writing burst. During this time, he discovered what he A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany alled his iti g soul at last Cha te s , p o pted Schouten 63 the otio s of spontaneous composition and sketching, as a painter does, though using words rather than paint. He was o i ed that the idea of sket hi g o igi ated i Yeats t a e that sket hi g as a a of iti g ith % ho est iti g a d he told Gi s e g (Charters 147). His prose may have been spontaneous, but by sketching he reworked the material, filling out passages and adding images until he ended up with sentences that sometimes ran the length of a page. The subsequent third typescript had substantially more editing work done to it, as Kerouac gradually gave in to the demands of his editor for improved readability. Helped by his editor Malcolm Cowley and his assistants (presumably Helen Taylor and Keith Jennison), this rather more reader-friendly version found many of its drawn-out sentences cut into more digestible chunks, after considerably more punctuation had been applied to it. Despite the editing, the manuscript ran into 347 pages and 175,000 words, as opposed to the heavily revised 297-page, 158,000-word second draft from which Kerouac had willingly deleted numerous passages, most often descriptions of sexual activity or references to existing persons, as his Viking publishers were concerned with legal issues of libel and sexual content (Gewirtz 118-119). As it happened, most of what was deleted from the second typescript, plus new material Kerouac produced as he reworked his novel, found its way back into the third draft. Further revisions would continue until 1957. Ke oua s po t a al of Cassady in On the Road helped define the lifestyle of the ge e atio that a e of age i the sa d s. Cassad s p oje tio of the a het pi al American hero jumps off the pages of the novel. It is the image of the nineteenth-century cowboy in a twentieth-century reincarnation: a frontier man continually pushing the limits, a pioneer daring to go where no man has gone before, exploring the extremes of mind and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 64 body, road and landscape. As Cassady and his friends are racing to and fro from coast to coast, frantically crossing the continent in all directions, their maniacal travelling becomes a metaphor for life. Taking to the road is the only way to go, faster and faster until the vastness of the land becomes a blur in the speeding mind. Kerouac took it upon himself to document these fantastic and mind-bending journeys, visualizing the landscape in words, bringing the land to life, describing America from the inside out and the outside in, until it left him utterly exhausted and wasted by the wayside. The hedonistic lifestyle which emanates from the pages of On the Road was quickly seized upon by a new generation, keen to rid themselves of the constraints of society. The young readers latched on to the idea of the great American adventure, freedom and open spaces. However, most of them failed to discern the darker undercu e ts i Ke oua s o el: the total la k of espo si ilit i behaviour, the egocentricity of most of the central characters, the negation of political awareness, and the realization that this vision of America was ultimately doomed. All of this did not deter millions of youngsters around the world to strap on their rucksacks and take to the oad the sel es, a g eat u ksa k e olutio as Ke oua had his he o Japh ‘ de prophesize in The Dharma Bums (73), the novel which is effectively the follow-up narrative to On the Road. Ke oua s confessional style of writing had its origins in the confessional booths of the hu h. As Cha te s has e a ked: it as a si to hold a thi g a k . Ke oua was born as a Catholic and died as a Catholic, but duri g the post-s oll gestatio pe iod of On the Road he was also drawn toward Buddhism. He seriously studied Buddhist texts, translated sutras from French into English, and even produced a biography of the Buddha. His fascination with Buddhism is testimony of the deep religious feelings Kerouac fostered A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 65 throughout his life. He felt a particular affinity with the first law of Buddhism which states that all life is suffe i g . It as a otio he ould ide tif ith, as he spe t ea s hopi g fo what he considered his most essential manuscript to be accepted for publication. Not that this discouraged him from producing more works: during these six years he wrote another twelve books, among which The Subterraneans which he produced in another frenzied effort lasting only three days. The majority of these twelve books, written in what Charters calls The Middle Yea s , o e the sa e pe iod that On the Road does, as Kerouac described the various characters he encountered on his travels between 1947 and 1951: Visions of Cody, Doctor Sax, October in the Railroad Earth, Maggie Cassidy, The Subterraneans, San Francisco Blues, Mexico City Blues. Ke oua s ideas a out Buddhis also found their way into the post-scroll versions of On the Road and eventually found full expression in The Dharma Bums, which was written in November 1957, after the final version of On the Road had been published. The Dharma Bums has been credited with being among the first novels to promote the awareness of ecology. Its focus on pristine landscape, isolation from the crowds, meditation, mountain climbing and wholesome foods was a remarkable turnaround from the hectic goings-on in On the Road, and can in many ways be considered as its natural successor: the fast, masculine, road-driven force centring on people and motion giving way to a slower, more feminine pre-occupation with land and environment, one form of awareness shifting into another. As he was rewriting On the Road, Kerouac was also working on a manuscript consecutively titled Visions of Cody and Visions of Neal. This novel, first published in a shortened version in 1960 and posthumously, in a complete version, in 1973, centred wholly on Neal Cassady and, as mentioned earlier, describes many of the same events covered in A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 66 On the Road. The method of sketching and using spontaneous prose is even more apparent here than in On the Road. To Kerouac, Cassady embodied both the idealistic promise of America and the sense that this dream had been corrupted and lost. By identifying with Cassady, he wrote about how he saw himself; and in Cassady, he found again the older brother he had lost when he was young: his sibling Gerard, about whom he wrote Visions of Gerard, was considered a somewhat saintly figure even during his life and had died of rheumatic fever at the age of 9. One of the life-long moral obligations which Kerouac felt he had towards his mother was to follow in the footsteps of his exemplary brother. It was one of the factors that kept Kerouac from losing himself completely in the debauched lifestyle a of his f ie ds e e d a Ho l to, a d to hi h the ope i g li es of Gi s e g s poe as a testi o . A recurrent motif in Visions of Cody are neon lights and redbrick buildings; the neon lights stands fo A e i a s shi i g p omise of happiness, whereas the redbrick represents the harsh reality of life for the downtrodden, the poor, the beaten-down – a notion which fou d its a i to the te eat ge e atio . The i age of eo lights o e s at the sa e time the idea of glowing p o ise a d e pt do to it ea i gless ess, oth the jo of the ight a d the ed eo s of ou f o t a d oti ea le despe atel ad e tised life Cha te s . As fo the te insight about it being elated to the o d eat , it as o l late that Ke oua had a eatifi , as i the state of eatitude of “t. F a is, e p essi g a jo fo life. He oi ed this i te p etatio of the o d eat i pa ti ula du i g the many interviews in which it was suggested that On the Road belonged to the culture of hoodlu s, ough e ks, a d iole t o k olle s, a is o eptio that at least pa tl stemmed from the fact that the novel had been published some ten years after the period in A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 67 which it was set, being the immediate post-war years. It can even be said that the origins of On the Road date back to the pre-war years, in which the working classes suffered under the Great Depression and some folks were forced to take to the railroad or the highway, in search for any opportunities that might come their way. It was these people Kerouac ide tified ith fi st a d fo e ost. Ke oua efused to e e uated to the e e gi g o k roll culture in the late fifties, as he refused to be identified with the hippie culture of the late sixties. When Cassady joined Ken Kese s Me P a kste s a d e a e the d i e at the wheel of their bus on their legendary cross-country trip in 1964, as recounted in Tom Wolfe s e jou alist o el The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Kerouac frowned on his former oad o pa io s hoi e of friends and their LSD-fuelled uest fo a ool pla e Wolfe 153). Even in his own novels, he always kept a certain distance to his central characters; his own alter ego always remained an observer, as others took the lead in the various exploits recounted. Charters suggests that this was also prompted by his Catholic background and the enduring influence of his mother, to whom he always returned after yet another episode of ad e tu e: he as iti g ith his othe looki g o e his shoulde , i i izing his participation in the action, emphasizing his gullibility, never describing anything he knew she ould t fo gi e Cha te s . I this a , it as his othe ho had take o e the ole of the priest to whom he had confessed his sins as a boy. Over the years, there has been some discussion as to the relation between Kerouac and Cassady having homosexual overtones or simply amounting to an accentuated form of male bonding. It is true that Cassady and Ginsberg were lovers for a short while, and Ginsberg always remained infatuated with Cassady, but his love was never really reciprocated, as Cassady, though being sexually highly charged, was clearly far more A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 68 interested in women than in men. Having spent long periods of his young life in reform schools, Cassad had a e a e te t a deta hed app oa h to se i ale t as ell: he as o asio all d a ith to e . Ke oua s se ualit e Ge i tz a d as to iefl experimented by going to the public baths with Ginsberg and Burroughs – but then again, experimentation was the name of the game, at that stage of the life of everyone concerned. The bond he felt with Cassady was ultimately far more emotional and spiritual than it was ph si al; the ee lood- othe s (qtd. in Charters 117). The sear h fo Neal s fathe which was one of the central themes in the narrative of On the Road was also a search for their own inner beings, and the beings they could potentially become. Jack or Sal; Neal or Dean; friends, lovers, brothers, or fathers; in the end all characters and roles became i te ha gea le i the hol uest fo a t, t uth, life, a d lo e. The surprising conclusion, when we study the works and methods of Jack Kerouac, is that the amount of preparation and revision that went into the development of his novels, particularly On the Road, belies the popular perception of spontaneity that is associated with it. The Jack Kerouac Archives, a part of the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library since 2001, boast a staggering amount of journals, drafts, fragments, maps, charts, lists, all of them evidence that Kerouac planned his work meticulously (see figure 3 below). It also serves to bolster the belief that the epiphanic burst of creativity which yielded the 1951 scroll did not materialize out of the blue, but rather was the result of a process of preparation that took years to come to fruition. It was followed by an equally long period in which further changes had to be made and phases of construction needed to be negotiated, before the e d esult ould e p ese ted to the o ld. The de elop e t of Ke oua s bestknown novel thus amounts to a cycle of C-changes spanning the better part of 10 years, in A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 69 which characters and context are established early on, conflict and complication arise when a fitting literary form is not found, confusion and crisis set in when repeated attempts at building a narrative are stranded, compliance is reached when the author is ready to give up on his efforts, before finally the epiphany announces itself in the shape of an inspired and prolonged moment of literary grace. Of course, the process does not stop there: it continues with the realization that further work is needed, revision to be done, reconstruction to be carried out, until the conclusion arrives with the publication of the work in its final form – after which another novel is waiting to be written. Or, how a three-week burst of creative energy turns out to be a ten-year plan and a project of prodigious proportions. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany figure 3: table of characters, events and chronology, 1946-51, for a proto- e sio of the ‘oad Schouten 70 o el. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 71 After having demonstrated that the novel in its entirety can be seen to represent one long epiphany when viewed in the context of its process of gestation, it is now time to explore the ways in which the proposed epiphanic cycle is evident in the text itself. Within the narrative frame it is possible to discern cycles of increasing and decreasing tension throughout the novel. Inside one epiphanic cycle are other cycles, like wheels within wheels. I have decided to base my reading on the version of the original scroll manuscript. One reason for this is that the scroll version can be regarded as the essential, unadulterated core material of the novel. Another reason is that this version is in essence very close to the fi al e sio hi h as pu lished i , ith the ad a tage that o e of the o e da i g material had yet been omitted; a disadvantage is that a few episodes are missing which were included in the 1957 version. One notable difference between the scroll manuscript and the 1957 version is that the latter is infused with the notions of Zen Buddhism that Kerouac developed in the 1950s; I will expound on this later. One of the ideas that are central to the development of the narrative is what Kerouac called the i le of despai , which amounts to the belief that life is experienced as a egula se ies of defle tio s f o o e s goals. With ea h defle tio , a e goal is established, but before reaching this new goal, one will again be deflected. Instead of moving forward, one makes a continuing series of right-hand turns, until a full circle is completed – a i le that u s a ou d the u k o a le IT that is e t al to . . . e iste e and which can only be known through experience. It is useless to try to take a straight course i life, as the st aight li e ill take ou o l to death (qtd. in Kupetz 89). This underlying idea explains much of the divergences in the described travel itineraries as well as the discontinuous plot. Thus, as Kerouac sets out for the first time to cross the continent and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 72 opts for the direct passage of Route 6, he quickly finds out that there is no through traffic to carry him westward, so that he is forced to return to New York and start again by an alternative route. Not all of the insights Jack gains, as he crosses the continent in four fast-paced journeys, can be categorized as spiritual in a positive sense. The circle of despair often takes him to places and states of mind that can o e eadil e defi ed i te de o i epipha ies . Fo i sta e, he he akes up i Des Moi es a d his s of F e s i d is reduced to a blank slate: I was far away from home haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel oo I d e e see . . . a d I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really did t k o ho I as fo a out fiftee st a ge se o ds. I as t s a ed, I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost… I as half a a oss A e i a, at the dividing line between the East of outh a d the West of futu e, a d a e that s h it happened right there and then that strange red afternoon. (120) There are many occasions when the circle of despair takes him to places of despair, such as whe he alks o Ne Yo k s Ti es “ ua e a d is hit the sudde ealizatio that he is i fact an embodied spirit with a limited life span. The o igi al s oll a us ipt is di ided i to fi e BOOKS , four of which describe a separate journey across the American continent. Each of these journeys is marked with both glorious climaxes and depths of despair; usually, the narrative starts with an optimistic outlook but ends on a note of disillusion. At first appearance, this structure may seem not to correspond to the epiphanic model proposed here; however, when we observe the plot A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 73 more closely it becomes clear that within the narrative structure the model is validated by the way tension is built up towards each climax or mental realization, and the way the decreasing tension gives rise to consequences leading to the next development. Viewed as a whole, the novel clearly shows a development of character which leaves the protagonist a wiser person in the end. The circle of despair thus becomes a cycle of change for the better. Jack is introduced to Neal Cassady by one of his acquaintances from New York, where Jack has befriended a loosely knit group of budding writers (character and context). Jack and Neal become fast friends almost overnight, and Neal decides to stay the winter in New York with his teenage bride Louanne. In spring, Neal returns to Denver without Louanne, and Jack decides to follow him there against the advice of his mother (conflict). Some of the New York crew have also moved to Denver, and Jack moves in with Ed White; it turns out there has appeared some sort of rift between two factions, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg being ostracized by the rest of the group (complication). Neal is maintaining a very complicated ménage-a-quatre, hustling between his new girlfriend Carolyn and Louanne and Allen who have both followed him from New York. Neal divides his time (or rather, multiplies his time) between his lovers, according to a very tight and yet extremely well-timed schedule: It is o looki g at his at h e a tl o e-fourteen----I shall be back at exactly THREE fourteen, for our hour of revery together, real sweet revery darling, and then as you know, as I told you and as we agreed, I have to go and see Brierly about those papers---in the middle of the night strange as it seems and as I to- oughl e plai ed --(this was a coverup for his rendez-vous with Allen who was still hiding)--- so o i this e a t i ute I ust d ess, A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 74 put on my pants, go back to life, that is to outside life, streets and whatnot, as we agreed, it is now one-FIFTEEN a d ti e s u i g, u i g.. -7) Jack always remains the semi-objective observer, both partaking in the frenetic activities and staying on the periphery to report the proceedings. Watching Neal and Allen rap all night lo g a out life s esse tial uestio s, he fi all ou keep this up ou ll oth go az ut let e a ks, as the fi st i ds egi to si g: If ek o hat happe s as ou go alo g . After a while, Jack becomes tired of the booze-drenched parties, the wild behaviour of his friends and their restless running around; he is also frustrated with his love life, often being alone when all his friends are in some kind of relationship (confusion). He hits the road again and moves to San Francisco, where his friend Henri Cru has lined up a job for him as a security officer in a barracks housing transient construction workers. The job entails intimidating the workers and Jack soon hates his work. Living with Henri and his girlfriend Diane proves to be difficult as well, as the two are constantly rowing and Jack finds it impossible to write (crisis). He decides to move out again and travel to Los Angeles; sitting on a hill overlooking Frisco, Jack muses on the differences between the east and west coast and accepts his lonely fate: Oh he e is the gi l I lo e? I thought, a d looked e e he e, as I had looked everywhere in the little world below. . . . Now it was time to pursue my moon alo g o plia e . Jack s lu k i p oves considerably when he meets a Mexican- American girl called Bea on the bus to Los Angeles. This episode was published as a separate short story well before the novel was published and in it, Kerouac describes in warm tones his brief affair with the girl and the time they spent living in a tent in the fields near her pa e ts ho e in Selma: Ah it as a fi e ight, a ight, a i e-drinking night, a moony A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 75 ight, a d a ight to hug ou gi l a d talk a d spit a d e hea e goi g. This e did (comprehension). The two of them arrive in L.A. and find the town is teeming with tourists and shady ha a te s; the a e take a a k the pho Holl ood at osphe e: Fat o e a across the Boulevard to get in line for the quiz shows. . . . Bea and I ate in a cafeteria downtown which was decorated to look like a grotto. All the cops in L.A. looked like ha dso e gigolos; o iousl , the d o e to L.A. to to ake the he e Ja k o ies, e e eets Bea s e atha sis . The ake the o ies. E e o e o to Te od had o e s ho eto “elma, othe F edd a d his f ie d Po zo. Ja k e jo s the o pa of these down-to-earth and honest people and appreciates the simple life the couple lead, living in a tent, picking cotton for a couple of dollars a da : I as a p e isel as I had d ea ed I ould e a of the ea th (clarity). The happy interlude is short-lived, though, and when autumn announces itself Jack realizes he cannot provide for his girl and her child (change). He leaves her with her parents and takes to the road again, bussing and hitchhiking back east (consequences), finally making it a k to his othe s pla e i Queens, New York, where he recuperates from his exhausting travels (construction and conclusion). At the start of the seco d pa t of the o el BOOK TWO as it is alled i the iddle of a line in the scroll manuscript, without any further introduction), Jack and his family are celebrating Christmas with relatives in Virginia (character and context). Neal shows up unexpectedly and leaves the family members bewildered with his antics (conflict). He takes Jack to New York where a number of ild pa ties e sue. Neal s eha iou is e e oe outrageous than before; he is completely hyped up, talks incessantly, and drives like a maniac, getting stopped for speeding more than once (complication). Jack is wondering how A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 76 Neal is able to keep up this fast pace of life; on the one hand he seems poised to destroy the lives of himself and all those who travel with him, on the other hand he oozes with selfconfidence and manages to do three things at once, with relative success (confusion). Jack expresses a wish for a more quiet life and mentions a recurring dream he has, about being follo ed a “h ouded “t a ge ; his f ie ds interpret this as a fear of death (crisis). After going to a concert to see pianist George Shearing play, they smoke some marijuana a d Ja k has a o e t of i sight: It ade e thi k that e e thi g as a out to a i e--- the moment when you know all and e e thi g is de ided fo e e (compliance and comprehension). In another telling passage which sheds some light on the attitude Kerouac adopts among his friends, Dean asks Jack to make love with Louanne while he is watching. When it comes to it, Jack is unable to perform: the bed they are using is the bed his father has died in, and Jack is awkwardl a a e of Neal s p ese e i the oo . He asks Neal to take his place and soon Neal and Louanne are in the throes of passion: O l a gu ho s spe t fi e ea s i jail a go to su h a ia al helpless extremes; beseeching at the very portals of the womb with a completely physical realization of the sources of life-bliss; trying to get back in there once and for all, while living, and adding to it the living sexual frenzy and rhythm. This is the result of years looking at dirty pictures behind bars; looking at the legs of women in magazines; evaluating the hardness of the steel halls and the softness of the woman who is not there. Jail is where you promise ou self the ight to li e. Neal had e e see his othe s fa e. E ery new girl, every new wife, every new child was an addition to his bleak A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 77 impoverishment. Where was his father---old bum Neal Cassady the Barber, riding freights, working as a scullion in railroad cookshacks, stumbling, downcrashing in wino alley nights, expiring on coal piles, dropping his yellowed teeth one by one in the gutters of the West. Neal had every right to die the sweet deaths of complete love of his Louanne. Her own father was a cop in L.A. who had made many an incestuous hint. She showed me a picture; a little mustache, slick hair, cruel eyes, polished belt and gun. I did t a t to interfere, I just wanted to follow. (232-3) (my italics) Jack joins Neal and Louanne for their return trip to California. Everybody is elated to be on the road agai : Neal . . . as o l o e ed ith lo ki g the t u k a d putti g the proper things in the compartment and sweeping the floor and getting all ready for the purity of the oad agai …the pu it of fast as possi le a d ith as o i g a d getti g so e he e, o atte u h e ite e t a d diggi g of all thi gs as possi le (catharsis). Neal puts i to o ds hat e e o e is thi ki g: . . . e all e e thi g is fi e a d the e s o eed i the o ld to o hat it ould ANYTHING. A he e, a d as , a d i fa t e should realize ea to us to UNDE‘“TAND a d that e e ot ‘EALL I ight? We all ag eed ust ad it that o ied a out la it . He tu s the page o the failed atte pt at a th eeso e: He e e go, e e all togethe … hat did e do i Ne Yo k…let s fo gi e. . . . That s ehi d us, e el iles a d i li atio s (change). They first drive down to New Orleans where writer William Burroughs lives with his wife Joan. The couple is very much strung out on drugs, and soon Jack, Neal, and Louanne continue on their way to San Francisco (consequences). Ja k is i p essed Neal s e dless sta i a a d athleti a ilit and is ever more willing to follow him anywhere (construction). He is soon disappointed A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 78 though, when they arrive in San Francisco and Neal leaves Jack and Louanne stranded as he is off to seek out Carolyn (conclusion). BOOK TWO ends with another rather anagnoristic epiphany as Jack wanders aimlessly and penniless through the dark streets: And just for a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach and which was the complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows, and wonderment in the bleakness of the mortal realm, and the sensation of death kicking at my heels to move on, with a phantom dogging at its own heels, and myself hurrying to a plank where all the Angels dove off and flew into infinity. This was the state of my mind. I thought I was going to die the very next moment. (274) Having reached the western shores of the country and arriving at a dead end, Jack is ready to turn back east again, go home and lick his wounds (continuation). Curiously enough, the same passage in the final version of the novel reads quite differently, being heavily laden with Buddhist imagery and philosophy: And for just a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach and which was the complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows . . . , and myself hurrying to a plank where all the Angels dove off and flew into the holy void of uncreated emptiness, the potent and inconceivable radiances shining in bright Mind Essence, innumerable lotuslands falling open in the magic mothswarm of heaven. . . . I realized that I had died a d ee e o u e less ti es ut just did t e e e espe iall because the transitions from life to death and back to life are so ghostly easy, A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 79 a magical action for naught . . . I realized it was only because of the stability of the intrinsic Mind that these ripples of birth and death took place. (173) Here, the demonic aspects of the epiphany have been turned into a celebration of Buddhist illumination. Certain death has become glorious reincarnation, the Shrouded Stranger is no longer snapping at his heels, and the void is no longer bleak but holy and radiant instead. In Paul Malt s o ds, a atast ophi o e t has ee tu ed i to a ede pti e moment (Maltby 19). BOOK THREE pi ks up the sto o e ea late . Ja k s ha es take a tu fo the better when he receives a payment of $1,000 after the publication of his first novel and invests in a house for his mother, sister, brother-in-law and himself in Denver (character and context). But the family cannot get settled there, so the hole pla falls th ough a d Ja k s money has evaporated (conflict). He makes new plans to go and see Neal in San Francisco. O his a the e, he has a isio of seei g God i the sk i the fo louds a o e the dese t . A i i g i “a F a is o, it is Ja k s tu of huge su to distu u i g Neal s relatively quiet home life. The two are immediately thrown out by Carolyn (complication), and after carousing in the bars, they head off back east again for another adventure. Passing through Denver, Neal sets out to look for his missing father, but none of the people he asks know anything about his whereabouts (confusion). Dean launches into a wild rampage, stealing cars, chasing women, and eyeing teenage girls, until it is time to make a hasty retreat (crisis). They manage to get another car from a Travel Bureau and pledge to drive it safely to Chicago. Only a few miles out of Denver, Neal drives the car so fast that the speed gauge eaks: Well o speedo ete , I o t k o ho fast I to Chi ago a d tell goi g, I ll just all that ja k ti e (compliance) (324). In Chicago, they visit some jazz clubs and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 80 listen to a group of young, inspired musicians. Unexpectedly, the great George Shearing shows up as well and plays an impromptu set of music. Then the other jazzmen strike up again and give it their best shot: The sought to fi d e ph ases afte “hea i g s e plo atio s; the t ied hard. They writhed and twisted and blew. Every now and then a clear harmonic cry gave new suggestions of a tune that would someday be the only tu e i the o ld a d hi h ould aise e s souls to joy. They found it, they lost, they wrestled for it, they found it again, they laughed, they moaned----a d Neal s eated at the ta le a d told the to go, go, go (comprehension) (339). The experience of listening to experimental jazz and bop seamlessly goes together with their improvisational lifestyle, the ever-changing music and the interplay between the musicians becoming a metaphor for their fast-paced lives. After this ecstatic intermezzo, they pay a ief isit to Ja k s e -wife Edie who lives in Detroit. She has made a new life for herself and Ja k soo ealizes that so ethi g has o e et ee the : That so ethi g as the ea s apart---she had changed, changed friends, ways of spending evenings, interests, all that and had let herself fall into complete self-i dulge e a d u a e People ha ge, a , that s hat ou gotta k o We k o , e k o -4). Neal observes: – I hope ou a d I ll e e ha ge – (catharsis, clarity, change). They eventually make it to New York and stay with Ja k s to a ds the o ea i Lo g Isla d: . . . the e as o othe . Late that ight, the alk o e la d, just the Atla ti O ea a d e ould o l go so fa . We lasped ha ds a d ag eed to e f ie ds fo e e . Five days later, at a party, Neal is introduced to a girl called Diane and immediately moves in with her, A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 81 soon filing for divorce from his second wife Carolyn who is about to give birth to their second hild. A fe o ths late , Dia e is p eg a t as ell a d a othe of Neal s hild e is to be born (consequences, construction, conclusion). BOOK FOUR continues in the spring of the next year. This time it is Jack who takes the initiative to set out on the road again (character). He goes to Denver and is presently followed by Neal, who has soon become tired of being a responsible husband to Diane and sending child support money to Carolyn: What s ou oad, oad, ai o oad, gupp Whe e od ho ? oad, a oad. It s a a a ---holyboy road, madman he e oad fo a od a ho . o text). Neal also mentions going to Seattle to look for his missing father and take him back to New York, but the idea never materializes. The objective of the jou e this ti e is Me i o: We sa a isio of the e ti e Weste He isphe e rockribbing clear down to Tierra del Fuego and us flying down the curve of the world into othe t opi s a d othe faith . A ou g o lds. Ma this ill fi all take us to IT! said Neal ith defi ite a alled Frank joins them on their trip, in spite of his grandfather pleading with him not to go (conflict). When they are only three miles out of Denver, Frank is bitten in his arm by some insect and his arm is swelling up dangerously (complication). Having crossed the border in Laredo, they are excited to be on foreign soil. In a town called Vi to ia the eet a ou g Me i a ho s o es a ijua a fo the . The get high a d [f]o a mad moment I thought Neal was understanding everything he said by sheer wild insight and sudden revelatory genius inspired by his supreme a d glo i g happi ess . Late they visit a brothel and get roaring drunk and have sex with several women; Jack is vaguely aware of the unfortunate circumstances that force the women to do this kind of work, but he goes ahead anyway (confusion). A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 82 Moving further south, they run into car trouble and are forced to spend the night in the jungle, where they are bitten by hundreds of mosquitoes and other bugs (crisis). As Jack lies awake in the heat of the night a white horse appears, like an apparition, and trots right by them. At dawn they move on, followed by huge swarms of bugs, their clothes reeking of sweat and caked blood – nobody minds (compliance). Climbing out of the clammy jungle and into the cool mountain air to an altitude of 5,000 feet, their troubles are soon forgotten and the mood lifts with the rising road. They meet a group of young girls who try to sell crystals to them, and Neal exchanges a wristwatch for one specimen. The Americans are touched by the purity of these girls who are not yet spoilt by civilization. As they pass more Mexican Indians on the road, Jack uses that the delusio of it. The did t k o that a o e e d ea ed the sad ess a d the poo had o e that ould a k all ou oke idges a d banks and reduce them to jumbles like the avalanche heap, and we would be as poor as the so eda a d st et hi g out ou ha ds i the sa esa e a . They cross a plateau bathing in golden light, with shepherd and flocks of sheep; the pastoral scene looks like biblical tableau. The trek through the mountains marks the high point of the trip (comprehension, catharsis, clarity). B f eak sho a e hests o t ast, Me i o Cit is a he ti , ois pla e ith f a ti t affi that looks like a ith thousa ds of hipste s i flopp st a hats a d longlapeled jackets over (change). Before long, Jack becomes ill with dysentery and Neal leaves him in Frank s a e as he a ou es that his di o e pape s ha e o e th ough a d that he returns to his newfound girlfriend in New York. Jack feels dese ted, ut he a epts Neal s decision as a natural consequence of his character (consequences). A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 83 BOOK FIVE is the epilogue of the narrative. Right after marrying Diane in New York, Neal catches a bus the very same night to once again cross the old continent and seek out his o di o ed ife a d thei t o ou g hild e i “a F a is o. He is th i e-married, twice-di o ed, a d li i g ith his se o d ife (change, consequences). In New York, Jack meets his future wife Joan and moves in with her (change, consequences). They plan to move to San Francisco and inform Neal of their plans (construction). Neal offers to come and pick them up with a removal truck in six weeks, but he arrives one week later already, in a rather incoherent state of mind. Neal is thrown out by Diane who is pregnant and leaves for the west coast again. The last time Jack sees Neal is when his friends refuse to give the restless traveller a ride to the railway station. Looking back through the car window, Jack sees Neal ou d a o e , e es o the st eet ahead, a d e t to it agai . . . agged i a otheate o e oat (conclusion). While he was working on the early drafts of On the Road, Kerouac was also reading and writing poetry. As a result, he noticed that his prose had become different, richer in te tu e. He a ted his ook to e a o el like poet , o athe , a a ati e poe , a epos i osai td. in Kupetz 87). Walt Whitman st o gl i flue ed Ke oua s Especially his Song of the Open Road ide tifi atio ade a g eat i p essio o Ke oua . Whit a s ith the opp essed esou ded ith Ke oua s e path fo the poo a d down-t odde i his o Mahe iti g. e a: No e ut a e a epted, o e ut shall e dea to e td. i . Whit a s use of e acular language is echoed in the slang we hear from the mouths of the various characters in On the Road, as is his pre-occupation with America as an almost mythical country, in which the land itself is imbued with a divine spirit – a theme that A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 84 is further explored in The Dharma Bums and which is at least partially responsible for the rise in ecological consciousness a decade later. Othe A e i a lite a i flue es a e dis o e ed i this g eat A e i a o el . The exploration of the open road through the heartland of America also reflects the journey of Huck and Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, whose flight towards freedom is a lite a p e u so of Ja k s atte pts at li e atio f o a dis e o e tio al o alit . “i ila l , e the i flue e of “ali ge s The Catcher in the Rye which appeared in 1951, as Kerouac was working on his typescript from the scroll. Holden Caulfield s disdai fo the pho i ess he e ou te s i so iet , as ell as his a tisti i li atio s, a e Ke oua s u ge to es ape f o the d a i o ed i ealities of life a d his o a ti sea h fo a ette life and a different way to live it. The landscapes (and cityscapes) he travels through are reminiscent of those described by Steinbeck in Grapes of Wrath ten years earlier. Unchanged by the passing of World War 2, this is the America Kerouac discovers as he heads west towards California. Last but not least, the e is o e tha a t a e of “ ott Fitzge ald s The Great Gatsby in the depiction of the corrupted American Dream and the language used to describe this, particularly in the final passage of the novel, as Kerouac sits on a pier (only the green light across the water is missing) in New York, facing west overlooking the Hudson River, pondering the fate of Cassady, himself and all of the people across the vast continent: . . . all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, all that road going, all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all rivers, cups the peaks in the west and A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 85 folds the last a d fi al sho e i , a d o od , just o od k o s hat s goi g to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Neal Cassady, I even think of Old Neal Cassady the father we never found, I think of Neal Cassady, I think of Neal Cassady. (408) In Vanity of Duluoz, Jack Kerouac noted I de ided to e o e a g eat o el e plai i g e e thi g to e e od , t to keep ite , ite a huge fathe ali e a d happ . If the child is the father of the man, then perhaps the search for a missing father can be seen as the search for oneself, and the wish to keep a father alive can be interpreted as a wish for selfpreservation. Whether Kerouac succeeded in the latter is a matter of opinion, but he certainly came a long way in realizing the former. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 86 7. Conclusion In the preceding chapters, I have at length discussed the epiphanic aspects in Joyce s Portrait and Kerouac s Road. The scope and length of this thesis forbid me to explore other literary works to the same extent, and I am therefore compelled to limit my discussion of other texts to a minimum. Further exploration of this field of study will have to be done in the course of future research. English literature abounds with examples of epiphanies: Geo ge Eliot s Middlemarch, Vi gi ia Woolf s To the Lighthouse, “aul Bello s Seize the Day, Joh “tei e k s The Grapes of Wrath, Joh Willia s Stoner. In the context of this paper, I have had to make choices as to which works were most eligible for analysis. In order to demonstrate convincingly the validity of my dynamic epiphanic model I do feel, however, that it is necessary to give further evidence by briefly referring to a few other texts that in my view fit this model and which could well have been the subject of closer scrutiny and a more detailed reading. I will attempt to do so by providing a schematic overview of how plot elements from these texts correspond to the various phases of the proposed epiphanic model (see figure 4). In particular, I want to apply this method to Jack Ke oua s The Dharma Bums, Robert Pi sig s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Ali e Walke s The Color Purple. The columns in the grid show key events and plot elements from the books discussed in this paper; in the case of Portrait I have added a second column to illustrate that certain cycles run semi-parallel to each other. The rows in the grid show how the various events and elements correspond to the stages of the model. At the top of the grid an indication is given of the total number of completed epiphanic cycles in the novel. The wordings of the references to Portrait and Road have been taken A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 87 from my own readings, to facilitate identification in the text. In the case of The Dharma Bums, Zen and the Art, and The Color Purple, I have provided keywords and phrases summarizing the relevant developments in the narrative, or direct quotes from the text accompanied with page references. The Dharma Bums is an interesting candidate for further study as it is the natural successor to On the Road - its focus on spirituality and the landscape a distinctive shift away from drink, drugs, cars and cities, and yet a narrative permeated with epiphanic experiences. The development of the central character has notable similarities with that of Portrait, in that the reader becomes well aware of the limited life span and briefly lasting effect of many of the epiphanies, which are prone to fade quickly with the swinging of moods, the shifting of awareness, and the passing of time. Zen and the Art has se e al o e tio s ith Ke oua s o k: its su je t atte of the road trip, its pre-occupation with forms of mysticism, and its relevance to the generation that grew up in the 60s and 70s. Without going into a comparative study of the way Zen Buddhism is treated by both authors, it is nevertheless obvious that many of the notions in Zen Buddhism relate directly to the epiphanic experience: it is, after all, only a few steps from Satori and Enlightenment to Epiphany. As Tigges has noted: ‘efe i g to D.T. “uzuki s Zen Buddhism . . . [Beja] enumerates the eight characteristics of Satori or Enlightenment, which are: irrationality, intuitive insight, authority (that is, irrefutable by logic), momentariness, affirmation, absoluteness, impersonality, and exaltation. These qualities correspond closely to what is essential (the first four items) or optional in the literary epiphany (Tigges 13). A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 88 Another interesting parallel between Zen and the Art and The Dharma Bums is the inclusion of a mountain hike in which the top is not quite reached, and yet an epiphany does manifest itself. Just as Ray gives up following Japhy although he has the top within sight, the narrator of Zen and the Art decides to abandon the climb to the peak as he is worried that the lack of trust in his own sanity might jeopardize his so s safet . I have added Ali e Walke s The Color Purple as it is another fitting illustration of my epiphanic model. This novel clearly shows a significant development of character, as the protagonist reaches a new level of understanding after going through a long series of trials and tribulations. Once again, character development runs parallel to psychological selfrealization. For a complete overview of how these five novels correspond to the stages in the epiphanic model, I refer the reader to the schematic representation on the following page. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany # of complete cycles in novel Portrait Portrait Road Bums chapter one chapter one BOOK ONE chapters 1-14 at least 5 / whole novel: 1 semi-parallel cycle in chapter at least 4 Stephen as a bright child Jack meets Neal context family home and boarding school circle of writer friends in NYC conflict frightening surroundings character feeling ill complication Schouten 89 confusion tension around dinner table division over politics and religion not knowing which side to take going against othe s ad i e rift between factions in Denver frustrated with his love life Zen Color 3 1 1 Dha a Bu ... religious a de e studying Buddhism and partying mountain hike, Morley forgets sleeping bag Morley returns to drain motor, Ray irritated Oh h did I ever let myself i to this? I sta i g ight he e. It s too high! narrator is (not) the same person as Phaedrus motorcycle trip with son Chris, John and Sylvia disagreements about motorcycle maintenance haunted by recollections of Phaed us past concerns that Chris may be mentally unstable Ch is eha iou becomes more and more erratic decision to abandon the ascent of the top Celie is a poor, uneducated, black girl living in black community in rural Georgia physically and sexually abused by her father giving birth to two children, taken from her married to Mr. , being attracted to Shug Celie frequently beaten by Mr. , Sofia jailed Celie accepts her fate, Sofia a o s aid )e is the spi it of the alle , ot the ou tai top (249) aided by Shug, Celie discovers Nettie s lette s in locked trunk realizing the level of abuse she has been suffering learning the truth about her relatives moving to Memphis with Shug to start a new life becoming economically independent developing relationships: Shug, Albert, new companion Nettie s etu from Africa with Celie s hild e finding a better life with her new family crisis sent to infirmary slamming the door finding it impossible to write compliance imagining dying being te o st i ke accepting his lonely fate I sudde l got up realising he could die on a sunny day realizing father is emotionally vulnerable with Bea: e hea e goi g / novel as a whole represents one long epiphany ou a t fall off a ou tai taken aback by the phony L.A. atmosphere I eall felt p oud comprehension clarity recalling a funeral song discovering life is challenging leading the simple life dancing from boulder to boulder (67) Qualit is the … source of all subjects and o je ts first indication Phaedrus was in fact not mad change being virtually carried away by angels learning to dare question authority Jack cannot provide for his girl and her child blood clots have gone from the veins in his feet past watershed, heading towards the ocean mustering up courage to plead with rector leaving Bea and moving back east again pleading his case Jack recuperates from his travels a o ld full of rucksack a de e s thoughts ot electrified to the Maste “ it h (79) buying a kit of wandering equipment realizing Chris must know of mental make-up developing idea of gu ptio , o k on relation with Chris reconciliation of Phaedrus/narrator, and son/father resuming trip, heading towards San Francisco catharsis being moved to tears consequences construction growing more confident conclusion better equipped for challenges ahead continuation character context conflict complication the elation of vindication meeting the demands of life decline of the family s fortunes forced to sell family property back at his othe s pla e end of BOOK ONE, start of BOOK TWO preparing to take to the road again celebrating Xmas with relatives family life in Virginia Neal shows up unexpectedly Neal repeatedly getting stopped for speeding and so on… figure 4: schematic grid showing phases within epiphanic cycles as featured in the novels discussed A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 90 The Zen anecdote on the chopping of wood (and chopping more wood afterwards) referred to in the opening pages of this thesis exemplifies what we have seen in the novels under review here. Whe ou get to the top of a ou tai keep li i g , Ke oua has his character Japhy Ryder say in The Dharma Bums (64). An epiphany is never an end in itself; it is a doorway through which we move into a new reality only to meet new challenges. Epiphanies mark the essential moments in which we learn about ourselves and our place in the world. Pieces of the puzzle fall together and we see a part of the larger picture. Nichols has noted that [t]he epipha i i agi atio to ake se se of the o ld Poetics i d oti i g its o a ti it e eals at o e the o ld a d the i d s a ilit , a d [i] a sense, epiphany records the act of the Li guisti Mo e ts . It can even be said that awareness during epiphany includes the awareness that one is having an epiphany! It has also become apparent that epiphanies are not only mental phenomena; they have a physical component as well. Emotions will translate themselves to various parts of the body and can involve any of the different senses. The epiphany will not limit itself to the interior aspects of the experience, it tends to reach outward; it is expansive, not introspective. It tries to encompass all that comes into its scope of consciousness. It is not a narrowing down of awareness; it is a widening of the field of vision. It builds on the consciousness given, adding a new layer of information. It is always more than the sum of its parts. It is an acute form of self-awareness that makes us grow as sentient human beings. Epipha helps to uild a self Nichols Poetics 47). By superimposing my epiphanic model on developments in Jo e s Portrait, I have tried to demonstrate that the novel as a whole represents a full cycle of C-changes, while the separate chapters also constitute complete cycles, logically following up on one another. The A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany sto Schouten 91 of “tephe s o i g-of-age makes the reader witness to a process of self-actualization in which the protagonist grows into what, in essence, he is already. I have argued that On the Road in its entirety can be seen to represent one long epiphany and that its long period of gestation can be interpreted as a cycle of C-changes. The four cross-country trips that Kerouac makes with his companions are equally four complete epiphanic cycles. Within the structure of the narrative, marked by moments of wild ecstasy and deep despair, we discern further cycles of rising and falling action, like eddies in a stream. It has also become apparent that the depiction of the hectic scenes and the frantic forward flight in On the Road was almost organically succeeded by the start of another epiphanic cycle in the creation of The Dharma Bums, leading the way into a new level of awareness for both author and reader. The life of a human being is a continuing process of self-development, ever forward and upward, inexorably moving towards a higher state of consciousness. Tellingly, we have noted that both the novels discussed are semi-autobiographical. In On the Road, personal epiphanies compelled the protagonist to confide his experiences to paper so the reader can partake of them. Both Joyce and Kerouac kept extensive journals and drew up lists of memorable events or interesting observations for future reference. It was Virginia Woolf ho ote that it is the a t of the o elist to e o st u t … i hole isio … see ed o tai ed i that o ds the o e t he a o e t in Tigges 42). It is at these moments that life is at its most intense, concentrated and compressed, the way prose is condensed into poetry, as words flow spontaneously into the mind and stark notions appear, brightly backlit by the light of revelation. It is thus that man finds out who he is, as it is by this process that literature is created, showing the way forward. And the journey never ends… A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 92 selected bibliography and works cited: Abrams, Meyer. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1993. Bee e, Mau i e. Joyce and Aquinas by William T. Noon . Comparative Literature Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer 1957): 250-252. Beja, Morris. Epiphany in the Modern Novel. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1971. Bellow, Saul. Seize the Day. London: Penguin Classics, 2003. Berkun, Scott. The Myths of Innovation. “e astopol: O ‘eill Media, . Blake, William. Complete Writings. Ed. Geoffrey Keyes. London: Oxford University Press, 1966. Bluestei , Ge e. The E e so -Whit a T aditio a d T a s e de tal Mate ialis . In Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Ed. Wim Tigges. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999. 137-53. Boheemen-Saaf, Christine a . Epipha a d Post olo ial Affe t . In Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Ed. Wim Tigges. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999. 195-205. Charters, Ann. Kerouac: A Biography. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1973. Cunnell, Howard. Fast This Time: Jack Kerouac and the Writing of On the Road . In On the Road: the original scroll. London: Penguin Books, 2008. Di Santo, Ron, and Tom Steele. Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York: William Morrow, 1990. D la , Bo . Ballad of a Thi Ma . ‘e . August . Highway 61. Columbia, 1993. CD. Eliot, George. Middlemarch. London: Penguin Popular Classics, 1994. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 93 Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ed. Stephen E. Whicher. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960. Ferguson, Alfred and Jean Ferguson Carr, ed. The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987. Frye, Northrop. The Third Book Note ooks of Northrop Fr e 1964–1972: The Critical Comedy. Ed. Michael Dolzani. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. Gewirtz, Isaac. Beatific Soul: Jack Kerouac on the Road. New York: The New York Public Library, 2007. Ginsberg, Allen. Howl and other poems. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1956. Hazlitt, William. Lectures of the English Poets and The Spirit of the Age. London: Dent, 1963. Hendry, Irene. Jo e s Epipha ies . Sewanee Review, LIV (1946), 449-67: 461. The Holy Bible. Autho ized Ki g Ja es Ve sio . Lo do : Colli s Clea -Type Press, 1957. Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. London: Penguin Popular Classics, 1996. ---. Stephen Hero. New York: New Directions Press, 1963. ---. Poems and Shorter Writings. Ed. Richard Ellmann et al. London: Faber and Faber, 1991. Joyce, Stanislaus. My Brother s Keeper: Ja es Jo e s Earl Years. Ed. Richard Ellmann. New York: Faber and Faber, 1958. Jung, Carl. Psychological Types. Collected Works, vol. 6. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1976. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road: the original scroll. London: Penguin Books, 2008. ---. On the Road. London: Penguin Modern Classics, 2000. ---. The Dharma Bums. London: Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, 2006. ---. The Subterraneans. New York: Grove Press, 1994. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 94 ---. Vanity of Duluoz. London: Penguin Modern Classics, 2012. ---. Visions of Cody. London: Penguin Books, 1993. ---. Windblown World: The Journals of Jack Kerouac, 1947-1954. Ed. Douglas G. Brinkley. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, 2006. Kupetz, Joshua. The “t aight Li e Will Take You O l to Death : The “ oll Ma us ipt a d Contemporary Literary Theory . In On the Road: the original scroll. London: Penguin Books, 2008. La g au , ‘o e t. The Epipha i Mode i Wo ds o th a d Mode Lite atu e . In Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Ed. Wim Tigges. 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Cog iti e a d P ag ati Li guisti Mo e ts: Lite a Epipha i Tho as P ho a d “ea us Hea e . In Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Ed. Wim Tigges. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999. 467-80. Noon, William T. Joyce and Aquinas. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957. Nordquist, Richard. "epiphany". grammar.about.com. Web. May 3, 2012. Oxford University Press. oxforddictionaries.com. epipha . We . Ju e , . Pirsig, Robert M.: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2005. Pleasantville. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, and Jeff Daniels. New Line Cinema, 1998. Film. Prince, Gerald. A dictionary of narratology. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003. Quincey, Thomas de. Recollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets. London: Penguin, 1970. Rhys Davids, T.W. and William Stede, eds. The Pali Te t “o iet s Pali–English dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society, 1921–5. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. London: Penguin Books, 1994. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. Trans. Lloyd Alexander. Ed. Hayden Carruth. New York: New Directions, 1964. Shelley, Percy Bysshe. The Defence of Poetry. As in “helle s Poetr a d Prose: Authoritative Text and Criticism. Ed. Donald H. Reiman. New York: Norton, 1977. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. London: Penguin Classics, 2006. A Cycle of C-changes: a working model for the literary epiphany Schouten 96 Tigges, Wim, ed. Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999. ---. The “ig ifi a e of “i ple Thi gs: To a ds a T polog of Lite a Epipha ies . In Moments of Moment: Aspects of the Literary Epiphany. Ed. Wim Tigges. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999. 11-35. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando/Boston: Mariner Books, 2006. Wikipedia contributors. "Epiphany (feeling)". en.wikipedia.org. Web. May 3, 2012. Williams, John. Stoner. London: Vintage, 2012. Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. New York: Bantam Books, 1999. Woolf, Virginia. To the Lighthouse. London: Penguin Books, 1992. Wordsworth, William. The Prelude: A Parallel Text. Ed. J.C. Maxwell. London: Penguin, 1986. Illustration on front page: 16th century wood engraving by anonymous artist, featured in L'Atmosphere: Météorologie Populaire by Camille Flammarion, Paris, 1888. The caption translates as: a a d earth edie al issio ar tells that he has fou d the poi t here hea e eet . figure 1: original visual representation of model – Cycle of C-Changes figure 2: revised visual representation of model – Cycle of C-Changes figure 3: table of characters, events and chronology, 1946-51, for a proto-version of the ‘oad o el. In: Gewirtz, Isaac. Beatific Soul: Jack Kerouac on the Road. New York: The New York Public Library, 2007. figure 4: schematic grid showing phases within epiphanic cycles featured in novels discussed