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Literary genre in Japanese literature

The I novel (私小説, , ) is a literary genre in Japanese literature used to describe a type of confessional literature where the events in the story correspond to events in the author's life. This genre was founded based on the Japanese reception of naturalism during the Meiji period, and later influenced literature in other Asian countries as well. This genre of literature reflects greater individuality and a less constrained method of writing. From its beginnings, the I novel has been a genre that also is meant to expose aspects of society or of the author's life.

The first I novels are believed to be The Broken Commandment, written in 1906 by Tōson Shimazaki, and Futon (The Quilt) written by Katai Tayama in 1907. Young scholars in the Meiji period were not satisfied with such a policy and turned to Western literature and philosophy, from which they began to re evaluate fiction. Another notable scholar who played an important role in this process was Fukuzawa Yukichi. He believed that people were born equal. He also emphasized the importance of individual self respect, as well as national independence and freedom. This idea of individualism was later supported enthusiastically by Meiji scholars. In 1889, the Meiji Constitution was established, which emphasized the absolute and divine power of the emperor, and the notion of "kokutai (nation body)". Japan entered a period of nationalism. Young scholars who believed in individualism and liberty were disappointed by these militaristic and nationalist politics and turned to "the path that leads inwards". The literary climate during this period was dominated by Romanticism, neo idealism and individualism.

The Japanese language contains a number of different words for "I"; mostly, the formal ([[wikt:私#Japanese) is used in the I novel. Other words "I" such as Boku and Jibun may also be seen in some works. There are also some instances where the author uses third person pronouns or a named main character (such as Yozo in No Longer Human ) to present the stories as the experience of others or as fictional. The title of the genre (Watakushi Shōsetsu) includes the more formal pronoun Watakushi.

There are several general rules for the creation of an I novel: The first and most important one is that the I novel is often written from the first person perspective (which is where the "I" of I novel comes from). The I novel is categorized as "reality", and the most important framework is "jijitsu (reality)", or "makoto (sincerity)". This framework restricts the narrative to "the life experienced by the author", and fiction will make the work no longer considered as real or sincere. "Reality" in the I novel is defined by 3 aspects. The first is a one to one relationship between the author's experience and the story in the novel, though slight differences are acceptable. The second is "inner reality". Rather than reflecting accurate facts, the I novel emphasizes more on the actual spiritual condition of the author. The third is from the reader's perspective. An I novel should appear natural and unplanned to its readers. An I novel is a semi autobiographical work where the boundary between author and narrator is blurred, and the reader is meant to consider the narrator and author as one in the same. Members of Creation Society at first learned from Western literature, then shifted to the Japanese I novel, since they were dissatisfied with the existing modes of expression and desired to develop a new mode of narrative which was more consistent with their ideals of modern literary expression. Recently, Chinese critics have argued that limited exposure to Western culture led May Fourth writers to eventually transition to the Japanese I novel with which they had direct contact.