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Article

A Quest to Attain the Unattainable: Search of Authenticity in Julian Barnes’s 'The Only Story'

  1. TED ÜNİVERSİTESİ

Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters, Volume 42, Issue 2 (2024) pp. 597–608

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Abstract

Julian Barnes (1946–) is a highly versatile and prolific British author, recognized for his broad thematic range. His thirteenth novel, The Only Story (2018), revisits central concerns that run through his oeuvre, including the passage of time, memory, loss, and the challenge of narrating experience in old age. This article proposes a fresh reading of The Only Story by consulting Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of Being and authenticity, offering a perspective that brings new depth to the understanding of Barnes’s narrative strategies. Heidegger’s existential framework proves particularly illuminating for interpreting the protagonist Paul Roberts’s retrospective storytelling as a philosophical quest for authentic self-understanding. Through its tripartite structure—a narrative form Barnes frequently employs—the novel marks profound transformations in Paul’s perception of love and identity. By analyzing the shifts in narrative voice across the novel’s three parts, this study argues that Paul’s evolving narration reflects his existential endeavour to reconstitute meaning in the face of the loss of his love. Retrospective narration, here, is not merely a stylistic device but an ontological act: Paul’s attempt to render his “only story” authentically mirrors Heidegger’s notion that Being can only be fully grasped through an original and creative engagement with one’s own experiences. In reconstructing his memories, Paul undertakes an inner journey to uncover the constituents of his Being, striving to narrate his love story with the authenticity it demands. Consulting Heidegger thus allows for a nuanced interpretation of Paul’s narrative labor—not merely as recollection, but as an existential project—positioning this study as a novel contribution to both Barnes’ critique and the broader field of existential literary analysis.

Abstract (Turkish, translation)

Ulaşılamaz Olana Ulaşma Serüveni: Julian Barnes’ın 'Biricik Hikâye' Adlı Romanında Sahihlik Arayışı

Julian Barnes (1946–) geniş tematik yelpazesiyle tanınan, son derece üretken ve çok yönlü bir Britanyalı yazardır. On üçüncü romanı olan Biricik Hikaye (2018), zamanın geçişi, hafıza, kayıp ve yaşlılıkla şekillenen yazma sürecinin zorlukları gibi yazarın eserlerinde sıkça işlediği temel temaları yeniden ele alır. Bu makale, The Only Story romanını Martin Heidegger’in Varlık ve sahihlik (authenticity) anlayışı ışığında yorumlayarak esere yeni bir bakış açısı kazandırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Heidegger’in varoluş felsefesi, başkahraman Paul Roberts’ın geriye dönük anlatımını, sahih bir kendilik anlayışına ulaşma çabası olarak yorumlamak için özellikle aydınlatıcı bir zemin sunar. Barnes’ın eserlerinde sıkça kullandığı üç bölümlü yapı, romanda Paul’un aşk ve kimlik anlayışında yaşadığı köklü değişimleri vurgular. Romandaki anlatı sesi değişimlerini analiz eden bu çalışma, Paul’un anlatımındaki dönüşümlerin, kayıp karşısında anlamı yeniden kurmaya yönelik varoluşsal bir çabayı yansıttığını ileri sürmektedir. Burada geriye dönük anlatım yalnızca bir biçimsel tercih değil, aynı zamanda ontolojik bir eylem olarak ele alınır: Paul’un “biricik hikâyesini” anlatma girişimi, Heidegger’in sahih varoluş anlayışıyla örtüşen yaratıcı ve özgün bir deneyimle kendi varlığını kavrama çabasını temsil eder. Anılarını yeniden kurgularken Paul, varoluşunun temel unsurlarını keşfetmeye yönelik içsel bir yolculuğa çıkar ve yaşadığı aşkı hak ettiği özgünlükle anlatmaya çalışır. Olgun anlatıcı Paul, aşkını tanımlamak için en uygun yolu ararken, “Belki de aşk asla bir tanım içinde ele geçirilemezdi; ancak bir hikaye içinde ele geçirilebilirdi” (Barnes, 2020, s. 229) düşüncesine varır ve böylece onu anlatma görevine başlar. Heidegger’e başvurmak, Paul’un anlatı çabasını sadece bir hatırlama süreci olarak değil, aynı zamanda bir varoluş projesi olarak okumaya imkân tanır. Dolayısıyla, bu çalışma, hem Barnes incelemelerine hem de varoluşçu edebiyat analizine özgün bir katkı sunmayı amaçlamaktadır.

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References

  1. Barnes, J. (2018). The Only Story. Vintage.
  2. Barnes, J. (2020). Biricik Hikaye (S. R. Kırkoğlu, Trans.). Ayrıntı.
  3. Booth, W. C. (1961). The Rhetoric of Fiction. University of Chicago Press.
  4. Clanchy, K. (2018, January 26). ‘The Only Story’ by Julian Barnes Review: An Exquisite Look at Love. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/26/the-only-story-julin-barnes-review
  5. Genette, G. (1980). Narrative Discourse (J. E. Lewin, Trans.). Blackwell.
  6. Golomb, J. (1995). In Search of Authenticity: From Kierkegaard to Camus. Routledge.
  7. Guignery, V. (2006). The Fiction of Julian Barnes. Palgrave Macmillan.
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  9. Guignon, C. (2000). Authenticity and Integrity. In P. Young-Eisendrath & M. E. Miller (Eds.), The Psychology of Mature Spirituality: Integrity, Wisdom, Transcendence (pp. 62–74). Routledge.
  10. Guignon, C. (2004). Becoming a Self: The role of Authenticity in Being and Time. In C. Guignon (Ed.), The Existentialists: Critical Essays on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre (pp. 119–132). Rowman & Littlefield.
  11. Han, B.-C. (2017). The Agony of Eros. The MIT Press.
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  16. Nietzsche, F. (1974). The Gay Science (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). Vintage Books.
  17. Nünning, A. F. (2005). Reconceptualizing Unreliable Narration: Synthesizing Cognitive and Rhetorical Approaches. In J. Phelan & P. J. Rabinowitz (Eds.), A Companion to Narrative Theory (pp. 89–107). Blackwell.
  18. Pateman, M. (2002). Julian Barnes. Northcote House.
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  20. Taylor, C. (1991). The Ethics of Authenticity. Harvard University Press.
  21. Varga, S. (2009). Life as art: Concerning Some Paradoxes of an Ethical Concept. Estetika: The Central European Journal of Aesthetics, 46(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.33134/eeja.51
  22. Webber, J. (2018). Rethinking Existentialism. Oxford University Press.

Cite this publication

APA 7

Çakmak Özgürel, C. (2024). A Quest to Attain the Unattainable: Search of Authenticity in Julian Barnes’s 'The Only Story'. Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters, 42(2), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1638679

BibTeX

@article{cakmakozgurel2024quest,
  author = {{\c{C}}akmak {\"O}zg{\"u}rel, Cansu},
  title = {{A Quest to Attain the Unattainable: Search of Authenticity in Julian Barnes's 'The Only Story'}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {42},
  number = {2},
  pages = {597--608},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2024},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  doi = {10.32600/huefd.1638679},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/a-quest-to-attain-the-unattainable-search-of-authenticity-in-julian-barness-the-only-story},
  language = {en},
  keywords = {{\.I}ngiliz ve {\.I}rlanda Dili, Edebiyat{\i} ve K{\"u}lt{\"u}r{\"u}},
  abstract = {Julian Barnes (1946--) is a highly versatile and prolific British author, recognized for his broad thematic range. His thirteenth novel, The Only Story (2018), revisits central concerns that run through his oeuvre, including the passage of time, memory, loss, and the challenge of narrating experience in old age. This article proposes a fresh reading of The Only Story by consulting Martin Heidegger's philosophy of Being and authenticity, offering a perspective that brings new depth to the understanding of Barnes's narrative strategies. Heidegger's existential framework proves particularly illuminating for interpreting the protagonist Paul Roberts's retrospective storytelling as a philosophical quest for authentic self-understanding. Through its tripartite structure---a narrative form Barnes frequently employs---the novel marks profound transformations in Paul's perception of love and identity. By analyzing the shifts in narrative voice across the novel's three parts, this study argues that Paul's evolving narration reflects his existential endeavour to reconstitute meaning in the face of the loss of his love. Retrospective narration, here, is not merely a stylistic device but an ontological act: Paul's attempt to render his ``only story'' authentically mirrors Heidegger's notion that Being can only be fully grasped through an original and creative engagement with one's own experiences. In reconstructing his memories, Paul undertakes an inner journey to uncover the constituents of his Being, striving to narrate his love story with the authenticity it demands. Consulting Heidegger thus allows for a nuanced interpretation of Paul's narrative labor---not merely as recollection, but as an existential project---positioning this study as a novel contribution to both Barnes' critique and the broader field of existential literary analysis.},
  affiliation = {TED {\"U}N{\.I}VERS{\.I}TES{\.I}}
}
.bib

RIS

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Çakmak Özgürel, Cansu
TI  - A Quest to Attain the Unattainable: Search of Authenticity in Julian Barnes’s 'The Only Story'
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 42
IS  - 2
PY  - 2024
SP  - 597
EP  - 608
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
DO  - 10.32600/huefd.1638679
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/a-quest-to-attain-the-unattainable-search-of-authenticity-in-julian-barness-the-only-story
AB  - Julian Barnes (1946–) is a highly versatile and prolific British author, recognized for his broad thematic range. His thirteenth novel, The Only Story (2018), revisits central concerns that run through his oeuvre, including the passage of time, memory, loss, and the challenge of narrating experience in old age. This article proposes a fresh reading of The Only Story by consulting Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of Being and authenticity, offering a perspective that brings new depth to the understanding of Barnes’s narrative strategies. Heidegger’s existential framework proves particularly illuminating for interpreting the protagonist Paul Roberts’s retrospective storytelling as a philosophical quest for authentic self-understanding. Through its tripartite structure—a narrative form Barnes frequently employs—the novel marks profound transformations in Paul’s perception of love and identity. By analyzing the shifts in narrative voice across the novel’s three parts, this study argues that Paul’s evolving narration reflects his existential endeavour to reconstitute meaning in the face of the loss of his love. Retrospective narration, here, is not merely a stylistic device but an ontological act: Paul’s attempt to render his “only story” authentically mirrors Heidegger’s notion that Being can only be fully grasped through an original and creative engagement with one’s own experiences. In reconstructing his memories, Paul undertakes an inner journey to uncover the constituents of his Being, striving to narrate his love story with the authenticity it demands. Consulting Heidegger thus allows for a nuanced interpretation of Paul’s narrative labor—not merely as recollection, but as an existential project—positioning this study as a novel contribution to both Barnes’ critique and the broader field of existential literary analysis.
KW  - İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili
KW  - Edebiyatı ve Kültürü
LA  - en
AD  - TED ÜNİVERSİTESİ
ER  -
.ris