Final answer:
Internal monologue refers to a character's innermost thoughts presented within a narrative, used to reveal their personal feelings or motivations in a story. It is a key element in character development, allowing the audience to experience the contemplations of characters in either first-person or third-person narration perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
The interior discourse of a character talking to themselves is referred to as an internal monologue. This literary technique is used to reveal a character's innermost thoughts, often without the character speaking out loud or other characters being aware of these private thoughts. Internal monologue can be presented in many forms, such as sentence fragments or stream of consciousness, to portray a more authentic thought process.
For instance, in first-person narration, a character might use 'I,' 'you,' and 'we' to convey personal thoughts directly to the reader. In third-person limited narration, the narrator provides insight into the thoughts and feelings of one character, while in third-person omniscient narration, the narrator knows and can reveal the internal monologues of all characters.
Using internal monologue effectively can show character development by providing insight into their motives, thoughts, and feelings. An example of this might be a character named Bethany, who, while revising her paper, shares her thoughts and the process of her thinking in a non-linear, fragmented manner. This technique allows readers to grasp the complexity of her emotions and decision-making process.