Final answer:
Stream of Consciousness is a literary technique that captures a character's unstructured, flowing thoughts and reflections, often bypassing the standard format of dialogue or narrative to immerse the reader directly into the character's mind.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Stream of Consciousness
The term Stream of Consciousness refers to a literary technique that follows a character's thoughts as they progress in an unstructured manner, mirroring the way thoughts naturally flow in the human mind. This technique allows the writer to create a narrative that delves into the internal experiences of characters, often forgoing traditional narrative structure, plot development, and punctual consistency. Within this style, the reader may encounter a disorganized narrative with little to no systematic development of characters or events, and frequent lapses in tense consistency.
To effectively employ the Stream of Consciousness technique, a writer might use internal monologue, illustrated by sentence fragments and nonacademic writing conventions, to authentically represent the character's mindset. This approach can reveal character development and deeper levels of meaning as the story unfolds. An example is when a character, Bethany, shares her thoughts through a fragmented internal monologue that showcases her personal reflection and reaction to events, rather than using conventional dialogue.
In practice, the Stream of Consciousness can fluctuate between poignant reflections and immediate reactions, sometimes even breaking the fourth wall to communicate directly with the reader. This technique serves to connect ideas and thoughts in a manner that mimics human consciousness, weaving together past, present, and potential future experiences within the context of the narrative.