Diary of a Madman is Lu Xun's short story and China's first vernacular novel. 19 18 may 15 may published in new youth magazine. Included in Lu Xun's collection of short stories "Scream".

It consists of 13 diaries, which records the mental state and psychological activities of "madman", profoundly exposes the "cannibalism" essence of centralized and authoritarian society, and shows the fighting spirit of completely opposing centralized and authoritarian society. The combination of realism and symbolism in art is the first vernacular novel in the history of modern literature in China.

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The whole work of Diary of a Madman is almost a confession of a madman's inner world. A madman thinks that everyone around him is eating people, and he will be forced to eat people or be eaten by others. The madman was locked up, refused food sent by his family, refused to receive treatment, and kept persuading people around him not to eat people again. Until the madman finally found out that he might have accidentally eaten his sister's meat.

Desperate lunatics send out "children who don't eat people, or are there?" Save the children ... "Shout. The novel points to the conservative traditional culture through the image suggestion of Mr. Gu Jiu's old running script.

There is no room for cannibalism in the future, which is a madman's fantasy and planning for the future society. "I may not have eaten my sister's meat", which is a madman's evaluation and reflection on himself, and also his despair for the future, full of self-repentance; The cry of "save the children" at the end of the novel is a madman's practical exploration of building a new society.

In the madman's view, people in reality are all guilty, only children are pure and not polluted by cannibalism culture. Therefore, if you want to have a bright future, you can only pin your hopes on your children and save them quickly.

Diary of a Madman not only shows the courage to thoroughly criticize feudal ethics, but also shows Lu Xun's "grief and indignation" humanitarian feelings and the overall spirit of transforming society and life with literary and artistic creation. Diary of a Madman has a strong realistic criticism, pointing directly at the core of China's feudal culture, and at the same time mercilessly exposing the darkness in the real society.

Through the description of the image of a madman, the author sharply reveals the "cannibalism" nature of the family system and feudal ethics, and shows the author's resistance to the feudal culture of China with the family system and feudal ethics as its main connotation. It also shows the author's profound sense of repentance.

From the standpoint of radical "revolutionary democracy", the author deeply reflected on China's culture, and at the same time expressed his deep concern and indignation for China and even the future of mankind. Diary of a Madman, as the first vernacular novel in the history of modern literature in China, laid the foundation for China's modern novel (literature) creation. His profound thought is a high generalization of China's modern enlightenment.

It profoundly influenced the history of China literature and China thought in the 20th century in form and thought. Diary of a Madman still has great and far-reaching influence in expanding the influence of literary revolution and opening up the road of modern novels, especially in criticizing the pernicious feudal ethics.

The characteristics of the enlightenment thought in Diary of a Madman are mainly manifested in the profound exposure of feudal ethics, the criticism of the insensitive and ignorant national character, and the firm belief and warm hope for the future.

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