Lu Xun's Diary of a Madman appeared in New Youth in 1918. Its diary form and unreliable perceptions portray social oppression and fear.
A short preface in classical Chinese precedes a main text written largely in the vernacular. The contrast creates narrative distance and helped make the story an important work of modern literature.
Synopsis
The story begins with a note from the narrator written in Classical Chinese, describing his reunion with an old friend. Having heard that the friend's brother was ill, he visits them, but discovers that the brother has recovered and taken up an official post. The rest of the story consists of 13 fragments the narrator has copied from a diary the brother kept while "mad", written in vernacular Chinese.
The diary reveals that he suffered a "persecution complex", and became suspicious of everyone's actions, including people's stares, a doctor's treatment, his brother's behavior, and even dogs barking. He came to believe that the people in his village had a grudge against him and were cannibals who carried the intent of consuming him. Reading a history book, the "madman" saw the words "eat people" written between the lines, as commentary placed in classical Chinese texts. As his "madness" progressed, he experiences psychosis thinking the villagers are attempting to force him into suicide, that his brother ate his sister and that he might have done so as well. He attempts to persuade the villagers to "change from the heart", but concludes that people have been eating each other for millennia. The last chapter concludes with a plea to "save the children".
Historical context
The early 20th century marked a tumultuous time in Chinese history, marked by the fall of the Qing Dynasty as a result of the 1911 revolution and the start of the republican era China. During this time, both immense outcries against western imperialism as well as calls for greater democracy, adoption of western ideas and modernisation were rife among the general populace. Warlordism, regionalism and civil unrest dominated China. Political instability dominated the young yet fractured republic nominally led by Sun-Yat Sen and considerable debate existed about future political direction which the country should take. The massive ensuing social changes remarkably shifted the development of Chinese literature and formed the development of a linguistic system known as baihua.
As a prominent intellectual and an important member of the May Fourth Movement, Lu is referred to as "the Father of Modern Chinese Literature", Lu Xun's contribution to Chinese literature exhibited a radical change in Chinese language and style. Through his works, Lu demonstrated his pursuit of the objective of cultural change and the promotion of modern literature. During the New Culture movement, the orthodox system of writing was replaced by the use of vernaculars. Through the adoption of a new literary writing style Lu Xun essentially founded modern Chinese literature. His anti-traditionalism and calls to break the hold of traditional Confucianism in Chinese society are reflected through his narratives. His most instrumental work, "Diary of a Madman", reflects contemporary issues and social structure revolving around the society of republican era China after the collapse of the Qing dynasty.
At this time, Confucian values still influenced Chinese culture strongly with rules and social hierarchy being held as superior to the rights of the individual.
Reception
Diary of a Madman is often regarded as the first modern work of Chinese fiction because of its vernacular language, short story form, and lack of the traditional narrative conventions. The academic consensus on this point is not complete however, as these elements were used six months earlier in a short story by Chen Hengzhe (although Chen published in a journal in the United States aimed at overseas Chinese students).
Despite their success and dominance in Chinese literature, Lu Xun's stories took five years before they were widely recognised as notable works of literature. Before he published the "Diary", Lu Xun was in a state of complete hopelessness and despair. Yet his state of mind had been unknown to readers during this time, except to the few individuals who were close to him. Thus "Diary of a Madman", with its use of foreign techniques, was not easily comprehensible to most audiences at the time. The theme of cannibalism, and notion of "eating oneself", sparked controversy and criticism among readers due to its ambiguity and interpretation as an extremely harsh criticism of general Chinese culture and traditional ideas. Lu Xun's attempts to cure the cultural malaise which exists in traditional Chinese society through his writings were not easily embraced.