Stream of Consciousness as a New Phenomenon in the Twentieth-Century Novel: James Joyce's Ulysses as a Case Study

Abstract

This work is an attempt to  examine stream of consciousness as an important narrtive technique of the twentieth-century novel, explaining it’s philosiphical roots, showing its emergence as a literary technique, and how it mainly comes to  realization in James Joyce's Ulysses (1922). Stream of consciousness desribed as a literary technique which represents the continuous flow of a character thoughts  — cahracter’s past memories, understanding, and feelings.The use of this new technique is large move to leave traditional ominsicient narration which was dominant throughout the nineteenth century novel. This paper takes into account the use  psychological theories of William James and Henri Bergson, and placing  Joyce's work within the wider Modernist project.This study makes an argument that Stream of consciuousness is not used just  as a stylistic device By Joyce and turns it into a broader framework for knowledge and understanding,this use of this technique by Joyce changes  the ontology of narrating fiction(Kenner 12). Finally three selected episodes looked into  closely  particularly 'Proteus,' 'Lestrygonians,' and 'Penelope' . Shows how this technique is capable to provide   subjectivity, time, and consciousness which to a certain degree examines both readability and representation.(James 239; Bergson, Time 90). The nineteenth-century novel was very realistic in its narrtion.It depicted the social life , historical changes and morals in the best way but still the novelists faced problems and had thier own limits.The famous novelists of Nineteenth century were  Dickens, Eliot, Tolstoy, Flaubert . they all had almost similar way of writing focusing more on action, society and narrator control  rather than the character’s inner thoughts . The narrator's voice services as a mediator between the reader and the caharacter , the narrator turns messy thoughts into an organized story