Who cares about the stream of consciousness? On Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage
Adam Guy
Literature Compass June 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/lic3.12573 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that care is a productive lens for reading the stream of consciousness in Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage, connecting care theory (Tronto and Fisher, Puig de la Bellacasa, Laugier) with May Sinclair's essay that first applied the term to literature. Proposes that protagonist Miriam Henderson consistently conceives of her own consciousness in terms of care, and that this has broader implications for understanding stream of consciousness in the modernist novel. |
Abstract
Abstract: This article brings the concept of care into the discussion of the literary representation of the stream of consciousness in Dorothy Richardson's thirteen‐volume novel sequence Pilgrimage . I begin by looking at recent theorizations of care by Joan C. Tronto and Berenice Fisher, by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, and by Sandra Laugier. I show confluences between this work and May Sinclair's famous essay on Richardson—in which the term “stream of consciousness” was first applied to a literary text. I then explore three interrelated forms of care that are central to Richardson's work. Subsequently, I isolate a particular strand in Pilgrimage in which Richardson's protagonist, Miriam Henderson, consistently conceives of her own consciousness in terms of care. I reflect in conclusion on the broader ramifications that care might have for considerations of the stream of consciousness in relation to the modernist novel.