Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

What is the technique of displaying stream of thought in third person?

+1
−0

I've noticed that authors often show the main character's though process in third person using the prose itself, almost as if the character were the one narrating. Made-up-on-the-spot example:

Albert paced back and forth, looking at his watch every few seconds. They were late. Again. Why did he even bother offering his expertise when they didn't even show the slightest bit of respect? Yes, he was only a journeyman, but when he was a novice he showered his tutors with the adoration a superior deserves! If he had done this with his own tutor, he'd have been rejected immediately. He was going to have to have quite a talking with them. One more situation like this and they were gone, and he would not be persuaded otherwise.

In that paragraph you can clearly see Albert's stream of consciousness, but it's never explicitly stated as such. It's almost like he is the narrator. Heck, when I was little I thought that was the opinion of the narrator. Realizing that it was the thoughts of the character was quite the revelation.

I've also noticed that in first-person stories where the current narrator is very different from his past self, a similar technique will be employed with the narrator speaking the thoughts of his old self.

Is there a name for this technique? Where can I find more information about it and how to properly employ it?

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/23532. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

0 answers

Sign up to answer this question »