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Reconstructed Memory of Love in Julian Barnes's The Only Story
- 1. Reconstructed Memory of Love in Julian Barness The Only Story
- 2. Presented by : Bhavna Sosa Roll no. : 02 Semester : 4 Batch : 2021-23 Paper : Contemporary Literature Topic : Reconstructed Memory of Love in Julian Barness novel The Only Story Submitted by : Department of English MKBU
- 3. Table of contents 1. 3. 2. 5. > < < > < < 4. Introduction About author About Novel Reconstructed Memory of Love Conclusion
- 4. About Julian Barnes: Full name : Julian Patrick Barnes Pseudonyms : Edward Pygge and Dan Kavanagh Born : January 19, 1946, Leicester, England Genre : Novels, short stories, essays, memoirs Literary Movement: Postmodernism Works : Metroland (1980) Before She Met Me (1982) The Sense of an Ending (2011) The Noise of Time (2016) The Only Story (2018) Elizabeth Finch (2022)
- 5. Notable Award: Prix Femina 1992 Commandeur of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2004 Man Booker Prize 2011 Jerusalem Prize 2021
- 6. About novel : Title :The Only Story Author: Julian Barnes Original Language: English Genre: memory novel Published: 2018 Publishers: Jonathan Cape Setting: "stockbroker belt"outside London, 1960s Narrator: Paul Roberts Parts: 3
- 7. Introduction The Only Story is primarily about the nature of love, and its impact on the people involved in it. The novel begins with a quotation: 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 isnt a real question. Because we dont have the choice. If we had the choice, then there would be a question. But we dont, so there isnt. Who can control how much they love? If you can control it, then it isnt love. I dont know what you call it instead, but it isnt love.
- 8. Memory sorts and sifts according to the demands made on it by the rememberer. Do we have access to the algorithm of its priorities? Probably not. But I would guess that memory prioritises 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. (p. 34)
- 9. Reconstructed Memory of Love The narrator in part three is haunted with some particular moments of his unforgettable experience in the past. In The Only Story can be read as an independent part from the two previous parts. Compared to them, part three fairly represents Barness taste and interest. In Cornelia Stotts words, Barnes is very interested in answering questions concerning memory, finding ways of making the past accessible, and dealing with the tendency of wanting to change the view of the past to fit the present. According to Childs argument, Barness novels can sometimes seem like conversational forays that develop a line of thought about society and culture into all kinds of fictional avenues but they are also often formally unusual and almost perversely experimental. In this part, Paul outlines his recollections on his only story as the most effective event in his entire life. Five decades after their meeting, the narrator recounts his third person contemplation on his unforgettable experience as he believes it will help him to assess his life more accurately.
- 10. In Part Three of the novel, the narrators obsession with finding a definition of love becomes an unhealthy fixation. He reflects on the concept of love and concludes that it is elusive and constantly changing. He also revises his rigid thoughts about concepts and people, but remains fixated on his experience with Susan. This part in the including the elusive nature of memory, the construction of history, and the evasiveness of truth. Despite the unreliable nature of memory, the narrator attempts to accurately reconstruct his life with Susan. According to Childes: Ironic comedy and false memory are two of the poles around which Julian Barness work revolves If the past is alive for us in the present because we remember it, Barness fiction would suggest that it is not necessarily the past that we remember. The versions and details that inhabit memories are mutable and changeable. Recollections fashion a current sense of identity and arguably vice versa, but for Barnes the most important aspect to memory is that it is imaginative. (2011, p. 6) In this point how Paul, in part three of the story, reconstructs his memories through imagination, allowing him to transfigure his memories into what he desires. Through this process, he experiences a different kind of love based on shared singularity and accepts the differences between himself and Susan. By reviewing his memories, he realizes his own shortcomings and ignorance in terms of love, sex, and his relationship with Susan. Paul also attributes the root of his unfulfilled life to the communal life structure in the village, where nobody recognized his complications. As a result, Paul tries to reorder his thoughts about love and his life in his early twenties, becoming more flexible as he grows older.
- 11. The last segment of part three presents the narrators deep philosophical contemplation on love. He is now mostly concerned with the plausible definition of love and the nature of his own experience of it. He comes to the conclusion that love is a painful experience as nobody can experience love without being hurt. The narrator has experienced cognitive and emotional growth, but he does not seek forgiveness orbredemption. Instead, he chooses to accept the reality of his past life in a minimalistic way. His perspective on his past life undergoes a dramatic change, and he focuses on the prospect of his future life at the end. I looked at her profile, and thought back to some moments from my own private cinema. But after a few minutes of this, my mind began to wander. I couldnt keep it on love and loss, on fun and grief. I didnt feel guilty about any of this; indeed, I think I am now probably done with guilt. But the rest of my life, such as it was, and subsequently would be, was calling me back. (2018, p. 383)
- 12. Paul has resolved a long-standing inner conflict about his experience of love, after struggling with it for five decades. He recognizes the importance of external factors such as time, social institutions, and individual differences, as well as the constructed nature of memory. By changing his perspective and overcoming his self-critical and repetitive thinking, he enters a new phase in his life.
- 13. To Conclude, The novel "The Only Story" by Julian Barnes exposes the flawed nature of love and the idea of shared identity through the lens of reconstructed memories. The protagonist learns that his romantic relationship with his partner was primarily based on unfulfilled expectations and egotistical demands, which ultimately led to their breakup. According to Lacan's concept of love, their relationship could not provide them with a sense of fulfillment or completeness. The protagonist describes his experience of love as a unique occurrence that took place during the 1960s in Europe, a time of sexual revolution, where he was a precursor to the modern generation in his society. Conclusion :
- 14. Work Citated Barnes, Julian. The Only Story, Jonathan Cape, 2018. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Julian Barnes". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Jan. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julian-Barnes. Accessed 6 March 2023. Childes, P. Julian Barnes. Manchester University Press, 2011. NAYEBPOUR, Karam, and Naghmeh VARGHA聴YAN. Reconstructed Memory of Love in Julian Barness the Only Story. Hacettepe niversitesi Edebiyat Fak端ltesi Dergisi, vol. 38, no. 2, 2021, pp. 336347., https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.693265. Stott, C. The Sound of Truth. Constructed and Reconstructed Lives in English Novels since Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot. Marburg: Tectum Verlag Marburg., 2010. Thank you