The Only Story

Hello Readers,

I am Asari Bhavyang from Department of English and recently we have completed a discussion on novel "The Only Story ". It was a very wonderful novel and we all enjoyed it. Dilip Barad sir has tried his best to explain to us. we have got thinking Activity task so, let's begin...

Julian Barnes :-

Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer of postmodernism in literature. He has been shortlisted three times for the Man Booker Prize - Flaubert's Parrot (1984), England, England (1998), and Arthur & George (2005), and won the prize for The Sense of an Ending (2011). He has written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh.

Following an education at the City of London School and Merton College, Oxford, he worked as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary. Subsequently, he worked as a literary editor and film critic. He now writes full-time. His brother, Jonathan Barnes, is a philosopher specialized in Ancient Philosophy.

 1) Memory Novel - Structurally as well as thematically  

As we know that this Novel is a Meomoery novel its narrative pattern is a first-person narration, second-person narration, and third-person narration. Paul goes on to introduce another feature of memory that will shape his story. we also get to know about the time period that is divided into three parts. In the first part, we came to know the story when Paul Roberts was 69-70 years old.  Then in the second part, we get to know the story of paul Before 15-20 Years of his life. so, we can see that story is not going in one flow but it is Meomery's novel so, paul is remembering his past and telling about his past life by remembering it.

Trauma is Memory

Imperfection of Memory

Meomory Priority

Memory and Morality

History is collective memory = Memory is personal history 

2) Postmodern Novel:- we have seen tat julian barns brings post modernity in his work and when something is happening then it is commented . This novel also talk about the Existentialism. 

“Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question. You may point out –correctly –that it isn’t a real question. Because we don’t have the choice. If we had the choice, then there would be a question. But we don’t, so there isn’t. Who can control how much they love? If you can control it, then it isn’t love. I don’t know what you call it instead, but it isn’t love.”.

3) Theme of Love  :- 

Love is not alone but we can see that with love Duty , religion, family all are parsul of the life and we have to move with all this things. 

Laconian Intterpretation :-

Remeber , as you read this small book, generally and specificallyabout love, remember that suffering is after all , the latin root for passion"Ellen prentiss campbell

The etymology of passion :- patior = Suffering

                                               Intense desire = Sexusl in nature 

• Rational or irrational 

• modern version = unclear

• intense desire = pain and suffering ( action )   

• hey can strengthen social bonds. Completing a crossword puzzle on your own is impressive, but you should never feel bad if you need to ask for help. ...

• They improve your vocabulary. ...

• They increase your knowledge base. ...

• They can relieve stress. ...

• They boost your mood.

when passion turns into suffering then it is life changing or we can say life defining it is mostly about youth to age and infatuation to wearines. Joan tells us that old lady is silent looker and she won cross world puzzle by cheating . 

suasan is having 3 love story one with Gerald then Gardan then paul.for man love is life of part and for women love is whole Existance.

"Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question."

This sentence, which introduced this most recent book of Julian Barnes to his potential readers, was pretty much my Achilles heel from Page 1. I don’t quite understand how you can adjust the levels of love, like making marks on a burette and letting the content drip as per your desire of colour and consistency of the final emotion. Quantifying love is beyond my comprehension.

And yet, there is a certain granular tenderness in this story of a young man and his (almost) thirty years senior lover that prevents this love story from turning into a chore.

4) Critique of Crosswords :-

A symbol is anything that alludes to something else, usually something abstract, such as an idea or belief. A literary symbol is an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a storey but suggests or represents other meanings.

In 'The Only Story,' Julian Barnes captures the nuances of social life in twentieth-century England. The crossword puzzle was such an important part of this traditional British pastime that several characters in this novel were found meaningfully engaged with it.

t is said that Crossword puzzles have several benefits like:

5) Paul - the unreliable narrator :- 

we can see that this novel is unreliable narration and he is not telling all things openly we can see and feel that he is hiding something from us . we also get to know that he is only telling us about some selected thing which he wanted to share . it is subjective truth and we can see the biaes in his statement. he is argugging with himself and with reader. He has change the story as demanded to the readers. meomery is divided into two parts :- sorts and sifts.

6) Susan - madwoman in the attic :-

we can just assume that because of Paul sausan is in this condition that she has to become mad and there is no one who can help her we can see at the end that how there is susan one daughter who call Paul but at the end also we can see the madness we can also say the madness of love. during her life she was having three love relationship first was from Gerald and then second was from Gardan and last was from Paul . 

7) Joan - one who understood existential enigma :-

Through the warping, colored, protective lens of memory. And, Paul goes on to introduce another feature of memory that will shape his story: “I would guess that memory prioritizes whatever is most useful to help keep the bearer of those memories going. So there would be a self-interest in bringing happier memories to the surface first.” His will be, he’s advising us, a story with a time line and an arc: happy first things first, upswing, downswing. He hints, and we expect, narrative structured along classical lines: a beginning, middle, and an end. Which is exactly what Paul delivers. Dr. Johnson would be pleased with this careful three-part structure. The narrative proceeds—in flash-back from distant to recent past—along a chronological trajectory, formally divided into three separate sections titled: One, Two, and Three.

8) Whom do you think is responsible for the tragedy in the story? Explain with reasons.

I think that Joan is responsible for the tragedy because there is something that he is hiding from the reader and that is a reason that that we are only getting some good parts of Joan life there might be something fishy.