Epiphany

This is a specific type of defamiliaration (see last post) by which the ordinary is shown in an unfamiliar and radiant light as a sudden, almost spiritual, manifestation. It is common in James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: "The green square of paper pinned round the lamp cast down a tender shade. On the dresser was a plate of sausages and white pudding and on the shelf there were eggs .... White pudding and eggs and sausages and cups of tea. How simple and beautiful was life after all!"