22-07-2021, 12:51 PM
Our modern distinction between a monolithic work and a compilation is anachronistic and unhelpful, when applied to premodern long-form works of literature. This issue comes up front and center when literary historians ask, “What is the world’s oldest surviving novel?” I’ve seen both Journey to the West and the Tale of Genji given as answers to this. But both of these books were written and published one chapter at a time, as serial adventure and celebrity gossip works, respectively. Neither show evidence of having been conceived or planned the way a modern novel typically is.