Early works of extended fictional prose, or novels, include works in Latin like the Satyricon by Petronius (c.
Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji (1010) has been described as the world's first novel[REF][REF] 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 [REF].