Although the diary and personal essay have long been a part of Japanese literature, the I-Novel (watakushi shosetsu) is a peculiarly Japanese genre that is now seen to have begun in the early 20th century with the appearance of Shimazaki Toson’s Hakai (1906; tr. The Broken Commandment, 1956) and Tayama Katai’s Futon (1907; tr. The Quilt, 1978). The I-Novel is considered a literary development stemming from naturalism, which was used by writers as a tool for exploring such social and philosophical issues as poverty and death. Tayama’s use of personal confession and experience expanded the potential for literary realism by investigating the psychological issues of consciousness and identity. I-Novels developed several de facto rules: the stories must avoid the fantastic and be completely realistic; the narrator/protagonist must equate with the author; and the writing should not be overly elaborate. Many authors, such as Shiga Naoya, wrote I-Novels during the 1910s, and though some writers took a narrow, narcissistic turn, the better examples of the I-Novel demonstrate self-deprecating wit and probing selfinquiry. Although the I-Novel fell somewhat out of fashion in the early 1920s, the rise of proletarian literature, with its amateurish tone and penchant for propaganda, led to reactions from serious writers, as can be seen in Hayashi Fumiko’s I-Novel Horoki (1928; tr. Diary of a Vagabond, 1951). Following World War II many writers continued to write autobiographical stories, notable among them Dazai Osamu’s Shayo (1947; tr. The Setting Sun, 1956). Sukyandaru (1986; tr. Scandal, 1987), written by Endo Shusaku, is a modern continuation of the I-Novel, although the genre’s popularity steadily declined toward the end of the 20th century.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.