Language style The Japanese language contains a number of different words for "I"; mostly, the formal 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.
Framework 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 and the same. == Authors and works ==