interior monologue

noun

1. Literature. a form of stream-of-consciousness writing that represents the inner thoughts of a character.
2. Movies, Television. the device of showing a character on screen who does not appear to speak, although the character's voice is heard on the soundtrack to create the illusion that the audience is hearing the character's thoughts.

interior monologue

noun

1. a literary attempt to present the mental processes of a character before they are formed into regular patterns of speech or logical sequence See also stream of consciousness

Word History and Origins

Origin of interior monologue¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

“Or is that the noise when the interior monologue is going, ’Marjorie, there’s gonna be plenty of time to talk about Satanic Democrats, just keep it in, Marjorie, just... ” he added, feigning his own version of the congresswoman's odd sounds.

From Salon

The series artfully translates pages and pages of tortured interior monologue in a way that’s deeply compelling onscreen.

From Los Angeles Times

Lines that could be from a transcript of a tetchy interpersonal skirmish will be followed by a pensive fragment plucked from some regretful or aggrieved interior monologue.

From New York Times

In pages-long, often dialogue-heavy sections without paragraph breaks, quotation marks or full stops, Petterson shares his character’s interior monologue.

From Los Angeles Times

Lawyers appearing before the court sometimes resented his elaborate hypothetical questions, which could resemble an interior monologue with a point discernible only to him.

From New York Times