In literary criticism, stream of consciousness denotes a literary technique which seeks to describe an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes. Stream-of-consciousness writing is strongly associated with the modernist movement. Its introduction in the literary context, transferred from psychology, is attributed to May Sinclair. Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... A Literary technique or literary device may be used by works of literature in order to produce a specific effect on the reader. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. ...

Style classification

Stream-of-consciousness writing is usually regarded as a special form of interior monologue and is characterized by associative (and at times dissociative) leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow, tracing a character's fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings. Stream of consciousness and interior monologue are distinguished from dramatic monologue, where the speaker is addressing an audience or a third person, and is used chiefly in poetry or drama. In stream of consciousness, the speaker's thought processes are more often depicted as overheard (or addressed to oneself) and is primarily a fictional device. A monologue, which comes from the Greek words mono and logos meaning one word, is a speech by one person directly addressing an audience. ... A dramatic monologue occurs when a character in fiction or in history speaks at a critical moment. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ...

Notable examples

The earliest precedent of any literary work using this technique is possibly Ovid's Metamorphoses in ancient Rome. Sir Thomas Browne's discourse The Garden of Cyrus (1658,) with its rapid, unconnected association of objects, geometrical shapes and numerology, may be considered one of the earliest examples of stream of consciousness writing. Some of the works of Gyula Krudy (The Adventures of Sindbad) also employ a technique that can be considered the forerunner of stream of consciousness. Further examples of the development of this style are The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne, (1760), The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1837/1838) and Édouard Dujardin's Les Lauriers sont coupés (1888). Tolstoy used a similar stream-of-consciousness technique in Anna Karenina (1877) in the portions leading to the climax; another early example is Arthur Schnitzler's 1900 short story Leutnant Gustl. Stream of consciousness writing gained rapid prominence in the twentieth century, particularly through the writings of Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and William Faulkner. Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ... Cover of George Sandyss 1632 edition of The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world in terms of Greek and Roman mythology. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Sir Thomas Browne (October 19, 1605 – October 19, 1682) was an English author of varied works that disclose his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric. ... The Garden of Cyrus or The Quincuniall, or Lozenge, or Network Plantations of the Ancients, naturally, artificially, mystically considered is a work written by Sir Thomas Browne. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or, more briefly, Tristram Shandy) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. ... Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (November 24, 1713 – March 18, 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and clergyman. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is Edgar Allan Poes only complete novel, published in 1838. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Édouard Dujardin (1861–1949) was one of the early pioneers of the literary technique of the Stream of consciousness in 1888 in his novel Les Lauriers sont coupés. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Coat of arms of Count Leo Tolstoy This article is about the Tolstoy family; for the famous novelist, see Leo Tolstoy. ... Anna Karenina (Анна Каренина) is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy first published in periodical installments from 1875 to 1877 . ... Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (May 15, 1862 - October 21, 1931) was an Austrian writer and doctor. ... This article is in need of attention. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ...

Several notable works employing stream of consciousness are:

• J.D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
• Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage (1915-28)
• James Joyce's Ulysses (in particular Molly Bloom's soliloquy)
• Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and The Waves
• William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying
• Robert Anton Wilson's & Robert Shea's Illuminatus!
• William Styron's Lie Down in Darkness
• Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl
• Jack Kerouac`'s On The Road
• Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren
• Hubert Selby Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn
• Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• Jerzy Andrzejewski's Gates to Paradise
• A.B. Yehoshua's A Late Divorce
• Will Christopher Baer's Phineas Poe Trilogy (Seen in all of Kiss Me, Judas and Hell's Half Acre and parts of Penny Dreadful

Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for The Catcher in the Rye, a classic coming-of-age story that has enjoyed enduring popularity since its publication in 1951. ... The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger. ... Dorothy Miller Richardson (17 May 1873 - 17 June 1957) was the first writer to publish an English-language novel using what was to become known as the stream-of-consciousness technique. ... For other uses of the word pilgrimage, see Pilgrimage (disambiguation). ... James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Seamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from 1918 to 1920, and published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris. ... Molly Blooms soliloquy is the final chapter of James Joyces novel Ulysses (often referred to as Penelope, after Mollys mythical counterpart). ... Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) (January 25, 1882 – March 28, 1941) is a British novelist who by reputation is regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. ... Vanessa Redgrave as Clarissa Dalloway Mrs Dalloway (1925) is a novel by Virginia Woolf detailing one day in Clarissa Dalloways life about post-World War I England. ... To the Lighthouse (1927) is a novel by Virginia Woolf. ... The Waves, first published in 1931 is the most experimental novel of Virginia Woolf. ... William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was a Nobel Prize winning novelist from Mississippi. ... The Sound and the Fury is a Southern Gothic novel written by American author William Faulkner, which makes use of the stream of consciousness narrative technique pioneered by European authors such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. ... As I Lay Dying is a novel published in 1930 and written by American author William Faulkner. ... It has been suggested that Timothy F.X. Finnegan be merged into this article or section. ... Robert Joseph Shea (1933 - March 10, 1994) was the co-author (with Robert Anton Wilson) of The Illuminatus! Trilogy. ... 23 The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ... William Clark Styron, Jr. ... Lie Down in Darkness is a 1951 novel by American novelist William Styron. ... Irwin Allen Ginsberg (IPA: ) (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American Beat poet born in Newark, New Jersey. ... Howl and Other Poems was published in the fall of 1956 as number four in the Pocket Poets Series from City Lights Books Bob O. Rosenthal; poet and author; Allen Ginsbergs assistant of 20 years and trustee of the Ginsberg estate; discussing Howl at a 2006 symposium on the... Jack Kerouac (pronounced ) (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, artist, and part of the Beat Generation. ... On the Road book cover On the Road is a novel by Jack Kerouac, published by Viking Press in 1957. ... Samuel Ray Chip Delany, Jr. ... Dhalgren is a science fiction novel by Samuel R. Delany. ... Hubert Selby, Jr. ... Cover of the 1988 Grove Press reissue of Last Exit to Brooklyn Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby Jr. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... The hard cover version of the book. ... Jerzy Andrzejewski (August 19, 1909, Warsaw, Poland - April 19, 1983, Warsaw) was a prolific Polish author. ... Gates to Paradise is a 1968 movie by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. ... Avraham Boolie Yehoshua (born in Jerusalem in 1936) is an Israeli novelist, essayist, and playwright, known publicly as A. B. Yehoshua, and familiarly as Boolie. Yehoshua was born in the fifth Jerusalem generation of a Sephardi Jewish family (Feld 2000). ... Will Christopher Baer is an American author of noir fiction, often delving into sex, violence, mystery and erotica. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders William S. Rosecrans Braxton Bragg Strength 43,400 37,712 Casualties 13,249 (1,730 killed, 7,802 wounded, 3,717 captured/missing) 10,266 (1,294 killed, 7,945 wounded, 1,027 captured/missing) The Battle of Stones River... Penny Dreadful can refer to: The 19th century British penny dreadful publications. ...

Examples in non-traditional media

The technique is not also specifically confined to literary sources, and has been used in visual mediums. Most notably, the British comedy troupe Monty Python used the technique in their sketches. The technique capitalizes on the nonsensical absurdist humour that Python is famous for. The technique also features in the animated shorts created by Terry Gilliam for the show, which, similarly, use stream of consciousness as means to showcase absurdist humour. An example of this within their work is the famous opening scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which conversation progresses from a discussion about the master of the castle to African swallows, all due to the characters who speak their thoughts, nonsensical though they may be. Another example is the 'Bloody Weather' sketch. Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... Absurdism is a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail because no such meaning exists (at least in relation to humanity). ... Short subject is an American film industry term that historically has referred to any film in the format of two reels, or approximately 20 minutes running time, or less. ... Terry Gilliam at Karlovy Vary 2006. ... Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedy film released in 1975. ... Acacia Pied Barbet African Black Oystercatcher African Darter African Grey Hornbill African Hawk African Hoopoe African Jacana African Pipit Black-breasted Eagle Blue Crane Brown-hooded Kingfisher Brown Snake Eagle Bushveld Pipit Cape Comorant Cape Sugarbird Cape Wagtail Cape White-eye Common Kestrel Common Ostrich Crested Barbet Dusky Lark Dwarf...

In the realm of audio, hip hop artist Ghostface Killah is well known for his stream of consciousness rapping, a style largely his own that utilizes complicated and constantly shifting subject matter to illustrate his mindset and viewpoint. Ghostface Killah, aka Ghostface, aka Tony Starks, aka Iron Man (born Dennis Coles, May 9, 1970, Staten Island, New York) is a rapper and member of the hip-hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. ...

Trivia

• The technique has been parodied, for example by David Lodge in the final chapter of The British Museum Is Falling Down.