Stream of consciousness

What is it?

It is a narrative style that tries to capture the inner speech of the characters, as if able to read their mind and understand their thought process, in a realistic manner. This is accomplished by using associated thoughts (connecting one seemingly unrelated thought to the another, like brainstorming), unusual syntax (which follows fast inner speech), and sensory details (like sounds, feelings, sensations, music, etc.).

In the following example, from Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison, we can identify these three characteristics. 

"the air is heavy I am not dead I am not there is a house there is what she whispered to me I am where she told me I am not dead I sit the sun closes my eyes when I open them I see the face I lost Sethe's is the face that left me Sethe sees me see her and I see the smile her smiling face is the place for me it is the face I lost she is my face smiling at me"

There is thought association, by connecting the sun, the eyes, the face, the smile, etc., unusual syntax with complete lack of punctuation marks, and sensory details. All this, with the intention of making the reader feel more connected with the thought process of the character, instead of just narrating what crosses their mind. Additonally, Stream of consciousness was present among the Modernist writers, who experimented with forms of expressing individual human experiences and conveing their characters thoughts thoroughly, as they rebelled againts strict and pre-set forms of storytelling. 

In the case of Virginia Woolf, it seemed her dissatisfaction with the trending form of fiction made her seek a more unique way of narrating, among the modernist literary movement. As she wrote in the introduction to Mrs. Dalloway (1925) this new method originated “with nature for giving an idea without providing a house for it to live in” (vii), “to write the book first and then invent a theory afterwards” (viii).

Examples

As mentioned above, both Toni Morrison and Virginia Woolf have multiple books which make use of this narrative style. Additionally, Ulysses by James Joyce, also known as a satirical epic, experimental prose and exceptional use of the stream of consciousness technique. 

Also, William Faulkner’s work is known for its use of this method, and recognized for using it in a complex and innovative manner. Due to the fact that he adjusts his style to fit the mind of each individual narrator and offers a deep look into multiple characters’ minds, in books such as The Sound and the Fury (1929) and As I lay dying (1930). 

Sources

Britannica (Last updated 2022, December) Stream of consciousness. Recovered from: https://www.britannica.com/art/stream-of-consciousness

Cliff’s notes (Visited 2023) The sound and the fury by William Faulkner. Recovered from: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/the-sound-and-the-fury/critical-essays/faulkners-style-and-streamofconsciousness 

Oregon State University School of Writing, Literature and Film (2019, November 12) "What is Stream of Consciousness?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers. Published on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSFwO3O2SI&ab_channel=OSUSchoolofWriting%2CLiteratureandFilm

Woolf, V. (1925) “Introduction” in Mrs. Dalloway.Modern library publishers. New york.  

Author of page: Laura Catalina Sánchez Flórez