Abstract

Essays on consciousness and the contents of consciousness are generally written in conventional prose. Academics and scholars tend to write that way and in the present tense or the past tense and sometimes in subtle mixes of tenses. Literary styles may also be appropriate to such writings and consciousness writing seems both relevant and appropriate. The two principal forms and techniques of consciousness writing are interior monologue and free indirect style. Interior monologue represents the thoughts of a character as if narrated by a character as “I.” In free indirect style the thoughts of a character are represented as reported speech in the third person, past tense . An author may use one or both forms, and combinations of the forms together with conventional styles of narration. William James’s “stream of consciousness” is implied in this essay