Stream of unconsciousness (narrative mode)
Encyclopedia
In literary criticism
, stream of unconsciousness is a narrative mode that portrays an individual's point of view by transcribing the author's unconscious
dialogue or somniloquy
during sleep, in connection to his or her actions within a dream
.
Stream of unconsciousness is characterized by disjointed leaps in ideation and story line, bizarre new word creation, loss of self-censorship, one sided conversations and punctuation that can make the prose both disturbing and difficult to follow. Despite the name, the stream of unconsciousness occurs more in the form of waves than an actual continuous running stream of dialogue. The stream of unconsciousness is one of several forms of dramatic monologue
, where the speaker is addressing an audience or a third person. Such monologues are commonly used in poetry
and drama
, but with the stream of unconsciousness the audience or third persons are 'unknowingly' imaginary. It is primarily a fictional device and often takes the form of a tragedy
. The term was introduced to the field of literary studies from that of the independent music industry, where it was redefined by author and artist Bryan Lewis Saunders
in 2005. For nearly a century the term has been both a misnomer and a malapropism
for the stream of consciousness
.
(1922–1994) can be perceived as one of the precursors of the 'stream of unconsciousness' writing style, although his monlogues and somniloquy were never transcribed and presented as such. The Unconsoled
(1995) by Kazuo Ishiguro
has been regarded as a dream text that mixes the Modernist's
stream of consciousness with Sigmund Freud
's theory of the unconscious. "Experiment with Dreams" by Leif Elggren
and Thomas Liljenberg (Stockholm Feb. 1996) may also be attributed to the formation of this method.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, stream of unconsciousness is a narrative mode that portrays an individual's point of view by transcribing the author's unconscious
Unconscious
Unconscious might refer to:In physiology:* unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuliIn psychology:...
dialogue or somniloquy
Somniloquy
Somniloquy or sleep-talking is a parasomnia that refers to talking aloud while sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep...
during sleep, in connection to his or her actions within a dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
.
Stream of unconsciousness is characterized by disjointed leaps in ideation and story line, bizarre new word creation, loss of self-censorship, one sided conversations and punctuation that can make the prose both disturbing and difficult to follow. Despite the name, the stream of unconsciousness occurs more in the form of waves than an actual continuous running stream of dialogue. The stream of unconsciousness is one of several forms of dramatic monologue
Dramatic monologue
M. H. Abrams notes the following three features of the dramatic monologue as it applies to poetry:-Types of monologues:One of the most important influences on the development of the dramatic monologue is the Romantic poets...
, where the speaker is addressing an audience or a third person. Such monologues are commonly used in poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, but with the stream of unconsciousness the audience or third persons are 'unknowingly' imaginary. It is primarily a fictional device and often takes the form of a tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
. The term was introduced to the field of literary studies from that of the independent music industry, where it was redefined by author and artist Bryan Lewis Saunders
Bryan Lewis Saunders
Bryan Lewis Saunders is a performance artist, videographer, and performance poet widely known for his disturbing spoken word rants, tragic art performances and Stand up tragedy....
in 2005. For nearly a century the term has been both a misnomer and a malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
for the stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.Stream-of-consciousness writing...
.
History
The audio recordings of Dion McGregorDion McGregor
Dion McGregor was a New York City-born songwriter, whose main claim to fame is that he was a voluble dreamer, or somniloquist.As a songwriter, McGregor's biggest success came when his song "Where Is The Wonder" was recorded by Barbra Streisand on her hit album My Name Is Barbra...
(1922–1994) can be perceived as one of the precursors of the 'stream of unconsciousness' writing style, although his monlogues and somniloquy were never transcribed and presented as such. The Unconsoled
The Unconsoled
The Unconsoled is a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, winner of the Cheltenham Prize.-Plot introduction:The novel takes place over a period of three days. It is about Ryder, a famous pianist who arrives in a central European city to perform a concert. However, he appears to have lost most of his memory and...
(1995) by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
has been regarded as a dream text that mixes the Modernist's
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
stream of consciousness with Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's theory of the unconscious. "Experiment with Dreams" by Leif Elggren
Leif Elggren
Leif Elggren , is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm.Active since the late 1970s, Leif Elggren has become one of the most constantly surprising conceptual artists to work in the combined worlds of audio and visual...
and Thomas Liljenberg (Stockholm Feb. 1996) may also be attributed to the formation of this method.
Notable works
Examples of notable works employing the stream of unconsciousness narrative mode are:- "Torso" Bryan Lewis Saunders. Short Story on CD (Colin Johnco Records 2009)
- "87 Dreams Of A Sociopath" Bryan Lewis Saunders. Poetry Collection (Surrism-PhonoethicsSurrism-PhonoethicsSurrism-Phonoethics is a Frankfurt, Germany based non-profit netlabel specializing in Experimental music. Some of their releases could be classified as Electronic art music/Electronic music, industrial or experimental music with sub-genres like Electro-Acoustic, Improvisation & Cut-Up.Their...
2010) - "Le Bobcat" Bryan Lewis Saunders and Raymond Dijkstra. Short Story on Cassette (Fragment FactoryFragment FactoryFragment Factory is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany, founded in summer of 2009. The label is operated by the sound artist Michael Muennich and specializes in releasing Experimental music in the broadest sense, including Electro-acoustic music, Noise and its several...
2010) - "The Reasons Why I Dream With Knives" Bryan Lewis Saunders. Nonfiction Book (Stand-Up Tragedy 2010)
- "Stream of Unconscious vol. 1-12" is an audio release composed of 24 albums on 12 cassette tapes. With each album serving as a chapter, over 24 musicians and experimental sound artists created music for the unconscious novel by Bryan Lewis Saunders titled, "The Confessor" which was created from 30 nights of somniloquy and dream descriptions. Novel (Stand-Up Tragedy 2011)