One off the short list

Doris Lessing
Preview Questions
■Why does Graham create the short list?
■What does the short list mean to him?
■Why does Barbara sleep with Graham
eventually?
■How does their sexual relationship
influence Barbara and Graham
respectively?
Doris Lessing
■ Lessing is the eleventh woman to win the prize
in its 106-year history and also the oldest
person ever to win the literature award.

■ The recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in

Literature, Lessing was described by the award
committee as "that epicist of the female
experience, who with scepticism, fire and
visionary power has subjected a divided
civilization to scrutiny.“
Doris Lessing

■ Lessing was born on 22 October 1919 to British

parents in Kermanshah in what was then known as
Persia (now Iran) as Doris May Taylor.

■ In 1925 the family moved to a farm in what was

then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) hoping to
improve their income. Lessing described her
childhood on the farm in the first part of her
autobiography, Under My Skin (1994).
Historical Context
■ "One off the Short List" was published in 1963, a
period marked by significant cultural shifts,
particularly concerning gender roles and sexual
dynamics.
■ The 1960s saw the rise of the feminist movement,
challenging traditional norms of male dominance and
advocating for women's rights, autonomy, and
equality.
■ Lessing's story captures the social tensions of this
era by critiquing patriarchal attitudes, especially male
entitlement and objectification of women.
Historical Context
■During this period, professional spaces
were still predominantly male, and
women navigating such environments
often faced subtle and overt forms of
sexism.
■The story portrays these dynamics by
exploring how Graham uses his status to
pursue Barbara, assuming control and
entitlement over her responses.
One off the Short List
■“One off the Short List”, first
published in 1963, shows male
vanity and presumption by
reversing the terms of the power
relationship and the rules of
seduction
The title
■The title "One off the Short List" signifies
Graham's objectifying attitude toward
women, treating them as targets or
conquests to be checked off a list.
■It reflects his desire to "win" Barbara,
seeing her not as an individual but as
another accomplishment, revealing the
shallow and manipulative nature of his
intentions.
One off the Short List

■a self-hating former novelist thinks

he can regain his lost self-esteem by
sexually dominating a series of up-
and-coming women on his "short
list."
■He forces himself on a successful
theater designer in order to prove
himself both personally and publicly.
One off the Short List

■However, the woman retains her

dignity despite the unpleasant
sexual relationship, and the man
ultimately recognizes that he has
engineered his own humiliation
and defeat.
Theme
power imbalance and coercion are key issues in
Graham’s actions toward Barbara.
Graham ignores Barbara’s clear signs of
disinterest and takes her politeness as an
invitation to keep pursuing her.
His constant pressure shows a sense of
entitlement, where he believes he deserves her
attention.
Theme
Barbara finally gives in, not because she
wants to, but because she is tired and wants
the situation to end.
This shows how coercion can replace real
consent. Lessing uses this to show the unfair
power imbalance between men and women
and the emotional stress women face in
such situations.
Graham
■Graham’s feelings of inferiority and jealousy
towards the artist
■By treating talented female artists as if they
were his lovers, he fulfills his pride, gets
pleasure from other people’s envying him.
■His attempt to feel superior to this female
artist by treating her as a woman and not as
an artist.
■ His desire for her symbolizes a longing to
reclaim a sense of control and vitality.
Graham
■ It is Graham’s twisted fantasy that he
can be an artist himself, too, by
physically connecting with this
successful artist.
■His sense of identity depends on his
sexuality. He measures his worth to the
world and to himself in sexual terms, the
only terms that make him feel important.
Graham

■Graham tries to compensate for his

inferiority complex by possessing
her sexually, but it turns out that,
even sexually, Graham is
possessed and controlled by
Barbara’s hand.
Graham

■Graham’s ambition is left unfulfilled.

■He believes that having sex will enable
him to disturb the successful talented
woman, giving him a sense of superiority.
■ He thinks sex can be an effective weapon
in the power game, providing him with a
means of compensation and enabling him
to get revenge.
■However, all his expectations are
unsatisfied.
Barbara
■Barbara gets many interviews from
newspapers and TV and most of them stress
the success of her career and her being a
woman, on the premise that a woman being
talented and tough is an unusual thing and
thus should be emphasized.
■Professional success allows her to define
herself in terms of her work, not her sexuality.
■Her sex life is a subject of minor importance.
Barbara

Barbara navigates Graham’s advances with

a blend of politeness, resistance, and
weariness, reflecting her awareness of the
societal pressures placed on women to
manage male behavior tactfully.
Initially, she remains courteous, tolerating his
intrusions and attempting to maintain a
professional demeanor.
Barbara

As his persistence grows, she resists subtly,

setting boundaries through her tone and
body language.
Her weariness becomes evident as she
recognizes Graham’s inability to respect her
autonomy, leading her to deflect his
advances with a mix of resignation and quiet
defiance.
■sexual harassment in the workplace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Qd_RV8eewcw&ab_channel=Wor
kplaceSafety%E2%80%A4com
■就這樣發生了─女生沒有說不要不代表要 ( 國
家教育研究院 性別平等教育 102-
10)https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=O6Joo31zxDo
Reflection Questions
Graham's persistence in pursuing Barbara
raises questions about consent and respect
for boundaries. How does this reflect ongoing
societal conversations about workplace
harassment and personal autonomy?