Happy Tuesday, book lovers! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is a freebie, so this week I’m talking about Literary Firsts. We have so many genres available to us today, but they haven’t always been around. And that got me to thinking. Who were the brave souls who stepped out and decided to write something new? Who first decided to write a romance as we know them today (as opposed to the romances of medieval chivalry)? Who first delved into the world of science fiction?
But first, I’m going right back to the beginning, to the earliest written story that has come down to us: The Epic of Gilgamesh.
THE FIRST WRITTEN STORY
The Epic of Gilgamesh
(Ancient Mesopotamia c. 2,100B.C.)
This is an epic poem about an ancient king, Gilgamesh, and the wild man, Enkidu, sent by the gods to stop Gilgamesh’s oppression of his people. It is the oldest story to come down to us in written form.
Obviously there are many other stories—myths, legends, epic poems, and dramas—that have come down to us from ancient societies, but the form of storytelling known as the novel is much younger. As a distinct form of storytelling, the novel is marked by its use of prose rather than poetry and a fictional narrative that explores individual experience more closely than other literary forms. And it is on this form that the rest of my post will focus.
THE FIRST NOVEL
The Tale of Genji
Murasaki Shikibu (Japan, 11th century)
The first novel ever written is The Tale of Genji by Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu. It follows the life of Prince Genji and is thought to be based on the author’s own experiences in the imperial court.
THE FIRST MODERN NOVEL
Don Quixote
Miguel Cervantes (1605)
Don Quixote is often cited as the first modern novel because of its use of dialogue, its multidimensional main characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and several other literary and stylistic nuances that I don’t have room to go into here!
THE FIRST ROMANCE
Pamela: or Virtue Rewarded
Samuel Richardson (1740)
In terms of the modern novel, a romance is a story where the primary focus of the plot is on the romantic love between two people. This epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson was the first popular novel based on a courtship as told from the perspective of the heroine, and unlike many novels of the time, it also had a happy ending!
THE FIRST GOTHIC NOVEL
The Castle of Otranto
Horace Walpole (1764)
In the preface of the second edition, Walpole claimed this novel was “an attempt to blend the two kinds of romance, the ancient and the modern”—the ancient being the idealised chivalric tales of old and the modern being based more in realism. Thus you get a blend of supernatural and *ahem* realism. Having listened to the audiobook version of this, I would take “realism” with a grain of salt. 😂
THE FIRST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley (1818)
Many would possibly associate this novel with the Gothic or horror genres before science fiction, but Frankenstein’s monster is the product of an experiment based in scientific fact, but which also speculates about where science may go in the future and what the consequences might be. That puts it squarely in the science fiction genre.
THE FIRST HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Ivanhoe
Sir Walter Scott (1819)
Nowadays, 1819 is a pretty popular setting for historical romance, so it’s perhaps fitting that the first historical romance was published in that year. Of course, by historical, I mean set in a time significantly earlier than the time the author actually lived. Sorry, Jane Austen. That rules you out!
It’s worth noting that Sir Walter Scott’s novel Rob Roy, published two years earlier than Ivanhoe, also helped popularise historical fiction in general.
THE FIRST DETECTIVE FICTION
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Edgar Allan Poe (1841)
This one is debatable, and technically they’re short stories rather than novels, but most credit Edgar Allan Poe as the man who established the framework for detective fiction with his protagonist C. Auguste Dupin.
THE FIRST FANTASY NOVEL
Phantastes
George MacDonald (1858)
Phantastes is generally credited as the first fantasy novel written for adults. Of all the genres, this one can be most difficult to pinpoint as beginning at a certain point, as so many ancient stories involve elements of fantasy. However there are stylistic differences between the modern fantasy novel and earlier stories such as myths and legends which, again, I don’t have room to go into here.
THE FIRST WESTERN NOVEL
The Virginian
Owen Wister (1902)
Considering Westerns are usually set in the “Old West” in the second half of the 19th century, it’s not surprising the first critically recognised Western novel wasn’t published until 1902. This genre went on to become much more popular throughout the 20th century, both in literature and film, through the likes of author Zane Grey and actor John Wayne, but The Virginian is where it all started, and I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for this character.
Wow, this is fascinating! Thanks for taking the time to put this together and share with us. I’ve heard of may of these novels but have never read them. I tried to read Ivanhoe last year but couldn’t get past the first chapter.
I love the prompt you came up with. It’s so creative.
My TTT.
This is such an interesting post! I love it 😊
My TTT: https://lifewithallthebooks.com/2019/07/30/top-ten-tuesday-favourite-non-fiction-books/
Great twist! I have read Gilgamesh, believe it or not. 😁 Thanks for sharing your list. 📚
This list is amazing and I learned so much. Thank you so much. I loved it.
My TTT
https://thereadingrebel.wordpress.com/2019/07/30/top-ten-tuesday-my-top-ten-favorite-bookish-businesses/
This is such a wonderful post! What a great idea!
this is a seriously cool post!