--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The paradox of modernism is, writers make…" description: "\"The paradox of modernism is, writers make the decision to work with the continuous present, and to work with... stream of consciousness, as it's called..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/will-self-2296_consciousness_the-paradox-of-modernism-is-writers-make_2648379.png" --- # The paradox of modernism is, writers make the decision to… ![“The paradox of modernism is, writers make the decision to work with the continuous present, and to work with... stream of consciousness, as it's called, for emotional reasons, and the main emotional reason is verisimilitude. I mean, this is what surprises people: Life is not in the simple past.” quote by Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/will-self-2296_consciousness_the-paradox-of-modernism-is-writers-make_2648379.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/will-self-2296_consciousness_the-paradox-of-modernism-is-writers-make_2648379.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/will-self-2296_consciousness_the-paradox-of-modernism-is-writers-make_2648379.png) > “The paradox of modernism is, writers make the decision to work with the continuous present, and to work with... stream of consciousness, as it's called, for emotional reasons, and the main emotional reason is verisimilitude. I mean, this is what surprises people: Life is not in the simple past.” [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern writers aim for continuous present and stream of consciousness to achieve realistic emotional depth, surprising readers who expect linear narratives. **In simple terms:** Writers use present tense and stream of consciousness for realism. Key Takeaway Embrace experimental narrative techniques for authentic emotion. Themes literature modernism style Mood introspective analytical Type experimental educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you find stream of consciousness engaging? - How does tense affect emotional impact? A Different Perspective Such techniques may alienate readers accustomed to traditional structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Continuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuous/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) [Modernism Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism-writers-2328854/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradox Modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-modernism-2328850/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Verisimilitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-verisimilitude-2328852/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Stream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream/) [Stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream-of-consciousness/) [Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprises/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Continuous present is all we have, and stream of consciousness - which in a novel is arguably just as artificial as the stilted dialogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/continuous-present-is-all-we-have-and-stream-of-consciousness-which/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [There's a fine line between a stream of consciousness and a babbling brook to nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/there-s-a-fine-line-between-a-stream-of-consciousness-and-a-babbling/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [I work a lot with sounds based on stream of consciousness. I like the way it sounds, then I turn it into something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-work-a-lot-with-sounds-based-on-stream-of-consciousness-i-like-the/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [“be the calm eye of the storm where nothing phases you, focus on your centre to remain balanced, let your life flow like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/be-the-calm-eye-of-the-storm-where-nothing-phases-you-focus-on-your/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [What's fascinating is that when you write a script, it's almost a stream of consciousness. You have an idea that it means something, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/what-s-fascinating-is-that-when-you-write-a-script-it-s-almost-a/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [I think it's terribly important to watch TV. I think there's a sort of minimum number of hours of TV a day you ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-think-it-s-terribly-important-to-watch-tv-i-think-there-s-a-sort-of/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I basically just write stream of consciousness to a certain extent. I let the song kind of go where it wants to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-holter/i-basically-just-write-stream-of-consciousness-to-a-certain-extent-i/) [Julia Holter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-holter/) > [“Love is stronger than both fear and hope - if you can love the natural beauty around you, the amazing gifts and skills we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/love-is-stronger-than-both-fear-and-hope-if-you-can-love-the-natural/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [ “Idle thoughts come and go over unenlightened minds six hundred and fifty times in a snap of one's fingers," writes an Indian teacher,\[FN#260\] "and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/idle-thoughts-come-and-go-over-unenlightened-minds-six-hundred-and/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“perhaps it will I said perhaps it will be wonderful perhaps even though it won't be like you think perhaps that won't matter perhaps”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/perhaps-it-will-i-said-perhaps-it-will-be-wonderful-perhaps-even/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [“Sparkling bronze azure eyed Blazure's skyblue bow and eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/sparkling-bronze-azure-eyed-blazure-s-skyblue-bow-and-eyes/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“sunset and evening star hunching and bending sleeping and slipping virus pneumonia coughing and crying hope in the small things heaven looks brighter aching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chila-woychik/sunset-and-evening-star-hunching-and-bending-sleeping-and-slipping/) [Chila Woychik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chila-woychik/) > [“City was crowded Oh my My so many people Getting on Almost squeezed in the boat People once too many Tahu where was she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehreen-ahmed/city-was-crowded-oh-my-my-so-many-people-getting-on-almost-squeezed/) [Mehreen Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehreen-ahmed/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) > [“I cite too the ordinary fears of mortality the inspection of a fast-growing mole on the side of the nose blood in the stool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-cite-too-the-ordinary-fears-of-mortality-the-inspection-of-a-fast/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) ## More by Will Self > [As for critical writing about modernism, its moments of lucidity are but fulgurations illuminating the dark and incomprehensible landscape of its subject's unabashed difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-for-critical-writing-about-modernism-its-moments-of-lucidity-are/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“As my voice died away I became conscious of the voice of another woman two tables away. I couldn't hear what she was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-my-voice-died-away-i-became-conscious-of-the-voice-of-another/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm very happy for whatever plaudits might come the way of my work, but I never ever sit down to write x with y…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-very-happy-for-whatever-plaudits-might-come-the-way-of-my-work/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [As a writer, I'm not convinced that we are the best equipped to understand how we go about the business of literary production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-a-writer-i-m-not-convinced-that-we-are-the-best-equipped-to/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“I explained to him - as I withdrew the cup, ripped open the sachet and dunked the tea bag - that tea was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-explained-to-him-as-i-withdrew-the-cup-ripped-open-the-sachet-and/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [There is something mysteriously powerful that can happen when young, inchoate minds come into contact with older and more worldly ones in a spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/there-is-something-mysteriously-powerful-that-can-happen-when-young/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Drug use and procrastination often go hand in tourniquet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/drug-use-and-procrastination-often-go-hand-in-tourniquet/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“…with the morbid realisation that his sexual being was a dull thing, a lifeless thing, a mass-produced marionette with chipped paint and fraying strings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/with-the-morbid-realisation-that-his-sexual-being-was-a-dull-thing-a/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [A creative life cannot be sustained by approval any more than it can be destroyed by criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/a-creative-life-cannot-be-sustained-by-approval-any-more-than-it-can/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I don't think in terms of that bizarre tautology 'value for money' in my literary and journalistic work - and nor will I in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-don-t-think-in-terms-of-that-bizarre-tautology-value-for-money-in/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) [Explore all 172 Will Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## More Consciousness quotes > [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/) [Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/) > [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/) [James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/) [Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. 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Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The paradox of modernism is, writers make the decision to work with the continuous present, and to work with... stream of consciousness, as it's called, for emotional reasons, and the main emotional reason is verisimilitude. 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