But The Tale of Genji is a fascinating read. It documents a period of social change in Japan through the story of Genji, a samurai. It's a lot like War and Peace: it has hundreds of characters, but each of them is fleshed out, which I found particularly useful as a novelist. It also shows the first movement of Buddhism, another area that interests me.
Another writer who's engulfed me is Dostoevsky, whom I read as a young girl. I read all of him; I think it damaged my perception of reading for a long time. I secretly wanted to be a Dostoevsky heroine, but they tend not to have their lives sorted out. One day I grew up, much to the relief of my husband. But what I still love about Dostoevsky is his understanding of how the world works, his sense that reality is a little skewed.