I usually hate stream-of-consciousness writing. It confuses and irritates me. (See "Susie Asado," by Gertrude Stein.) However, the poem "Jam," by Karen Chase, is a definite exception. The stream-of-consciousness style fits the subject matter of "Jam" perfectly. The end result is unique, interesting, and very enjoyable. You can read "Jam" here.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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I am not a fan of stream of consciousness writing. But since Joyce's Ulysses is in that form I felt a need to come to terms with the genre. And I feel the experience of that novel and the memories I have from it more than justified the trouble I went to.
I suspect that your dislike of stream of consciousness is probably actually a dislike of feeling unmoored and lost in a new genre.
Thankfully it was a fad that seems to have passed so we will probably not be subjected to a great many more instances of it. I have only come across a couple of examples of novels worth the trouble besides Ulysses.
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