The Nose

E181245

"The Nose" is a short story by Japanese author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa that satirically explores vanity and human insecurity through the tale of a priest obsessed with his unusually large nose.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
The Nose canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (41)

Predicate Object
instanceOf literary work
short story
author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
basedOn a tale from Konjaku Monogatarishū
characterType flawed religious figure
conflictType internal conflict
man versus society
countryOfOrigin Japan
explores conflict between inner feelings and outward appearance
desire for acceptance
shame
social ridicule
fictionalUniverse Akutagawa’s historical-fictional Japan
genre satire
short fiction
includedIn collections of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short stories
literaryMovement Taishō period Japanese literature
literaryTechnique irony
psychological characterization
satire
mainCharacter Buddhist priest
medium prose
narrativeFocus a priest obsessed with his unusually large nose
narrativePerspective third-person narration
notableFor early example of Akutagawa’s style
satirical portrayal of religious figure
originalLanguage Japanese
protagonistConcern size of his nose
protagonistOccupation Buddhist priest
protagonistTrait self-conscious
vain
setting Buddhist temple
symbol nose as symbol of personal defect
symbolizes burden of perceived flaws
social stigma
targetOfSatire hypocrisy of religious figures
societal attitudes toward physical difference
vanity
theme human insecurity
obsession with physical appearance
vanity

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.