<p>I believe this is a reference to the novel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Cat">"I am a Cat"</a> (吾輩は猫である, <em>Wagahai wa neko dearu</em>) by author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natsume_S%C5%8Dseki">Natsume Souseki</a>. It's opening sentences are the following:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>which, translated into English, is:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I am a cat. I don't yet have a name.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The reference is more apparent if we compare the two in Japanese. The grammatical structure of the sentences is very similar:</p>

<p>TWGOK:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>吾輩は</strong> 女装男 <strong>である。名前は</strong> 桂木</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I am a cat:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>吾輩は</strong> 猫 <strong>である。名前は</strong> まだ無い。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>All the words other than the nouns are the same. The use of 吾輩 (<em>wagahai</em>) for "I", である (<em>dearu</em>) as a sentence-ending phrase would both be strange in modern writing. In addition, the general structure of the two sentences are similar enough that this is almost certainly not a coincidence.</p>

<p>The novel is very popular in Japan, being Natsume's first major literary work and one of his top three most read (the other two are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoro">Kokoro</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botchan">Botchan</a>), and Natsume himself being in all likelihood the most important writer in Japanese history. It would not be strange at all for it to be referenced here.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-15T13:36:24.953Z
And looking at the third sentence settles it. Thanks for the help!
noko
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-14T18:22:38.283Z
2013-08-14T19:50:24.443Z
2013-08-14T19:50:24.443Z
Logan M
<p>In episode 6 of the third season (or chapter 147) of <em>The World God Only Knows</em>, Shiori starts writing her story but scraps the introduction she wrote because it was imitating some other novel.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what novel she was referring to?</p>
<p>Here's a screenshot of what she wrote:<br />
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/83YcC.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/83YcCm.jpg" alt="Shiori writing &quot;吾輩は女装男である。名前は桂木&quot;" /></a></p>
<p>This roughly translates to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I'm a cross-dressing man</p>
<p>My name is Katsuragi</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-14T16:58:02.257Z
I think it is pretty natural for start with monologue in some novel and such kind of novels are a lot. For Shiori point of view , that is which she seen to Keima too.
Naing Lin Aung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-14T17:04:58.380Z
The manga adds one more line which is not that common: "I haven't the slightest idea where I was born", I guess they left it out of the anime for copyright reasons.
noko
<the-world-god-only-knows>
What novel's introduction was Shiori imitating?
# What novel's introduction was Shiori imitating?
Posted by: username_0 on 2013-08-14
In episode 6 of the third season (or chapter 147) of *The World God Only Knows*, Shiori starts writing her story but scraps the introduction she wrote because it was imitating some other novel.

Does anyone know what novel she was referring to?

Here's a screenshot of what she wrote:  
[![Shiori writing ](https://i.sstatic.net/83YcCm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/83YcC.jpg)

This roughly translates to:

> I'm a cross-dressing man
>
> My name is Katsuragi
**Tags:** the-world-god-only-knows
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think it is pretty natural for start with monologue in some novel and such kind of novels are a lot. For Shiori point of view , that is which she seen to Keima too.  
> **username_0**: The manga adds one more line which is not that common: "I haven't the slightest idea where I was born", I guess they left it out of the anime for copyright reasons.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2013-08-14. Score: 14 | Accepted answer
I believe this is a reference to the novel ["I am a Cat"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Cat) (吾輩は猫である, *Wagahai wa neko dearu*) by author [Natsume Souseki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natsume_S%C5%8Dseki). It's opening sentences are the following:

> 吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。

which, translated into English, is:

> I am a cat. I don't yet have a name.

The reference is more apparent if we compare the two in Japanese. The grammatical structure of the sentences is very similar:

TWGOK:

> **吾輩は** 女装男 **である。名前は** 桂木

I am a cat:

> **吾輩は** 猫 **である。名前は** まだ無い。

All the words other than the nouns are the same. The use of 吾輩 (*wagahai*) for "I", である (*dearu*) as a sentence-ending phrase would both be strange in modern writing. In addition, the general structure of the two sentences are similar enough that this is almost certainly not a coincidence.

The novel is very popular in Japan, being Natsume's first major literary work and one of his top three most read (the other two are [Kokoro](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoro) and [Botchan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botchan)), and Natsume himself being in all likelihood the most important writer in Japanese history. It would not be strange at all for it to be referenced here.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2013-08-15): And looking at the third sentence settles it. Thanks for the help!  
---
