Personalisation of Education by AI and Big Data - Lourdes Guàrdia
Paper 207 Contemporary English Literature .pptx
1. Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Date: 1st April 2024
Sem 4। Batch 2022-24
Contemporary English Literature
‘PaulRoberts’asAn Unreliable
NarratorinJulianBarnesNovel
'TheOnlyStory’
Prepared by Upasna Goswami
5. BiographyAboutAuthor:JulianBarnes
● Born in Leicester, England on January 19, 1946
● Educated at City of London School and Magdalen College, Oxford (graduated
1968)
● Worked as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary supplement
(1968-1971)
● Literary career as reviewer, editor, television critic for publications like New
Statesman, New Review, Observer
● Notable novels: The Sense of an Ending (Won Man Booker Prize 2011),
Flaubert's Parrot, England, England, Arthur & George
● Other major awards: Somerset Maugham Award, Geoffrey Faber Memorial
Prize, Prix Médicis, Prix Femina
● Honours: Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
(France), Officer of the Order of the British Empire
● Themes explored: history, reality, truth, love
● Currently lives in London (Roberts)
6. AboutNovel
● The novel takes its epigraph from Samuel Johnson's definition of a novel as "A small tale,
generally of love", setting up the reader's expectations of an intimate, focused love story.
● The narrator, Paul, directly addresses the reader throughout, posing philosophical questions
about love's inevitability versus choice, foreshadowing the novel's exploration of these
themes.
● Paul is an unreliable narrator, telling his subjective "only story" through the lens of flawed
memory, which shapes and colors the narrative.
● The novel follows a classic three-act structure - beginning with Paul's infatuation, moving
to the middle of their relationship, and concluding with its deterioration.
● The opening quote asking whether one would prefer to love more and suffer more or love
less and suffer less sets up the central dilemma Paul grapples with throughout his
recounting.
● The novel promises an intimate character study examining the joys and pains of an all-
consuming love affair over multiple decades. (Campbell)
7. WhatisUnreliableNarrator
● An Unreliable Narrator is a narrator whether in literature film or theater ,who is not trustworthy His story
can not be taken at face value by the reader he can’t be trusted.
● Unreliable narrators are almost by definition first person narrators.
● The Unreliability may be obvious to the reader throughout the novel ,may be revealed gradually or may
come as a single revelation that results in a major plot
● Unreliable narrators intentionally or unintentionally deceive or mislead readers. The main types of
unreliable narrators include the naïve narrator, outsider, picaro, madman, and liar.
● Fiction that challenges our preconceptions is powerful. Unreliable narrators may generate ambiguity and
distort reality, enabling us to draw our own judgments
● .The unreliable narrator lives in the story’s universe and has an inherent prejudice or agenda. While an
unreliable narrator in the second or third person is possible, it is uncommon.(Seddon)
8. Category Description
Naively unreliable Lack maturity or experience
Evasively unreliable Unintentionally or unconsciously
alter the truth
Deliberately unreliable Purposefully deceive the reader
Types of Unreliable Narrators
9. PaulRobertsasAnUnreliableNarrator
● In ‘The Only Story’ by Julian Barnes, Robert Paul is a complex character who serves as both a
mentor and a cautionary figure to the protagonist,
● Paul. Robert is portrayed as charismatic, adventurous, and worldly-wise, with a penchant for
challenging societal norms.
● As an unreliable narrator, Paule's credibility is immediately called into question. The reader is
forced to critically analyze his narration and question whether the events he describes are accurate
or distorted by his subjective experiences, beliefs, and emotional state.
● Paule's unreliability could stem from various factors, such as mental instability, psychological
issues, or a desire to justify his actions or protect his self-image. This could make him a morally
ambiguous character, existing in a gray area where his motivations and decisions are open to
interpretation.
● Paule's character that likely emerges is the issue of perspective and bias. As the narrator, Paule's
perception of events is inevitably colored by his personal experiences, beliefs, and emotional state.
10. ● Paule's character that likely emerges is the issue of perspective and bias. As the narrator, Paule's perception of
events is inevitably colored by his personal experiences, beliefs, and emotional state.
● Paule's narrative voice, it could reveal insights into his character. For example, if his narration is marked by
inconsistencies, contradictions, or shifts in tone or perspective, it could suggest a fragmented or unstable psyche,
adding depth and complexity to his character.
● Robert Paule's character likely plays a pivotal role in creating ambiguity and uncertainty within the novel. By
presenting a protagonist whose account cannot be fully trusted, Barnes likely aims to encourage readers to
engage in critical analysis and question the boundaries between truth and perception.
● Sure, here are some important lines from the document that illustrate how Robert Paule can be seen as an
unreliable narrator in The Only Story:
● "Paul's narration is driven by his honest effort to retell his life as, in his view, it really happened." This line
suggests that Paule is giving his subjective perspective, which may not align with objective reality.
● "Paul repeatedly admits that in connection with Susan he can hardly recall bygone events exactly as they were
and in their right chronological order, and in some cases even whether they actually occurred at all." This direct
admission by Paule himself casts doubt on the reliability of his narrated memories.
11. ● "This fragmented narration plausibly mirrors the essential process which generates and constitutes it
– the disorderliness and selectiveness of recollecting memories which are frequently incoherent,
inconsistent, fragmentary, and jumbled in terms of their succession in time." The fragmented
narrative style reflects the fallibility of Paule's memories and recollections.
● "Paul comes to realize that this long-standing stress and emotional strain exhausted and numbed him
to such an extent that he felt no remorse or blame." Paule's emotionally numbed state during the
events could have impaired his ability to accurately perceive and recall them.
● "He comes to admit that the sad story of his first true love may have been determinant for his
subsequent life, but that it is by no means the only one his conscience has had to cope with." This
suggests Paule's narration may be focused on his perspective alone, omitting other key events and
emotional impacts
● These lines show that Paule might not be telling the whole truth because he relies on his memory,
which can be wrong. He was also feeling very emotional at the time, which can affect how he
remembers things. he sees things from his own perspective, which might not be completely accurate.
So, while Paule might not be lying on purpose, we shouldn't completely trust everything he
says.(Chalupský)
12. ExamplesfromNovel
“ As a narrator, I would not be attempting to offer my audience objective facts of a recognizable reality, but
rather my highly-colored perceptions and interpretations, given without any third-party or factual
corroboration to demonstrate these as accurate, or even to suggest my awareness of my personal bias.”
(Davison)
● “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.”(Barnes)
● “I keep saying that I was nineteen. But sometimes, in what I’ve told you so far, I was twenty or
twenty-one. These events happened over a period of two years and more”(Barnes)
● “You understand, I hope, that I’m telling you everything as I remember it? I never kept a diary, and
most of the participants in my story – my story! my life! – are either dead or far dispersed.”(Barnes)
13. “The first-person unreliable narrator never suggests they are like the God of their world by offering you a mutually
agreed upon objectivity, but rather gives you his/her own view of what happened and why it appears so important that
it needed to become a story.” (Davison)
● “Most of us have only one story to tell. I don’t mean that only one thing happens to us in our lives: there are
countless events, which we turn into countless stories. But there’s only one that matters, only one finally worth
telling. This is mine.”(Barnes)
● “If this is your only story, then it’s the one you have most often told and retold, even if – as is the case here –
mainly to yourself. The question then is: do all these retellings bring you closer to the truth of what happened,
or move you further away? I’m not sure”(Barnes)
● “I said I never kept a diary. This isn’t strictly true. There was a point, in my isolation and turmoil, when I
thought writing things down might help. I used a hardback notebook, black ink, one side of the paper. I tried to
be objective. There was no point, I thought, in merely venting my feelings of hurt and betrayal.”(Barnes)
14. Conclusion:
● Paul Roberts serves as a prime example of an unreliable narrator in Barnes' novel. His account is
fundamentally shaped by his subjective perspective and personal biases, compromising the
objectivity of his narration. Paul openly acknowledges the fragmented and inconsistent nature of
his memories, admitting that emotional turmoil and instability have distorted his recollection of
pivotal events. Crucially, his narrative lacks corroborating evidence or third-party perspectives,
leaving readers to grapple with the subjectivity of his sole account. Barnes' deliberate use of this
fragmented, introspective narrative style mirrors the disorderly process of recollection, further
emphasizing the inherent unreliability of Paul's storytelling. Ultimately, Paul's self-doubts about
whether retelling his story brings him closer to the truth underscore the novel's overarching
exploration of the complexities of perspective, truth, and the fallibility of human experience.
15. References
Barnes, Julian. The Only Story. Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. Accessed 1 April 2024.
Campbell, Ellen Prentiss. “The Only Story, by Julian Barnes.” Fiction Writers Review, 17 April 2018,
https://fictionwritersreview.com/review/the-only-story-by-julian-barnes/. Accessed 30 March 2024.
Chalupský, Petr. “Julian Barnes’s The Only Story – Within and Beyond the Author’s Idiosyncrasies.”
YouTube: Home, 9 November 2017, https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2348.
Accessed 1 April 2024.
Davison, Neil. “What is an Unreliable Narrator? || Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms | Oregon State.”
College of Liberal Arts, 2019, https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-unreliable-narrator.
Accessed 30 March 2024.
16. Jackson, Shirley. “Unreliable Narrator – Definition, Types, and Examples.” Tutors, 13 February 2024,
https://tutors.com/lesson/unreliable-narrator. Accessed 31 March 2024.
Karen, Hewitt. “Who - or what - is an unreliable narrator? – тема научной статьи по языкознанию и
литературоведению.” КиберЛенинка, 2008, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/who-or-what-is-
an-unreliable-narrator. Accessed 31 March 2024.
Roberts, Ryan. “Biography.” Julian Barnes, 1996, https://julianbarnes.com/bio/index.html. Accessed 30
March 2024.
Seddon, Holly. “The Unreliable Narrator: All You Need To Know – Jericho Writers.” Jericho Writers,
https://jerichowriters.com/the-unreliable-narrator/. Accessed 1 April 2024.
