Literature Atlas

How Stories Are Told
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Genre

Gesaku

The Novel and Its Forms

Gesaku is a genre or loose school of Japanese literature covering any popular prose work written in a playful, mocking, joking or frivolous spirit rather than in pursuit of refined literary beauty or perfect form. Gesaku writers depended on book sales for their living and wrote for as wide a public as possible, following a successful title with as many sequels as readers would support.

Facts
Place of Origin
Japan 1
Notable Example
Tokaidochu Hizakurige 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Gesaku - Wikipedia
  • Historical Context
    invented in the mid-eighteenth century
  • Key Characteristics
    Tokaidochu Hizakurige by Jippensha Ikku
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.