Stream of consciousness
STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS TECHNIQUE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE
🌠🌠Stream of consciousness technique in English literature🌠ðŸŒ
In the consciousness of the human mind , myraids of memories, associations , impressions and obsessive images may co exist. To reflect these unspoken thoughts and feelings in their works , novelist innovate the "Stream of consciousness" technique. Thus, in literature, "stream of consciousness" specify a particular narrative method whereby novelist depicts the inner psychological world of man, without resorting to objective description or conventional dialogues.
In stream of consciousness novels the 'action' and the'plot' develops through the mind of the principal character. With an analytical presentation of mental experiences and shocks, this class of novels preserve an expressionist technique to reveal different characters with their innermost thoughts. Infact, it effectiveness lies in the delineation of a character more graphically, accurately and impressively than the traditional novels. It, thus, brings to the surface the working of the subconscious state of mind.
"LES LAURIERS SONT COUPÉS" by French novelist, Édouard Dujardin has been credited by James Joyce, principally as a pioneering example of the' stream of consciousness' technique. This particular method was adopted and developed by some talented novelist including James Joyce, Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf in the modern age.
Of the modern novelist, Dorothy Richardson stands out as the first to employ formally the stream of consciousness technique in English fiction. Her first novel" POINTED ROOFS" collectively with other eleven novels appeared in a single volume in 1935 under the title" PILGRIMAGE" . This series of novels has no plot in the conventional sense, nor has it any conclusive end as a tragedy or comedy. It only show the inner reaction of a character, Mariam Henderson, in her day to day life, to the outward world of people and affairs. There is no past or future- the mind is living in the eternal present. Thus, Dorothy Richardson sustains a stream of consciousness mode of narrative, focused exclusively on the mind and perception of her heroine throughout the twelve volumes of her novel.
The stream of consciousness technique is seen further developed in Virginia Woolf- celebrated examples are the opening pages of her" MRS DALLOWAY" published in 1925. There is a pattern in the continuous flux, and this gives a meaning to the whole plan. Each moment grows out of some mental flow that is intellectually exciting and makes this parmanent in the transience of the very existence.
The same trend is perceived in Mrs.Woolfs other novels- " TO THE LIGHTHOUSE", " THE WAVES" , " THE YEARS" and" BETWEEN THE ACTS" . All of them are purely psychological novels, dealing with the problem of love and loneliness. Symbolism, of course, plays an important part in this technique, as the waves and lighthouse of the novels under these titles glaringly indicate. Mrs Woolf was a remarkable authoress for her fictional artistry- she had an originality in pattern and achieved an effective interweaving of lyrical and narrative devices with the immensely interesting image of the mind.
The perfection of the stream of consciousness technique is perceived in James Joyce. His celebrated novel" ULYSSES" unveils the inner world of human consciousness and shows the use of the stream of consciousness method more thoroughly.
"ULYSSES" has no conventional story interest. The action of it covers only one specific day, in one specific place, Dublin, in 1904. The character involved in the action are mainly three- Leopold Bloom, a Jewish advertisement space salesman, his wife Marion and a young poet, Stephen Dedalus. Joyce treats the inner world of each character through his or her participation in different activities and shows the flow of the stream of consciousness in it. There is the flow of thoughts, memories and speculations in Joyce's characters, and all these forms a sort of exotic reverie, quite impressive and rare in English fiction.
Another great talent in English fiction is D.H Lawrence. Although the stream of consciousness technique is evident in his writings, he distinguished himself from Joyce, Mrs Woolf and Dorothy Richardson. This particular distinction is marked in his working class background, his obsession with sexual passion, his open preaching, his intensely subjective interest and his casual attitude to the novel. A kind of psychological mysticism pervades his novels. This is a kin to the stream of consciousness method in its psychological depth. Moreover, the use of symbols is another device that put him among the stream of consciousness novelists.
Thus, we may conclude that the stream of consciousness technique is a bold experiment in modern English fiction. It's ability to represent the flask of a character's thoughts, expressions, emotions or reminiscences often without logical sequence or syntax, marked a revolution in the form of the novel; and extended passages of stream of consciousness are now so familiar that they no longer strike a reader an avante garde.
🌠🌠Stream of consciousness technique in English literature🌠ðŸŒ
In the consciousness of the human mind , myraids of memories, associations , impressions and obsessive images may co exist. To reflect these unspoken thoughts and feelings in their works , novelist innovate the "Stream of consciousness" technique. Thus, in literature, "stream of consciousness" specify a particular narrative method whereby novelist depicts the inner psychological world of man, without resorting to objective description or conventional dialogues.
In stream of consciousness novels the 'action' and the'plot' develops through the mind of the principal character. With an analytical presentation of mental experiences and shocks, this class of novels preserve an expressionist technique to reveal different characters with their innermost thoughts. Infact, it effectiveness lies in the delineation of a character more graphically, accurately and impressively than the traditional novels. It, thus, brings to the surface the working of the subconscious state of mind.
"LES LAURIERS SONT COUPÉS" by French novelist, Édouard Dujardin has been credited by James Joyce, principally as a pioneering example of the' stream of consciousness' technique. This particular method was adopted and developed by some talented novelist including James Joyce, Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf in the modern age.
Of the modern novelist, Dorothy Richardson stands out as the first to employ formally the stream of consciousness technique in English fiction. Her first novel" POINTED ROOFS" collectively with other eleven novels appeared in a single volume in 1935 under the title" PILGRIMAGE" . This series of novels has no plot in the conventional sense, nor has it any conclusive end as a tragedy or comedy. It only show the inner reaction of a character, Mariam Henderson, in her day to day life, to the outward world of people and affairs. There is no past or future- the mind is living in the eternal present. Thus, Dorothy Richardson sustains a stream of consciousness mode of narrative, focused exclusively on the mind and perception of her heroine throughout the twelve volumes of her novel.
The stream of consciousness technique is seen further developed in Virginia Woolf- celebrated examples are the opening pages of her" MRS DALLOWAY" published in 1925. There is a pattern in the continuous flux, and this gives a meaning to the whole plan. Each moment grows out of some mental flow that is intellectually exciting and makes this parmanent in the transience of the very existence.
The same trend is perceived in Mrs.Woolfs other novels- " TO THE LIGHTHOUSE", " THE WAVES" , " THE YEARS" and" BETWEEN THE ACTS" . All of them are purely psychological novels, dealing with the problem of love and loneliness. Symbolism, of course, plays an important part in this technique, as the waves and lighthouse of the novels under these titles glaringly indicate. Mrs Woolf was a remarkable authoress for her fictional artistry- she had an originality in pattern and achieved an effective interweaving of lyrical and narrative devices with the immensely interesting image of the mind.
The perfection of the stream of consciousness technique is perceived in James Joyce. His celebrated novel" ULYSSES" unveils the inner world of human consciousness and shows the use of the stream of consciousness method more thoroughly.
"ULYSSES" has no conventional story interest. The action of it covers only one specific day, in one specific place, Dublin, in 1904. The character involved in the action are mainly three- Leopold Bloom, a Jewish advertisement space salesman, his wife Marion and a young poet, Stephen Dedalus. Joyce treats the inner world of each character through his or her participation in different activities and shows the flow of the stream of consciousness in it. There is the flow of thoughts, memories and speculations in Joyce's characters, and all these forms a sort of exotic reverie, quite impressive and rare in English fiction.
Another great talent in English fiction is D.H Lawrence. Although the stream of consciousness technique is evident in his writings, he distinguished himself from Joyce, Mrs Woolf and Dorothy Richardson. This particular distinction is marked in his working class background, his obsession with sexual passion, his open preaching, his intensely subjective interest and his casual attitude to the novel. A kind of psychological mysticism pervades his novels. This is a kin to the stream of consciousness method in its psychological depth. Moreover, the use of symbols is another device that put him among the stream of consciousness novelists.
Thus, we may conclude that the stream of consciousness technique is a bold experiment in modern English fiction. It's ability to represent the flask of a character's thoughts, expressions, emotions or reminiscences often without logical sequence or syntax, marked a revolution in the form of the novel; and extended passages of stream of consciousness are now so familiar that they no longer strike a reader an avante garde.
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