The idea of the modern Western novel was imported into Japan and modern Japanese literature essentially began with works such as Shoyo TSUBOUCHI's "Shosetsu shinzui" (The essence of the novel), FUTABATEI Shimei's "Shosetsu soron" (General theory of the novel) and "Ukigumo" (the drifting cloud).
西欧近代小説の理念が輸入され、坪内逍遥の『小説神髄』、二葉亭四迷の『小説総論』『浮雲(二葉亭四迷)』などによって実質的に近代の日本文学が出発した。