Often considered to be the first novel, name, FTP, this eleventh-century work of Murasaki Shikibu set in the Heian period of Japan.
Teeming with over four hundred characters, almost none of them are referred to by name, as it was considered impolite in the society to freely mention the names of nobles. In fact, even the one named character does not go by his real name; that given in the book is an alternate reading of the Chinese for the Minamoto clan, which was not a member of the imperial house but which did not stop the character from fathering an emperor. Often considered to be the first novel, name, FTP, this eleventh-century work of Murasaki Shikibu set in the Heian period of Japan.
Teeming with over four hundred characters, almost none of them are referred to by name, as it was considered impolite in the society to freely mention the names of nobles.
The {Tale of Genji} -OR- {Genji Monogatari}