Course Title:  Literature 501, Study in Stream of Consciousness

Prerequisite:  Wikipedia

Credits:  4

Literature 501, Study in Stream of Consciousness Writing, is a mid-level course that will explore the genre of writing that allows for long-winded, coma confused sentences that are very much a major facet of stories that could trade topic, subject matter, even point of view with all the frequency of tropical storms in the Caribbean Sea during late summer.

Required readings for this course are three undisputed classics in the genre, Ulysses, Illuminatus!, and Moby-Dick.

Ulysses by James Joyce in 1922 has the distinction of not only being a masterpiece of modernist writing, a exemplar stream of consciousness writing, but also a cultural treasure in Ireland. There are books that catch the characteristic of a given locale, Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities set in late 20th century New York City immediately springs to mind, but no book captures a culture quite like James Joyce does of Ireland.

Ulysses is a novel about nothing exciting, unless your into long walks, an occasional fight and funeral processions. But it is an outstanding work in literature, it is an absolutely incredible exhibit of utilizing the words in a manner that is both expansive and intimately precise. Expansive because the size of the book is over 267,000 words long, with over 30,000 different used. Intimately precise because of the actions those words described--nose picking, death, adultery, masturbation, . . . .

Through it all it is a great novel, and is highly regarded not only in Ireland, but throughout the literature community for its historical accuracy. Just like the other selections in the course, taken in total, Ulysses is going to entertain a higher cerebral process in the RSU student, it's to be tackled with an open mind and a anxiousness for what's next to come on the journey to the end.

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville was written in 1851. The reputation of the book did not truly develop until after the author's death, today it is considered on the very short list of great American novels.

The novel covers a lot of ground so essentially the better read the reader is, the fuller the book becomes, chapters that are otherwise perceived as wasted space become part of the beautiful accomplishment that is Moby-Dick.

The incarcerator of the novel is Ishmael, who is a sailor, new to the sea, on the Pequod, a whaling ship. "Call me Ishmael. . ." begins the novel and is one of those lines that have found its way into trivia games, including Jeopardy!

The Captain of the ship is the legendary Ahab, a one-legged whaler out to gain revenge on the great sperm whale Moby Dick, who took the leg from him. Ahab has been cited and referenced in many places since 1851 including Bob Dylan's 115th Dream in 1865.

The legend of Moby Dick the whale is said to of been based on Mocha Dick, a real life whale that withstood multiple harpoons and actually sank a boat in defense of itself and Herman Melville himself had a short career as a whaler.

A classic novel and classic example of stream of conscious writings, at times it isn't entirely clear if the first person narrator is continuing or a change has been made to an omniscient narrator, metaphor and subject matter intermix throughout the novel in a way that makes the story harder to digest than say a Tom Wolfe work of fiction. But much like great Wolfe books, Moby-Dick rewards the readers with an entertaining account about the maturing of a young man, the tragic story of an revengeful Captain, and the perseverance of a great whale. But a lot more than that too.

Illuminatus! by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea in 1975 is an underground favorite of the skeptical and conspiracy theory driven among us. This is a modern stream of consciousness masterpiece by two editors of Playboy Magazine who sadly never collaborated again, but for this one time, they found genius.

Like just about all books written in this style, it is not an easy read. But like other classics of stream of consciousness prose, the story is wildly interesting, the undercurrent is remarkably engrossing, and the end result is a novel that commands respect and is enriching.

Illuminatus! is similar to Moby-Dick in that they both include so many divergent ideas and interest. Billed as a trilogy, it is broken down into three books, the ride you'll take on the underwater golden submarine will break even the most orthodox mind. When this mind resurfaces, as a healthy skeptic, it will be due to the vast network of conspiracy/occult/mysticism/political reality exposed by the authors which they embellished exactly to elicit doubt and skepticism.

It is such a terrific novel, unlike anything else, it is a journey far deeper than what the surface suggest.