There are a significant amount of hidden messages in the madman’s narration. Metaphors, analogs, and irony narrations are extensively applied in the story and make texts have multiple meanings. This style of narration signals the start of modern Chinese novels that penetrate through the past, present, and future (Sun & Xu 40-45). The madman’s accusation is not limited to a certain time and place but extends to the whole 4000 years of history. Moreover, the detailed plot, including time and place, is not narrated in detail. In the story, there is no time order like the traditional Chinese story. This kind of setup of narration makes the feudal system conflict more vigorous and results in a deep art impression. The first part is the preface which is narrated in classical Chinese, and the second is the main story that consists of thirteen diaries narrated in vernacular Chinese. Although the diary-style and the first-person narrator of Lu Xun’s “A Madman’s Diary” were like Nikolai Gogol’s, Lu Xun went further away in deepening the content and the theme by adopting creative skills. He cleverly borrowed the title of the story from Russian writer Nikolai Gogol whose same title story was successful in narrating the insanity process of a civil servant. Lu Xun had a comprehensive knowledge of Chinese and western cultures. Lu Xun did not only open a new chapter in modern Chinese literature but also created a new style of narration. Furthermore, the “I narration” is used in the story which makes it very effective to involve the readers in the scenes of the story.
Its setup is very different from the traditional narration in that it avoids the use of classical Chinese.
The unique narrative structure “A Madman’s Diary” is very special in its narrative structure. Lu Xun has been praised as the warrior against traditional culture and feudal system. The author Lu Xun has been well respected and regarded as one of the most well-known political figures in China (Goldman 446-461). “A Madman’s Diary” is China’s first modern short story. “A Madman’s Diary” by Lu Xun Analysis Introduction
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