芥川文学にみられる構成的技巧 -「杜子春」、「報恩記」、「保吉の手帳から」、「雛」における様式の分析 -

Abstract

An intriguing facet that captivates one’s attention when studying the literary works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke is his compositional techniques. Compositional techniques refer to the manner in which narrative contents are organized or ordered according to a discernible pattern. More specifically, this means that the author employs some kind of symmetry between the story’s first and second halves or orders and structures the content based on some numerical patterns. This paper discusses such features of Akutagawa’s literature by analyzing “Toshishyun” “Houonki” “From Yasukichi’s Notebook,”and “Hina” In case of “Toshishyun”the narrative unfolds within the framework of multiples of the number “3.”The story traverses “3”locations: Luoyang, Mount Emei, and Hell, with the protagonist 1) meeting an old man “3”times in Luoyang, 2) facing “3”trials at Mount Emei, and 3) facing another “3”trials in Hell. Thus, the number “3” intricately structures the story. The narrative of “Houonki” progresses through the confessions of the three men, namely Jinnai, Yasoemon, and Yasaburo. However, with the “gibbeted head”scene in the middle serving as the axis, the story’s theme shifts from “gratitude”in the first half to “vengeance”in the second half. This reversal gives rise to a symmetry between the first and the second half. Likewise, the notebook of “Yasukichi”consists of five parts, having a symmetric composition where the protagonist’s attitude toward work transforms from negative in the first half to positive in the second half and centers on part 3 called “Lunch break.”In “Hina” “3”spaces are connected to “3”artificial light sources and the personalities of “3” individuals. This paper also discusses how these compositional techniques in Akutagawa’s literary works are not merely intellectual plays but sometimes influence how the works ought to be interpreted as well.