The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, at the height of the Heian period . It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel, or the first novel still considered a classic. Although universally hailed as a masterpiece, its precise classification and influence in the Western and Eastern canon has been the subject of debate (the Tale of Genji). The Tale of Genji was written chapter by chapter, while Murasaki Shikibu delivered it to the women of the aristocracy. It contains many elements found in a modern novel including a central character and a very large number of major and minor characters. It features well-developed characterization of all the main characters and a sequence of events set over a period of time spanning Genji's life and beyond. The work does not use a plot but rather events that occur and characters that simply change as they age. A remarkable characteristic of The Tale of Genji is its coherence, despite its approximately four hundred characters. An example is that all characters age and all family and feudal relationships are consistent between all chapters (The Tale of Genji). One of the major ambitions of any high-ranking gentleman in the world of the Tale of Genji was to present a daughter to the Emperor or heir apparent. For this reason, the emperor normally maintained a number of recognized relationships with women. Not because of any sexual tendencies on his part, but because he was required to make his prestige widely accessible to members of the upper aristocracy. Below his sole empress, he had several wives, and below that, a number of intimates...... middle of paper ... man in government service and no note she wrote contained any kana, being rather written in Chinese. Her only major flaw was that one day when he went to visit her, she hid behind it and spoke to him through an "absurd screen". Upon further examination, it turned out that, for intentional reasons, she had been forced to ingest allium sativum, or garlic, which made her breath "too noxious" for normal entertainment. . This proved too overwhelming for him and he got up and fled the scene. Something as simple and powerful as Garlic was enough for a man back then to refuse a woman; whatever other qualities she might possess. Works Cited Murasaki, Shikibu and Royall Tyler. The Tale of Genji. New York: Viking, 2001. “The Tale of Genji” print. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. March 1. 2011. .