This quote from Julian Barnes’s The Only Story questions the nature of love and suffering. It presents a dilemma: is it better to love deeply and suffer more, or to love less and suffer less? At first, it seems like a choice, but the narrator quickly dismisses that idea because love isn’t something we can control. If we could choose how much to love, then it wouldn’t truly be love. Love, by its nature, is unpredictable and overpowering.
Paul’s story is proof of this. He falls for Susan despite the consequences. Their love is passionate but leads to pain, regret, and suffering. He could not have stopped himself from loving her, nor could he have controlled how much he felt for her. His suffering was inevitable.
The novel challenges the romanticized idea that love is always beautiful and fulfilling. Instead, it shows how love often brings destruction, guilt, and loss. Paul’s love for Susan is not just about joy; it is about responsibility and the weight of choices. Barnes reminds us that love is not logical it cannot be measured or limited. If we could control love, it would lose its meaning.
2. Who is Uncle Humphrey? How / why is this minor character significant in the novel?
Uncle Humphrey is a minor but profoundly significant character in The Only Story. He is Susan’s uncle, who sexually abused her during her childhood and adolescence. Though he appears only in her recollections, his presence has left a lasting scar on her life. His abuse, described in disturbing detail, contributes to Susan’s emotional detachment, her struggles with intimacy, and possibly even her dependence on alcohol.
His significance lies in how his actions shaped Susan’s worldview. She expresses deep cynicism, saying, “There isn’t any justice, here or anywhere else.” This suggests that her early experiences with abuse made her lose faith in fairness, love, and the idea of a moral order. Her remark about the afterlife imagining Uncle Humph forever winning at bridge and demanding “party kisses” shows how his presence haunts her even in death. Uncle Humphrey also represents a broader theme in the novel: the long-lasting effects of trauma.
While Paul initially romanticizes Susan’s tragic life, he eventually realizes that she carries burdens too deep for love to fix. The novel subtly hints that her drinking and emotional struggles might be rooted in this childhood violation. Though Paul dismisses Uncle Humphrey from his mind, Susan never fully escapes his shadow.
3. While applying Gerard Genet’s tool of ‘Duration’ in narratology, how can we explain the narrative time and discourse time in Julian Barnes’s ‘The Only Story’?
Here’s how Gérard Genette’s concept of duration applies to The Only Story, using narrative time (the time events occur in the story) and discourse time (how the story is told):
| Aspect | Narrative Time (Story Time) | Discourse Time (Narration Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Timeframe | Spans about 50 years of Paul’s life | Paul narrates from an older perspective, reflecting on past events |
| Chronology | Begins with Paul’s youthful affair with Susan and moves through her decline | The narrative is non-linear, shifting between past and present reflections |
| Speed of Narration | Some periods, like Susan’s decline, take place over years | Certain moments (Paul and Susan’s early romance) are detailed, while others (her later years) are summarized |
| Ellipsis (Omission of Time) | Large gaps in time, such as after Paul leaves Susan | The novel skips years, condensing decades into brief reflections |
| Scene (Real-Time Representation) | Key conversations, romantic moments, and arguments are depicted in detail | Dialogue and inner thoughts slow down time, making some moments more immersive |
| Summary (Condensed Time) | Paul summarizes his later years and Susan’s illness | Events spanning years are narrated in a few sentences |
| Repetitive Narration | Some events, like Susan’s suffering, are revisited multiple times | Paul repeatedly reflects on his relationship, reinforcing his emotional turmoil |
Barnes plays with time to show Paul’s shifting perspective his youthful idealism, middle-aged detachment, and older self’s regret all through variations in narrative duration.
4. Write brief note on the narrative pattern with its thematic & postmodernist significance:
| Significant Point in Narrative Pattern | Thematic & Postmodernist Significance |
|---|---|
| First-Person Retrospective Narration | Paul, as an older narrator, reflects on his past, showing memory’s unreliability—aligning with postmodernist skepticism about objective truth. |
| Fragmented and Non-Linear Structure | The story does not follow a chronological order, reflecting the chaotic nature of memory and reinforcing the idea that love and suffering cannot be neatly structured. |
| Shift from First-Person to Second and Third-Person | Paul’s movement from "I" to "you" and "he" signals emotional detachment, showing how love transforms and distances over time. This also aligns with postmodernist play with perspective and self-awareness. |
| Blending of Romance and Tragedy | Challenges traditional love narratives—suggesting that love is more about suffering than fulfillment, subverting romantic ideals. |
| Use of Repetition and Reflection | Certain events and phrases are revisited, mirroring how memory distorts and how trauma lingers, reinforcing postmodernist concerns with subjectivity. |
| Intertextual References and Philosophical Reflections | The novel engages with existential and philosophical questions (e.g., "Would you rather love more and suffer more?"), emphasizing uncertainty and lack of absolute answers—a key postmodern trait. |
Overall, the narrative pattern reflects postmodernist themes of memory’s instability, love’s destructiveness, and the impossibility of objective truth, making the novel a meditation on human emotions and the ways we construct and reconstruct our past.
5. Is Julian Barnes’s ‘The Only Story’ more on suffering than on love? Explain with the help of Greek etymological meaning of ‘passion’ which means ‘suffering’.
Julian Barnes’s The Only Story is more about suffering than love, as it explores the painful consequences of deep emotional attachment. The Greek root of ‘passion’ (πάσχω, pascho) means ‘to suffer,’ highlighting how love often brings pain rather than joy. Paul’s love for Susan leads to heartbreak, helplessness, and regret rather than fulfillment. His passion becomes a burden, mirroring tragic love stories from literature and mythology. Instead of an idealized romance, the novel presents love as a force that consumes and damages, proving that the intensity of love often comes with unbearable suffering.
6. How would you prove that Julian Barnes’s ‘The Only Story’ is a memory novel?
| Important Point in the Trajectory | Illustrations from the Novel |
|---|---|
| Narration from Paul’s Older Self | The novel is told from the perspective of an older Paul, who reflects on his youthful love affair with Susan. |
| Shift from First to Second and Third Person | Paul starts narrating in the first person but later shifts to the second and third person, showing his emotional distance from the past. |
| Selective and Unreliable Memory | Paul admits that memory reshapes events, making his recollections subjective rather than factual. |
| Repetitive Reflection on Love and Suffering | The novel continuously revisits key moments, emphasizing how memories shape one’s understanding of love and loss. |
| Fragmented and Non-Linear Narrative | The novel does not follow a strict chronological order but jumps between different phases of Paul’s life, mirroring how memory works. |
| Nostalgia and Regret | Paul looks back with both fondness and sorrow, questioning the choices he made and the inevitability of suffering in love. |
This structure highlights how The Only Story functions as a memory novel, reconstructing the past through an introspective and fragmented lens.
7. How do you explain ‘rescue fantasy’?
The concept of a "rescue fantasy" refers to a psychological trope where a person typically a man believes they can "save" a woman from her difficult circumstances, often romanticizing the idea of being her savior. This fantasy is deeply rooted in fairy tales, classical myths, and cultural narratives where male heroes rescue helpless women from distress, often leading to romantic or sexual relationships.
In The Only Story, Paul initially dismisses the idea of a "rescue fantasy" , believing that his relationship with Susan is not based on illusion but on "rescue reality." Unlike mythical figures or Marilyn Monroe whom men wanted to "rescue" only to possess Susan had no other saviors waiting for her. Paul genuinely believed he was the only one who could free her from her unhappy marriage. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that his attempt to "rescue" Susan ultimately fails. Rather than saving her, he becomes overwhelmed by her struggles, leading to his own suffering and disillusionment.
Barnes critiques the "rescue fantasy" by showing that love based on the desire to save someone is neither sustainable nor truly heroic. Instead, it often leads to greater suffering for both individuals involved.
Analysis of the Context: "Why do you cheat at crosswords?"
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| a. Who is the speaker and to whom is this question addressed? | Paul asks this question to Joan, Susan’s friend. |
| b. What is the response given by the recipient? | Joan responds with laughter and explains that after experiencing great suffering, she realizes that nothing truly matters. Cheating at crosswords, to her, is insignificant because she has "been to hell and back already." However, she draws a distinction looking at the answers in the back of the book would be real cheating. |
| c. Is the reference to "cheating at crosswords" repeated in the novel? | The phrase itself is not frequently repeated, but it serves as a metaphor for Joan’s outlook on life her cynicism, her disillusionment, and her attempt to find small acts of rebellion in a meaningless world. |
| d. What inferences can be drawn from this reference? | The conversation highlights Joan’s philosophy of life, shaped by suffering. Her explanation suggests a deep resignation, where she has lost faith in traditional morality or justice. The distinction she makes about what constitutes real cheating reflects a personal code of ethics in a world she sees as indifferent. Additionally, this moment foreshadows Paul’s own journey toward disillusionment and suffering, showing how the characters deal with pain in different ways. |
In Julian Barnes's "The Only Story," crosswords serve as a multifaceted symbol reflecting the complexities of life and relationships. Joan's habit of cheating at crosswords illustrates a coping mechanism for life's perceived meaninglessness, suggesting that in a world where "nothing fucking matters," bending trivial rules becomes inconsequential. This act underscores themes of existential despair and the search for control in an unpredictable world. Additionally, crosswords represent the intricate and often puzzling nature of human relationships. Just as solving a crossword requires deciphering clues and finding the right fit, navigating relationships involves understanding and connecting disparate pieces of human experience. The novel's narrative structure, with its fragmented memories and shifting perspectives, mirrors the process of piecing together a crossword puzzle, highlighting the challenges of making sense of past events and emotions. Thus, crosswords encapsulate the novel's exploration of memory, meaning, and the human condition.
3. Analyze the following quote in the context of the novel: "The point of the story is 'safe and capable.'"
Analysis of the Quote: "The point of the story is 'safe and capable.'"
(a) Speaker and Addressee:
The quote is spoken by Susan Macleod and addressed to Paul, the narrator and protagonist of the novel.
(b) Significance within the Context of the Story:
Susan’s remark, “The point of the story is ‘safe and capable,’” encapsulates a central theme of the novel: the contrast between youthful romantic idealism and the harsh realities of love. Paul, as a young man, believes in passionate, transformative love, whereas Susan, with her life experiences, understands the necessity of stability and reliability in relationships.
Her words reflect her pragmatic approach—having endured an unhappy marriage, she values emotional security over romantic intensity. For Paul, however, this idea is elusive, as he is driven by an idealistic notion of love. The phrase also foreshadows the novel’s shift in tone, as Paul gradually realizes that love often leads to suffering rather than fulfillment. Ultimately, this moment underscores the novel’s meditation on love, loss, and the disillusionment that accompanies growing up.
4. Evaluate the use of the phrase "moviemaker's bromide" in the novel "The Only Story."
Evaluation of the Phrase "Moviemaker’s Bromide" in The Only Story
(a) Frequency of Use in the Novel:
The phrase "moviemaker’s bromide" appears twice in The Only Story.
(b) Situations When the Phrase Appears:
- During Paul’s Reflection on Redemption: Paul dismisses the idea of redemption as too simplistic and cinematic something that movies often present as a satisfying resolution, whereas real life is far messier and unresolved.
- During Paul’s Final Goodbye to Susan: Paul considers kissing Susan as a dramatic farewell but recognizes that such a moment belongs more to a movie cliché than real life. Instead, reality is mundane his mind drifts to trivial matters like petrol and cheese sales.
(c) Significance within the Context of the Story:
The phrase critiques the artificiality of idealized love and closure often depicted in films. Paul acknowledges that life does not offer neatly tied endings—love does not necessarily lead to redemption, nor does parting always come with grand emotional gestures. Instead, real emotions are fragmented, unpredictable, and often interrupted by mundane concerns.
By using this phrase, Barnes reinforces the postmodernist theme of deconstructing romanticized narratives, showing that love is not a fairy tale but a complex, often painful, and unresolved experience.
Thank You.
References :
Barad, Dilip. The Only Story. blog.dilipbarad.com/2022/02/the-only-story.html.
“Worksheet-1.pdf.” Google Docs, drive.google.com/file/d/1-mRHezHfSxBNJnwtcgvNMD5Gdq_3ZFSP/view?usp=share_link.
“Worksheet-2narrative Memory Love theme.pdf.” Google Docs, drive.google.com/file/d/1E9-HQ4336NSrNBNwi-rxIC79JZ-Bg5TW/view?usp=share_link.
“Worksheet-3_ed.pdf.” Google Docs, drive.google.com/file/d/122XMnTt7P_dGWsnkqIjwGgFKPH5DJXqO/view?usp=share_link.
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