Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story
This research paper endeavors to examine the postmodern absurdism as a literary sub genre in postmodern fiction. It delves deep into the concept of absurdism by concentrating upon the characteristics that distinguish it as a postmodern sub genre. Through the analysis of the postmodern novel, The Only Story (2018), this research paper illustrates how the characteristics of absurdism haven impact upon a postmodern society characterized by boredom, meaninglessness, futility, and confusion. It also highlights how different characters, events, and places have been portrayed in the novel to depict the absurdity of human existence. The theoretical paradigm of the research is based upon Thomas Nagel’s Essay “The Absurd” which is about postmodern space of absurdism and was presented in the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division. The study limelight's how the absurd occurrences and bizarre characters found in the researcher's primary text depict the complexity of the postmodern absurd world in both literal and metaphoric dimensions.
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Postmodern Absurdism, Julian Barnes, The Absurd, The Only Story
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(1) Arshad Nawaz
Lecturer, Department of English, Government College University Faisalabad, Sub-Campus Hafizabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Ijaz
Visiting Lecturer, Department of English Literature, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Khalid Mehmood Anjum
Lecturer, Department of English, Riphah International University Islamabad, Sub-Campus Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
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- Osborne, L. (2018, April 26). He's 19. She's 48 and Married. When They Play Doubles Tennis, It's a Match. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/books/r eview/julian-barnes-only-story.html
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- Scholes, L. (2018, January 31). The Only Story by Julian Barnes, book review: Barnes writes with such shattering emotional acuity. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts- entertainment/books/reviews/the-only-story- julian-barnes-review-a8187251.htm
Cite this article
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APA : Nawaz, A., Ijaz, M., & Anjum, K. M. (2021). Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story. Global Language Review, VI(II), 94-100. https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2021(VI-II).11
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CHICAGO : Nawaz, Arshad, Muhammad Ijaz, and Khalid Mehmood Anjum. 2021. "Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story." Global Language Review, VI (II): 94-100 doi: 10.31703/glr.2021(VI-II).11
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HARVARD : NAWAZ, A., IJAZ, M. & ANJUM, K. M. 2021. Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story. Global Language Review, VI, 94-100.
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MHRA : Nawaz, Arshad, Muhammad Ijaz, and Khalid Mehmood Anjum. 2021. "Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story." Global Language Review, VI: 94-100
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MLA : Nawaz, Arshad, Muhammad Ijaz, and Khalid Mehmood Anjum. "Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story." Global Language Review, VI.II (2021): 94-100 Print.
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OXFORD : Nawaz, Arshad, Ijaz, Muhammad, and Anjum, Khalid Mehmood (2021), "Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story", Global Language Review, VI (II), 94-100
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TURABIAN : Nawaz, Arshad, Muhammad Ijaz, and Khalid Mehmood Anjum. "Postmodern Absurdist Critique of Julian Barnes's The Only Story." Global Language Review VI, no. II (2021): 94-100. https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2021(VI-II).11