Abstract

In this article narratological methods are applied to compare two versions of the same tale, “The Monk Zenchi from Ikeno’o” from the Konjaku monogatari shû (28, Nr. 20) and Akutagawa Ryûnosuke's adaptation of this story in “Hana” (The Nose). First of all, a syuzhet/fabula analysis is carried out in order to contrast the structures of the two versions. The structure thus elaborated is then analyzed according to Gérard Genette’s idea of “narrative time” versus “story time”. As a conclusion, it can be shown that the original version from the Konjaku monogatari shû, which deals with the interiority of the character to a lesser extent than Akutagawa’s tale, is singularly effective as a critique of the powerful world of the Buddhist clergy.