Tuesday, January 06, 2004
E-pi'-pha-ny:Do you think I could adopt that word? 'Whatness'? This, of course, suggests that it would be acceptable to use the terms "whoness (identity)," "whyness (reason)," "whereness (locus)" and "whenness (temporality)" in similar contexts - itself an epiphany, as per definition (3).
(1) A sudden, intuitive realization through and ordinary circumstance. Examples: Araby, James Joyce (pg. 231) - "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger."
(2) January 6th, the day on which the 3 Wise Men brought gifts of myrrh, gold, and frankincense to Christ at His birth. This is the day after "Twelfth Night". (BCP pp. 162 – 165, 214 – 217)
(3) Secularly, a revelation in the everyday world, where the whatness of a common thing or gesture becomes radiant and deeply comprehended to the observer, either the observer in the text or to the audience.
Molasses in January, a.k.a. the Full Moon Blues
