Stream of Consciousness in Visual Narratives

In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts to depict the multitudinous thoughts, inner monologues and feelings which pass through the mind. The‘stream of consciousness’ as a literary technique was first used by William James and become widely adopted as a term of art in literary criticism during the twentieth century, especially of the novels of Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Richardson, or James Joyce, among others.
William James in his work, The Principles of Psychology, describes the nature of mental life, seeing things from within one’s mind. James thought of mind as an always changing continuous flow, which cannot be divided up by bits; he supported the idea that temporal separation can only distort the flow of mind.

In his study, William James explains consciousness by its major characteristics; he describes mind as an always private and individual affair, that thoughts belong to a person and are always in a flux, always changing. He claims that only objects can reoccur, but no thought or idea can be exactly the same twice. Therefore he sees consciousness as a constantly flowing stream, which is always liable to change.

By practicing this narrative method, Virginia Woolf not only creates continuity between different time zones and places, but also between the minds of her characters. She illustrates the relationship between reality and un-reality; between the exterior world and an inner world.

In her narration, Woolf constructs a dualistic existence by affirming both spiritual reality and physical reality. To experience the value of life Woolf weaves a tight connection between the dualistic impulses through which her protagonists can understand true existence.

Artists taking advantage of the stream of consciousness do not intend to introduce and follow a narrative; rather, they find a different kind of freedom in representation of the levels of their own unconscious and semiconscious minds and  create different works of art through visualizing their feelings and emotions , without already thinking about the end result or  the final design of the work.  The public relate to the work at various levels and formulate their own interpretations as this mode allows the addressees to have various perceptions and subjective mentalities which can be deemed popular and also unique at the same time. 

Sources:
James, William. The Principles of Psychology, Cosimo Classics, Inc., 2007.Woolf, Virginia. “Modern Fiction” In: McNeille, Andrew, Ed. The Essays of Virginia Woolf. Volume 4: 1925 to 1928. London: The Hogarth Press, 1984.