Stream of Consciousness Novel - 1102 Words

The Development of the ‘Stream-of-Consciousness’ Technique in Modernist English Fiction (with Special Reference to the Contributions of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf) Arpan Adhikary The term ‘stream of consciousness’ as applied in literary criticism to designate a particular mode of prose narrative was first coined by philosopher William James in his book Principles of Psychology (1890) to describe the uninterrupted flow of perceptions, memories and thoughts in active human psyche. As a literary term, however, it denotes a certain narrative technique used in novels in which the narrator records in minute but somewhat abstract way whatever passes through his or her conscious mind. The socalled ‘stream of consciousness’ in a work of†¦show more content†¦The style is highly allusive and Joyce deliberately confuses the narrative by making a pastiche of the styles of several genres together while presenting the flows of the continuous thoughts of the principal characters. Here for the first time Joyce also employed the ‘interior monologue’ which is deemed to be the purest form of the ‘stream-of-consciousnessâ€⠄¢ mode. In Joyce’s third and last novel Finnegans Wake (1939) the complexity of the ‘stream-of-consciousness’ technique reaches its heights necessitating the text’s being one of the least read ones in any language. In this novel Joyce used around forty languages other than English and presented an awkwardly extensive range of literary, mythical, political and historical allusions while narrating the one-night dream sequence of the protagonist, a Dublin tavern-keeper named Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker. Apart from Joyce, Virginia Woolf also made remarkable contribution to the development of the ‘stream-of-consciousness’ mode in the modernist English fiction. In Mrs. Dalloway (1925) Woolf presents the diverse mental recourses of Clarissa Dalloway within the span of one single day, and in the interior monologue of Mrs. Dalloway the narrative breaks with the realistic mode in order to suit the inner reality of the narrator’s psyche which is different from the external reality by which she is surrounded. Similar intellectual cogency and finer technicalShow MoreRelatedStream of Consciousness in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway1354 Words   |  5 PagesStream of Consciousness in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. â€Å"These novels may very well be within a category we can label stream of consciousness, so long as we know what we are talking about. The evidence reveals that we never do – or never have done so.† (5). (Humphrey, 1954). This quote from Robert Humphrey, author of Stream of Consciousness in the Modern Novel, is about the use of the writing technique, stream of consciousness, in novels such as James Joyce’s Ulysses and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway;Read MoreThe Success Of Stream Of Consciousness1178 Words   |  5 Pages2015 The Success of Stream of Consciousness The stream of consciousness form of writing used in The Sound and The Fury helps the reader better understand the many dramatic events that take place in the novel with the Compson Family. The way Faulkner uses stream of consciousness throughout the novel is a unique way of getting his story across in a way that the reader is seeing the narrators point of view as opposed to just being told a story. Stream of consciousness is when the authorRead MoreMrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf1696 Words   |  7 PagesIn the novel Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, the author uses narrative techniques of stream of consciousness and interior monologue in order to depict the workings of an â€Å"ordinary† or normal mind in narrative form. She also rejects the conventional structure of ‘chapters’ in order to give an â€Å"ordinary† portrayal of the mind. This essay will firstly contextualise the extract for analysis, namely the opening scene in the novel. This will be followed by defining the narrative techniques that is depictedRead MoreThe Other Wes Moore Critical Analysis767 Words   |  4 Pagesworld is teeming with second chances and forgiveness, which is a recurring theme in the novel, The Other Wes Moore and the classic, The Scarlet Letter. The theme of second chances is supported throughout these narratives using the literary elements of imagery and str eam of consciousness. 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His technique of using multiple perspectives in the novel contributes to the reader’s understanding of the ideas contained in the text. Faulkner uses a distinct type of narrative style called stream-of-consciousness to go about his story. The technique of stream-of-consciousness allows for the narration to be introduced as if the thoughts are being read as the characters are thinking them. Unlike conventional novels that write from aRead MoreA Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man1594 Words   |  7 PagesJamie Anderson EL111 The purpose of this essay is to discuss how James Joyce’s seminal novel A Portrait of the Artist as a young man, is experimental with regards to plot, point of view, language, symbolism, style and character development, and will begin with a brief introduction. Many artists, be they of the pen, brush or instrument, seek through innovation an artistic immortality that has the potential to act as a blueprint from which imitation is spawned. Joyce’s Portrait is at its coreRead MoreWilliam Woolf s The Lighthouse1480 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as writing as a stream-of-consciousness in order to present the experience, subconscious minds, and the conscious thoughts of characters. The sense of a clear authorial narrator is missing as Woolf describes the minds of her characters in poetic images and her free-flowing style allows Woolf to flit between different characters’ minds and examine experience through various shifting perspectives. The use of this form allows her to focus on particular moments within the novel, and the plot is createdRead MoreUse Of Stream Of Consciousness Techniques By William Faulkner1455 Words   |  6 Pageswriting, is recognized by its use of stream of consciousness techniques, a term coined by psychologist William James in 1890 (Pomerleau). This form of writing attempts to break free of previous literary conventions in an effort to portray thoughts and feelings as they are occurring. This allows the reader to catch a glimpse of a character’s true perspective of the story, unfiltered by the point of view of an omniscient narrator. Faulkner used stream of consciousness in most of his works, but in LightRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s The Artist As A Young Man1285 Words   |  6 PagesINTRODUCTION APortrait of the artist as a young man was the first novel of James Joyce. The novel talks about the religious and spiritual awakening of the protagonist. The narrative technique of the novel keeps the reader close to Stephen’s psyche. Even though the novel is not written in first person style, the author constantly takes us into his mind and keeps us aware of the mental changes taking place in Stephen. Stephen’s rise of consciousness can be linked with his intellectual growth which is reflected