<P> Murasaki Shikibu 's Tale of Genji ( 1010 ) has been described as the world 's first novel and shows essentially all the qualities for which Marie de La Fayette 's novel La Princesse de Clèves ( 1678 ) has been praised : individuality of perception , an interest in character development , and psychological observation . Urbanization and the spread of printed books in Song Dynasty ( 960 - 1279 ) China led to the evolution of oral storytelling into consciously fictional novels by the Ming dynasty ( 1368 -- 1644 ) . Parallel European developments did not occur for centuries , and awaited the time when the availability of paper allowed for similar opportunities . </P>
<P> Murasaki Shikibu 's Tale of Genji ( 1010 ) has been described as the world 's first novel and shows essentially all the qualities for which Marie de La Fayette 's novel La Princesse de Clèves ( 1678 ) has been praised : individuality of perception , an interest in character development , and psychological observation . Urbanization and the spread of printed books in Song Dynasty ( 960 - 1279 ) China led to the evolution of oral storytelling into consciously fictional novels by the Ming dynasty ( 1368 -- 1644 ) . Parallel European developments did not occur for centuries , and awaited the time when the availability of paper allowed for similar opportunities . </P>
when did the novel emerged as a form of literature
when did the novel emerged as a form of literature
1010
1010