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Abstract

This study conducts a comparative narratological analysis of O. Henry's After Twenty Years and Anton Chekhov's The Lament, applying Manfred Jahn’s (2017) theoretical framework. The primary objective is to identify and examine the specific elements of Jahn’s model present within each story, excluding those not applicable to their narrative structures. The analysis reveals that both stories are primarily narrated by a covert, heterodiegetic narrator employing external focalization and an authorial narrative situation. Key divergences are also identified: After Twenty Years is told in the past tense using a mimetic (showing) mode and features a retrospective order with a significant external analepsis, while The Lament utilizes a concurrent present tense that shifts into retrospection and employs a slow-down duration for psychological emphasis. Furthermore, both narratives rely on narratorial and explicit characterization to build their story worlds. This study concludes that Jahn’s model provides a robust and effective toolkit for deconstructing the narrative mechanics of these short stories, revealing how their distinct technical choices shape their themes of duty, friendship, grief, and societal alienation.