Stream of consciousness

文学用語・発音を確認します STREEM uv KON-shus-nus

Stream of consciousness is writing that follows a character’s thoughts, feelings, memories, and impressions as they pass through the mind. It can move suddenly between the present and the past, following mental connections rather than a tidy order of events.

Ways stream of consciousness appears

Thoughts flowing directly

A character’s thoughts unfold with little explanation from a narrator. Sentences may run on or break off as attention shifts.

At the end of Ulysses, Molly Bloom lies in bed thinking about her husband, earlier experiences, and their courtship. Her thoughts flow through long stretches with very little punctuation.

In Ulysses by James Joyce

The present opening into memory

Something seen, heard, or felt brings an earlier experience into the character’s present thoughts. The movement follows a personal connection rather than the order of a clock.

At the opening of Mrs Dalloway, Clarissa goes out to buy flowers, and the fresh morning brings back her youth at Bourton. Her thoughts move between the London street and that earlier summer.

In Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

How to spot stream of consciousness

Look for thoughts and sensations taking more space than outward action.
Follow shifts from present experience into memory or imagined events.
Notice connections that follow a character’s attention rather than time order.

3か月間無料でご利用いただけます

200,000+の古典を、すべての形式で無料から楽しめます。

電子書籍、オーディオブック、15分で読める要約を楽しめます。どの本も紙の本や大活字本として、印刷費のみで購入できます。

無料で始めます本日のお支払いはありません。初年度は一日あたりUSD 0.14、その後は一日あたりUSD 0.27です。

What is the difference between stream of consciousness and interior monologue?

Interior monologue presents a character’s unspoken thoughts, while stream of consciousness follows the wider flow of mental experience. The terms overlap, but stream of consciousness may include sensations, half-formed impressions, and sudden memories as well as thoughts expressed in words.

Does stream of consciousness always have unusual punctuation?

No, stream of consciousness can use ordinary sentences and punctuation. Its main feature is the movement of attention through thoughts, sensations, and memories. Unusual punctuation can help convey that movement, but its presence alone does not make a passage stream of consciousness.