4.4 Interior Voice: Monologue & Stream of Consciousness

Interior monologue

Interior monologue presents a character's thoughts directly, as if we overhear the mind. It can be orderly and articulate, giving readers unmediated access to reasoning and feeling.

Stream of consciousness

Stream of consciousness goes further, imitating the loose, associative, sometimes fragmentary flow of thought — leaps, half-sentences, and sensory impressions — to capture how the mind actually moves.

Soliloquy in drama

In drama, a soliloquy is a speech a character delivers alone on stage, revealing private thoughts to the audience. Like interior monologue, it exposes motive and inner conflict.

Key terms

Interior monologue

A character's thoughts presented directly to the reader.

Stream of consciousness

Narration imitating the loose, associative flow of the mind.

Soliloquy

A dramatic speech a character delivers alone on stage.

Purpose

These techniques expose motive, feeling, and inner conflict.

Monologue vs. stream

Monologue can be orderly; stream is fragmentary and associative.

Try an AP-style question

Stream of consciousness attempts to…

1. list the story's events in order
2. summarize the plot neatly and briefly
3. describe only the story's settings
4. capture the flow of a character's thoughts