I NOVEL

Japanese watakushi shosetsu, or shishosetsu form or genre of 20th-century Japanese literature that is characterized by self-revealing narration, with the author usually as the central character. The I novel grew out of the naturalist movement that dominated Japanese literature during the early decades of the 20th century. The term is used to describe two different types of novel, the confessional novel (characterized by prolonged, often self-abasing, revelation) and the mental attitude novel (in which the writer probes innermost thoughts or attitudes toward everyday events in life). Notable I novelists include Kasai Zenzo, Uno Koji, Kamura Isota, Amino Kiku, Takii Kosaku, and Ozaki Kazuo.