forms such as haikai, haiku, and free verse. More than just developing from a poetic tradition, "it seems clear that poetry is conceived of as the most basic or purest literary form and that its presence, almost alone, is enough to change a journal of one’s life into an art diary." Influence of monogatari Monogatari, or the Japanese narrative literature, and nikki bungaku greatly influenced each other. In fact, with some works having multiple names—Ise Monogatari or Zaigo Chūjō no Nikki and the Heichū Monogatari or Heichū Nikki—the line between the two genres was not always clear. In writing her Kagerō Nikki, Mother of Michitsuna starts with her motive of realism in contrast to the monogatari she has read. Despite the overt rejection of the monogatari form, one can see the influence of the genre on diary literature in terms of style and paradigm; the discontent of the authors of both the Sarashina Nikki and Kagero Nikki seems to stem from the gap between their realities and life as idealized in monogatari. Lastly, perhaps the most famous of all monogatari, Genji Monogatari, delves into psychological aspects of its characters' private lives much like that of nikki bungaku. Influence on other literature Mother of Michitsuna's Kagerō Nikki ushered in the second period of Heian literature and women's kana prose. Starting a tradition of psychological exploration and self-expression through Japanese vernacular, nikki bungaku not only gives modern readers an idea of historical events but also a view into the lives and minds of their authors. Literary diaries are also believed to have influenced Murasaki Shikibu's classic Genji Monogatari, arguably the first and one of the greatest court novels of all time. Lastly, though the definition is disputable, one can argue that the Japanese literary diary tradition continues to the present and remains an important element of culture and personal expression. See also Pillow book Kojijū-shū Nijōin no Sanuki Shū Akai-shū Saigū no Nyōgo Shū Okikaze-shū References Notes External links "A Darkness of Heart" A Hank Glassman essay on Japanese literary tradition. The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature. Defines Nikki (Nikki Bungaku) Bibliography Miner, Earl. "The Traditions and Forms of the Japanese Poetic Diary." Pacific Coast Philology, Vol.3. (Apr. 1968),pp. 38–48. Link "Ki no Tsurayuki." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Online ed. 1993. Link "Nikki Bungaku." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Online ed. 1993. Link Shirane, Haruo, ed. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings