I Think

Dujardin's Les Lauriers sont Coupes was published in 1887, nearly three decades before Ulysses. During the heyday of Symbolism, Dujardin played a significant role in promoting the innovations of modernist literature, both as a creator and a critic. After Ulysses was serialized in the New York avant-garde literary magazine, it caused a widespread impact in Europe and America. This literary style, initially called interior monologue, gained attention due to Joyce, and many imitators emerged at that time. Joyce told his admirer Valery Larbaud that the writing technique of Ulysses was inspired by Dujardin's Les Lauriers sont Coupes. This book includes Les Lauriers sont Coupes, the earliest novel by Dujardin that employs stream of consciousness techniques, as well as three stream of consciousness novels by Valery Larbaud: Belle, mon amour..., Amants, heureux amants..., and Mon plus secret conseil.... Readers can appreciate how these two pioneers of stream of consciousness novels, over a hundred years ago, captured fleeting intuitions and expressed hidden thoughts and emotions in a poetic, complex, and subtle manner. From a literary history perspective, it is also necessary for today's students and readers to understand the true nature of the evolution of literary trends and the literary achievements of the originators and pioneers of stream of consciousness techniques.