Centuries before Shakespeare, Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji was already acknowledged as a classic of Japanese literature. Over the past century, this book has gained worldwide acceptance as not only the world's first novel, but as one of the greatest works of literature of all time. The hero of the tale, Prince Genji, is a shining example of the Heian-era ideal man—accomplished in poetry, dance, music, painting, and, not least of all to...

Profiles forty-nine important literary works with settings from ancient times to the Harlem Renaissance, providing plot summaries; identifying the historic events of the time periods in which the works are set and during which they were written; and examining the ways the authors explored such events in their writing.