Diary of a Madman

"Diary of a Madman" is Lu Xun's first short vernacular diary novel, and also China's first modern vernacular novel. It was written in April 1918. This article first appeared in the monthly magazine New Youth, Volume 4, Issue 5, May 15, 1918. It was later included in the collection "Scream" and compiled into the first volume of "The Complete Works of Lu Xun". Through the image of the persecuted "madman" and the self-narrative description of the "madman", the novel reveals the "cannibalistic" nature of feudal ethics and expresses the author's resistance to Chinese feudal culture with feudal ethics as the main connotation; it also expresses the author's profound sense of repentance. The author conducted a profound reflection on Chinese culture from a thorough "revolutionary democratic" standpoint, and at the same time expressed deep concern and indignation about the future of China and even mankind.