Did you know the first novel ever written was by a woman? Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji, written in 11th-century Japan, is considered the world’s first full-length novel. Over 1,000 years later, people (idiots) are still debating whether literature is a “male” pursuit. #DidYouKnow #AmWriting - ThreadSky

ryanwrites.bsky.social • 7 days ago

Did you know the first novel ever written was by a woman?

Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji, written in 11th-century Japan, is considered the world’s first full-length novel. Over 1,000 years later, people (idiots) are still debating whether literature is a “male” pursuit. #DidYouKnow #AmWriting

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satorukun0530.bsky.social•6 days ago

What do you mean by "full-length novel"? Japan alone has at least one full-length novel that's older.

ryanwrites.bsky.social•6 days ago

Earlier works, like The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (10th century Japan) or The Golden Ass (2nd century Rome), are more often considered folktales or allegories rather than novels in the modern sense.

Deep character development, inner monologues, and a cohesive narrative structure set Genji apart.

satorukun0530.bsky.social•6 days ago

I think The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter is more usually distinguished by the fact that it's a short story or "novella".

satorukun0530.bsky.social•6 days ago

Genji is sometimes called the oldest full-length novel by Japanese people who know Taketori (better than Genji) but also know it's not a "full-length novel"; this distinction doesn't make sense when The Tale of the Hollow Tree also exists.

ryanwrites.bsky.social•6 days ago

Then we'd better leave your clarifications intact right here so folks can navigate the distinctions, or lack thereof, for themselves. Always appreciate folks willing to pitch in with additional details or clarity.

ryanwrites.bsky.social•6 days ago

And while accuracy does always matter, the point here has more to do with the very early role of women in literature despite the persistent narrative in some quarters that it is the domain of men.

satorukun0530.bsky.social•6 days ago

On that we can agree! My issue is more with the fact that some Japanese institutions have been using the mistranslated phrase 最古の長編[物語/小説/文学作品] and consequently spreading misinformation about the history of both Japanese and world literature.

satorukun0530.bsky.social•6 days ago

I'd much prefer to think of Genji as the first psychological/realistic/modern novel, which is what European critics in the last century meant when they started calling it "the first novel".

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