In A Madman's Diary, the narrator keeps feeling that the people around him want to eat him.
Tips
history
Published in the magazine 新青年 'New Youth' in May 1918 and later collected in 呐喊 'Call to Arms', it was the first major modern story written wholly in 白话文, and the first work signed with the pen name 鲁迅. Lu Xun took the title from Gogol's story.
culture
The madman reads an old history book full of the words 'benevolence and morality' (仁义道德) and finds 'eat people' (吃人) written between the lines, Lu Xun's charge against the old 礼教. The story ends 救救孩子…… 'Save the children…', a line still often quoted.
