Definition

Noun: 1. A narrative technique representing a character's internal thoughts and feelings: "Interior monologue" is a literary device that presents the continuous, often unstructured, flow of thoughts, sensations, and memories passing through a character's mind. It aims to mimic the raw, unfiltered nature of conscious experience. 2. The sequence of thoughts itself: The term can also refer to the specific content of these internal thoughts as written in the text.

Usage and Examples

• As a narrative technique:
  • The author's use of interior monologue allows the reader to experience the protagonist's anxiety directly.
  • James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" is famous for its extensive and complex interior monologue.
• Referring to the content of thoughts:
  • The character's interior monologue reveals her hidden doubts about the plan.
  • We follow his interior monologue as he debates what to do next.

Advanced Usage and Literary Context

• Stream of consciousness: This is a closely related, often broader, technique. While "interior monologue" specifically denotes the (or verbalizable) train of thought, "stream of consciousness" may include a wider range of pre-verbal sensations, impressions, and associations. An interior monologue is often a component of a stream-of-consciousness narrative.
• Dramatic monologue vs. interior monologue: A dramatic monologue is a speech spoken aloud by a character to a listener (real or implied). An interior monologue is silent and internal, not intended to be heard by other characters.

Variants and Related Words

• Monologue (n): A long speech by one character in a play, story, or film, or a form of entertainment by a single speaker.
• Stream of consciousness (n): A narrative mode that depicts the multitudinous thoughts and feelings passing through the mind.

Synonyms

• Internal monologue
• Inner speech
• Thought process (less literary)

Key Distinctions (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)

• Interior monologue vs. soliloquy: A soliloquy in drama is a speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud while alone on stage. It is a form of expressing internal thought. An interior monologue in prose fiction is presented directly as the character's silent, internal experience.

Noun

1. a literary genre that presents a fictional character's sequence of thoughts in the form of a monologue