realism vs. the epiphanic.doc

8/14/2019 REALISM vs. the EPIPHANIC.doc

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REALISM / NATURALISM THE EPIPHANIC / SYMBOLIC /

IMPRESSIONISM

solidity (streets, street corners, buildings,

furniture, etc.)

evanescence (V. Woolfs moments of

being, James Joyces epiphanies, states of

mind, moods, feelings, impressions)

social intercourse solitudecharacters / types (the old stable ego moral

patterns)

voices personae bundles of desires,

frustrations, an!ieties, feelings, sensations

the fragmented / dissipated self

coherence, logic, linearity dissipation, fragmentariness circularity

flo" stream of consciousness

dialogue monologue / solilo#uy

communication alienation

chronology disrupted chronology (flashbac$s, associative

memory stream of consciousness)

reality % ob&ective reality % sub&ective

clear contours and shapes blurred contours and shapes

'ustave ourbet, The Sleeping Spinner, *+


2/16

Claude Monet, Impression, Soleil levant, 1874

A Bar at the Folies-Bergeresb !douard Manet, 188"


3/16

1# Miss Broo$e had that $ind o% beaut &hi'h seems to be

thro&n into relie% b poor dress# (er hand and &rist &ere so

%inel %ormed that she 'ould &ear sleeves not less bare o%

stle than those in &hi'h the Blessed )irgin appeared toItalian painters* and her pro%ile as &ell as her stature and

bearing seemed to gain the more dignit %rom her plain

garments, &hi'h b the side o% provin'ial %ashion gave her

the impressiveness o% a %ine +uotation %rom the Bible,--or

%rom one o% our elder poets,--in a paragraph o% to-das

ne&spaper# She &as usuall spo$en o% as being remar$abl

'lever, but &ith the addition that her sister Celia had more'ommon-sense# evertheless, Celia &ore s'ar'el more

trimmings* and it &as onl to 'lose observers that her dress

di%%ered %rom her sisters, and had a shade o% 'o+uetr in its

arrangements* %or Miss Broo$es plain dressing &as due to

mi.ed 'onditions, in most o% &hi'h her sister shared# /he

pride o% being ladies had something to do &ith it0 the Broo$e

'onne'tions, though not e.a'tl aristo'rati', &ereun+uestionabl good0 i% ou in+uired ba'$&ard %or a

generation or t&o, ou &ould not %ind an ard-measuring or

par'el-ting %ore%athers--anthing lo&er than an admiral or a

'lergman* and there &as even an an'estor dis'ernible as a

2uritan gentleman &ho served under Crom&ell, but

a%ter&ards 'on%ormed, and managed to 'ome out o% all

politi'al troubles as the proprietor o% a respe'table %amil

estate# 3oung &omen o% su'h birth, living in a +uiet 'ountr-

house, and attending a village 'hur'h hardl larger than a

parlor, naturall regarded %ripper as the ambition o% a

hu'$sters daughter# /hen there &as &ell-bred e'onom,

&hi'h in those das made sho& in dress the %irst item to be

dedu'ted %rom, &hen an margin &as re+uired %or e.penses

more distin'tive o% ran$# Su'h reasons &ould have been

enough to a''ount %or plain dress, +uite apart %rom religious


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%eeling* but in Miss Broo$es 'ase, religion alone &ould have

determined it* and Celia mildl a'+uies'ed in all her sisters

sentiments, onl in%using them &ith that 'ommon-sense

&hi'h is able to a''ept momentous do'trines &ithout ane''entri' agitation#

"# 56, &hat I &ant is, Fa'ts# /ea'h these bos and

girls nothing but Fa'ts# Fa'ts alone are &anted in li%e#

2lant nothing else, and root out everthing else# 3ou

'an onl %orm the minds o% reasoning animals upon

Fa'ts0 nothing else &ill ever be o% an servi'e to

them# /his is the prin'iple on &hi'h I bring up m o&n

'hildren, and this is the prin'iple on &hi'h I bring up

these 'hildren# Sti'$ to Fa'ts, sir

/he s'ene &as a plain, bare, monotonous vault o% a

s'hool-room, and the spea$ers s+uare %ore%inger

emphasied his observations b unders'oring ever

senten'e &ith a line on the s'hoolmasters sleeve#

/he emphasis &as helped b the spea$ers s+uare

&all o% a %orehead, &hi'h had his eebro&s %or its

base, &hile his ees %ound 'ommodious 'ellarage in

t&o dar$ 'aves, overshado&ed b the &all# /he

emphasis &as helped b the spea$ers mouth, &hi'h

&as &ide, thin, and hard set# /he emphasis &as

helped b the spea$ers voi'e, &hi'h &as in%le.ible,

dr, and di'tatorial# /he emphasis &as helped b the

spea$ers hair, &hi'h bristled on the s$irts o% his bald

head, a plantation o% %irs to $eep the &ind %rom itsshining sur%a'e, all 'overed &ith $nobs, li$e the 'rust

o% a plum pie, as i% the head had s'ar'el &arehouse-

room %or the hard %a'ts stored inside# /he spea$ers

obstinate 'arriage, s+uare 'oat, s+uare legs, s+uare

shoulders, - na, his ver ne'$'loth, trained to ta$e

him b the throat &ith an una''ommodating grasp,

li$e a stubborn %a't, as it &as, - all helped the

emphasis#

In this li%e, &e &ant nothing but Fa'ts, sir* nothing


5/16

but Fa'ts

/he spea$er, and the s'hoolmaster, and the third

gro&n person present, all ba'$ed a little, and s&ept&ith their ees the in'lined plane o% little vessels then

and there arranged in order, read to have imperial

gallons o% %a'ts poured into them until the &ere %ull

to the brim#

9# (ome7 She loo$ed round the room,revie&ing all its %amiliar ob:e'ts &hi'h shehad dusted on'e a &ee$ %or so manears, &ondering &here on earth all thedust 'ame %rom# 2erhaps she &ould neversee again those %amiliar ob:e'ts %rom&hi'h she had never dreamed o% beingdivided# And et during all those ears shehad never %ound out the name o% the priest&hose ello&ing photograph hung on the&all above the bro$en harmonium besidethe 'oloured print o% the promises made toBlessed Margaret Mar Ala'o+ue# (e hadbeen a s'hool %riend o% her %ather#6henever he sho&ed the photograph to avisitor her %ather used to pass it &ith a'asual &ord01(e is in Melbourne noShe had 'onsented to go a&a, to leaveher home# 6as that &ise; She tried to&eigh ea'h side o% the +uestion# In herhome an&a she had shelter and %ood*she had those &hom she had $no&n all herli%e about her# 5 'ourse she had to &or$hard, both in the house and at business#6hat &ould the sa o% her in the Stores&hen the %ound out that she had run a&a&ith a %ello&; Sa she &as a %ool, perhaps*and her pla'e &ould be %illed up b


6/16


7/16

(e rushed beond the barrier and 'alled to her to%ollo (e &as shouted at to go on but he still'alled to her# She set her &hite %a'e to him,passive, li$e a helpless animal# (er ees gave himno sign o% love or %are&ell or re'ognition#

4# /he Brang&ens had lived %or generations on the Marsh

Farm, in the meado&s &here the !re&ash t&isted

sluggishl through alder trees, separating >erbshire

%rom ottinghamshire# /&o miles a&a, a 'hur'h-to&er

stood on a hill, the houses o% the little 'ountr to&n

'limbing assiduousl up to it# 6henever one o% the

Brang&ens in the %ields li%ted his head %rom his &or$, he

sa& the 'hur'h-to&er at Il$eston in the empt s$# So

that as he turned again to the horiontal land, he &as

a&are o% something standing above him and beond him

in the distan'e#

/here &as a loo$ in the ees o% the Brang&ens as i% the &ere

e.pe'ting something un$no&n, about &hi'h the &ere eager#

/he had that air o% readiness %or &hat &ould 'ome to them, a

$ind o% suret, an e.pe'tan', the loo$ o% an inheritor#

/he &ere %resh, blond, slo&-spea$ing people, revealing

themselves plainl, but slo&l, so that one 'ould &at'h the

'hange in their ees %rom laughter to anger, blue, lit-up

laughter, to a hard blue-staring anger* through all the irresolute

stages o% the s$ &hen the &eather is 'hanging#

?iving on ri'h land, on their o&n land, near to a gro&ing to&n,

the had %orgotten &hat it &as to be in straitened

'ir'umstan'es# /he had never be'ome ri'h, be'ause there


8/16

&ere al&as 'hildren, and the patrimon &as divided ever

time# But al&as, at the Marsh, there &as ample#

So the Brang&ens 'ame and &ent &ithout %ear o% ne'essit,

&or$ing hard be'ause o% the li%e that &as in them, not %or &ant

o% the mone# either &ere the thri%tless# /he &ere a&are o%

the last hal%penn, and instin't made them not &aste the

peeling o% their apple, %or it &ould help to %eed the 'attle# But

heaven and earth &as teeming around them, and ho& should

this 'ease; /he %elt the rush o% the sap in spring, the $ne&

the &ave &hi'h 'annot halt, but ever ear thro&s %or&ard the

seed to begetting, and, %alling ba'$, leaves the oung-born on

the earth# /he $ne& the inter'ourse bet&een heaven and

earth, sunshine dra&n into the breast and bo&els, the rain

su'$ed up in the datime, na$edness that 'omes under the

&ind in autumn, sho&ing the birds@ nests no longer &orth

hiding# /heir li%e and interrelations &ere su'h* %eeling the pulse

and bod o% the soil, that opened to their %urro& %or the grain,

and be'ame smooth and supple a%ter their ploughing, and

'lung to their %eet &ith a &eight that pulled li$e desire, ling

hard and unresponsive &hen the 'rops &ere to be shorn a&a#

/he oung 'orn &aved and &as sil$en, and the lustre slid along

the limbs o% the men &ho sa& it# /he too$ the udder o% the

'o&s, the 'o&s ielded mil$ and pulse against the hands o% the

men, the pulse o% the blood o% the teats o% the 'o&s beat into

the pulse o% the hands o% the men# /he mounted their horses,

and held li%e bet&een the grip o% their $nees, the harnessed

their horses at the &agon, and, &ith hand on the bridle-rings,

dre& the heaving o% the horses a%ter their &ill#


9/16

# Bir$in suddenl appeared in the door&a, in &hite

p:amas and &et hair, and a to&el over his arm# (e &as

aloo% and &hite, and someho& evanes'ent#

/heres the bath-room no&, i% ou &ant it, he saidgenerall, and &as going a&a again, &hen


10/16

It 'onves a 'omplete truth, said Bir$in# It 'ontains the

&hole truth o% that state, &hatever ou %eel about it#

But ou 'ant 'all it high art, said


11/16

better be animals, simple animals, 'rude, violent, A3/(I


12/16

'ons'ious o% &hat AC/A??3 is0 ou &ant the lie that &ill mat'h the

rest o% our %urniture#

(ermione set hard and poisonous against this atta'$# rsula stood

'overed &ith &onder and shame# It %rightened her, to see ho& the

hated ea'h other#

Its all that ?ad o% Shalott business, he said, in his strong abstra'tvoi'e# (e seemed to be 'harging her be%ore the unseeing air#

3ouve got that mirror, our o&n %i.ed &ill, our immortal

understanding, our o&n tight 'ons'ious &orld, and there is nothing

beond it# /here, in the mirror, ou must have everthing# But no&

ou have 'ome to all our 'on'lusions, ou &ant to go ba'$ and be

li$e a savage, &ithout $no&ledge# 3ou &ant a li%e o% pure sensation

and passion#

(e +uoted the last &ord satiri'all against her# She sat 'onvulsed

&ith %ur and violation, spee'hless, li$e a stri'$en pthoness o% the


13/16

In the blood, he ans&ered* &hen the mind and the $no&n &orld is

dro&ned in dar$ness everthing must go--there must be the deluge#

/hen ou %ind oursel% a palpable bod o% dar$ness, a demon--

But &h should I be a demon--; she as$ed#

65MA 6AI?I< F5 (! >!M5 ?5)!-- he +uoted--&h, I

dont $no(ermione roused hersel% as %rom a death--annihilation#

7# /he sun had not et risen# /he sea &as indistinguishable

%rom the s$, e.'ept that the sea &as slightl 'reased as

i% a 'loth had &rin$les in it#


14/16

sur%a'e o% the sea slo&l be'ame transparent and la rippling

and spar$ling until the dar$ stripes &ere almost rubbed out#

Slo&l the arm that held the lamp raised it higher and then

higher until a broad %lame be'ame visible* an ar' o% %ire burnt

on the rim o% the horion, and all round it the sea blaed gold#

=###=

HI see a ring,@ said Bernard, Hhanging above me# It +uivers and hangs

in a loop o% light#@

HI see a slab o% pale ello&,@ said Susan, Hspreading a&a until it

meets a purple stripe#@

HI hear a sound,@ said hoda, H'heep, 'hirp* 'heep 'hirp* going up and

do&n#@

HI see a globe,@ said eville, Hhanging do&n in a drop against the

enormous %lan$s o% some hill#@

HI see a 'rimson tassel,@ said inn, Ht&isted &ith gold threads#@

HI hear something stamping,@ said ?ouis# HA great beast@s %oot is

'hained# It stamps, and stamps, and stamps#@

H?oo$ at the spider@s &eb on the 'orner o% the bal'on,@ said Bernard#

HIt has beads o% &ater on it, drops o% &hite light#@

H/he leaves are gathered round the &indo& li$e pointed ears,@ said

Susan#

HA shado& %alls on the path,@ said ?ouis, Hli$e an elbo& bent#@

HIslands o% light are s&imming on the grass,@ said hoda# H/he have

%allen through the trees#@

H/he birds@ ees are bright in the tunnels bet&een the leaves,@ said

eville#

8# 2erhaps it &as the middle o% anuar in the present that I

%irst loo$ed up and sa& the mar$ on the &all# In order to


15/16

%i. a date it is ne'essar to remember &hat one sa So

no& I thin$ o% the %ire* the stead %ilm o% ello& light upon

the page o% m boo$* the three 'hrsanthemums in the

round glass bo&l on the mantelpie'e# 3es, it must have

been the &inter time, and &e had :ust %inished our tea, %or

I remember that I &as smo$ing a 'igarette &hen I loo$ed

up and sa& the mar$ on the &all %or the %irst time# I

loo$ed up through the smo$e o% m 'igarette and m ee

lodged %or a moment upon the burning 'oals, and that old

%an' o% the 'rimson %lag %lapping %rom the 'astle to&er

'ame into m mind, and I thought o% the 'aval'ade o% red

$nights riding up the side o% the bla'$ ro'$# ather to m

relie% the sight o% the mar$ interrupted the %an', %or it is

an old %an', an automati' %an', made as a 'hild

perhaps# /he mar$ &as a small round mar$, bla'$ upon

the &hite &all, about si. or seven in'hes above the

mantelpie'e#

J#


16/16

A %e& light taps upon the pane made him turn to the

&indo It had begun to sno& again# (e &at'hed sleepil

the %la$es, silver and dar$, %alling obli+uel against the

lamplight# /he time had 'ome %or him to set out on his

:ourne &est&ard# 3es, the ne&spapers &ere right0 sno&

&as general all over Ireland# It &as %alling on ever part

o% the dar$ 'entral plain, on the treeless hills, %alling

so%tl upon the Bog o% Allen and, %arther &est&ard, so%tl

%alling into the dar$ mutinous Shannon &aves# It &as

%alling, too, upon ever part o% the lonel 'hur'hard on

the hill &here Mi'hael Fure la buried# It la thi'$l

dri%ted on the 'roo$ed 'rosses and headstones, on the

spears o% the little gate, on the barren thorns# (is soul

s&ooned slo&l as he heard the sno& %alling %aintl

hrough the universe and %aintl %alling, li$e the des'ent

o% their last end, upon all the living and the dead#

realism vs. the epiphanic.doc

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