Stream of consciousness
In psychology and philosophy stream of consciousness, introduced by William James, is the set of constantly changing inner thoughts and sensations which an individual has while conscious.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.
A few of the most famous works to employ the technique are James Joyce's Ulysses (in particular Molly Bloom's soliloquy), Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and Jack Kerouac's On the Road[?]. The technique has also been parodied, notably by David Lodge in the final chapter of The British Museum Is Falling Down. Stream-of-consciousness writing is characterised by associative leaps that can make the prose difficult to follow. Typically, writers employ very long sentences which move from one thought to another. Sometimes, writers avoid punctuation altogether in order to prevent artificial breaks in the "stream."
fo mak him fit for his wark,
He sent for the awd clerk.
The clerk was quickly by his side.html">side,
An' awa.html">awa they went wi/wi.html">wi' right good will
nor.html">Nor stopp'd at thin or thick,
The clerk wi' a thick stick.
At last by t' side o' t' bank they stopp'd,
A beautiful river breet an' fine,
An' read full loud an' lang,
An' wonder'd what was wrang.
The ghost.html">ghost was listnin' in a hole,
The fluttrin' o' his mighty wings,
Until the wild woods rang;
Sea load an' clear an' strang.
The parson he fell backwards ower
An' lost his buke, an' rave(6) his sark,(7)
But tumml'd ower his stick,
While he did yell an' fick.(8)
An' lots o' pranks this ghost he play'd
For if I did, folks wad declare
An' just did as he thowt ;
He fear'd, nor cared nowt.
Efter that time he went awa,
But what he was, or whar he com fra,
5. Surplice. 6. Tore. 7. Surplice. 8. Kick.
Who i' dealing i' horseflesh had ne'er met his like;
He'd bit.html">bit a girt monny, but niver bin bit.
This owd Tommy Towers (by that name he were known)
To have killed him for t' curs wad have bin quite as well,
Thowt to diddle owd Tommy wad be a girt treat;
For t' neet afore that he'd thowt proper to dee !
Thinks Abey, t' owd codger 'll niver smoke t' trick,
An' if Tommy I nobbut can happen to trap,
"Betwin thy horse and mine, prithee, Tommy, what swops?
"Nowt," says Tommy, "I'll swop even hands, an' ye will!"
Abey preached a lang time about summat to boot,
But Tommy stuck fast where he first had begun,
I thowt thou'd hae hadden mair white i' thy ee;
.
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