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Situational Irony
Definition of Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating... read full definition
Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis:
In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky writes in a style that emphasizes the psychology of the characters, whose thought processes are depicted in careful detail to the reader. Raskolnikov’s internal monologue as he contemplates his plan to commit murder reflects the psychological style of the novel more broadly:
“Hm…yes…man has it all in his hands, and it all slips through his fingers from sheer cowardice…That is an axiom…I wonder, what are people most afraid of? A new step, their own new word, that’s what they’re most afraid of…I babble too much, however. That’s why I don’t do anything, because I babble. However, maybe it’s like this: I babble because I don’t do anything. I’ve learned to babble over this past month, lying in a corner day in and day out, thinking about…cuckooland. Why on earth am I going now? Am I really capable of that? Is that something serious?”
