The genre of the diary of a madman by N.V. Gogol and Lu Xin is an analysis of the stories of the same name "Notes of a Madman" from the text to the context

Lin' Inin PhD in Philology Postgraduate student, Department of Literary Theory, Moscow State University 119234, Russia, Moskovskaya oblast', g. Moscow, ul. Leninskie Gory, d.1, st. 51 inin.lin@mail.ru

According to Yu. M. Lotman, there are two poles of the historical movement: "One of them is connected with the processes developing non-explosive, gradual movement. These processes are relatively predictable. The processes resulting from explosions have a different character." ^{[1, p. 96]} An explosion is the result of irrational contradictory factors. It arises in the rapid development of scientific theory and technical successes, in violent social conflicts and in the change of authorities. Consistently, the explosion as a worldwide cultural phenomenon is embodied in the literature of different countries. A similar expression can be found in the book "Stories of Madness in the Classical Era" by Michel Foucault. In his opinion, reason means an indifferent order and restriction by ethics, and insanity creates the possibility of breaking the rules and brings new probabilities.^[2] So, capitalist relations were developing rapidly in European countries and there was a struggle of humanism against religious power; in the XIX century, which is also called the Golden Age of Russian literature, there was an uprising of the Decembrists and violent conflicts between different social strata: the nobility, the intelligentsia and the peasantry. China waited for its turning point at the beginning of the 20th century, when feudal dynasties ended, and modernism appeared in literature. Both Gogol and Lu Xin lived in such historical periods.

One of the characteristic themes in world literature is madness. Madness as a literary phenomenon has three levels. Firstly, insanity in a broad sense is a product of the writer's artistic inspiration and the general nature of most literary works. At the same time, fiction often combines rational and irrational factors.

Secondly, madness is a special way of depicting certain groups of writers in certain eras. The characters behave unusually and differ from a "normal" person by violating norms and order. They are not necessarily medically ill, but they experience deep inner anguish. Such images arise especially when irrational factors take a dominant place and personality values dominate over general laws. They are often found in the works of various eras: the European Renaissance, the XIX century and the period of the Movement for a new culture of China.  

Thirdly, insanity forms a special genre of the diary of a mentally ill person. Gogol and Lu Xin introduced this genre into the literature of their countries. Previously, the behavior of the insane was described from the outside and the narration was conducted in the third person, and in the genre of the diary of a mentally ill person, the characters acquire almost all the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and mania, and in the course of the narration, the inner world of the personality is revealed more deeply than ever. The reasons for choosing such a genre and its special expressiveness need to be analyzed from the perspective of psychoanalysis and poststructuralism.

According to Z. According to Freud, a person is under the control of two basic principles – the pleasure principle and the reality principle, and psychosis is a conflict between the Ego and the outside world, with psychosis, the Ego will first break away from reality, then recreate the connection with reality to compensate for the damage, in this process part of reality is rebuilt.^[3] Freud's observation is partially confirmed by modern neuroscience. When it comes to schizophrenia, the founder of neuropsychoanalysis, Mark Somles, argues that damage to a certain part of the brain can lead to a weakening of the mechanism that inhibits preconsciousness, which leads to a violation of the principles of reality.^[4] So, we can say that in psychosis, the destruction of real principles ensures the restructuring of the "I". In addition, the diary is a typical text of autocommunication. According to Lotman, in the process of typing socially significant codes, the author turns to himself with texts and arguments – this is a fact not only of psychology, but also of cultural history.^[5] Crazy people who have experienced a serious mental crisis have rebuilt themselves in the process of creating notes. In their notes, the two heroes went through the path of reconstructing themselves, of which the structure of the two "Notes" consists.­­­­

The structure of Gogol's "Notes" is as follows: criticism of "them" – disorder of the "I" itself – redefinition of the "I" itself – seeking help. When Poprishchin was relatively "normal", he used to criticize other people's environment on a class basis. In his opinion, people who are not much higher than him in social status are insignificant, cursed and stupid: the head of the department is a "cursed heron", officials are "like dogs", the footman is a "stupid slave" ... And the director and his daughter, who have a high social status, in his opinion, are important and noble: "importance shines in the eyes ... a statesman..." ^{[6, p. 176]}; "saints, what a handkerchief ... breathes generalship from him..." ^{[6, p. 177]} ... His pleasure came from a false idea of himself:"I" am engaged in "noble" service; "I am an official, I am of noble origin" ^{[6, p. 177]} …

And when he learned from the dog how he was evaluated by the general and his daughter – a "turtle in a bag", and that Sofia would marry a general, a chamber cadet, or a military colonel, his self-esteem collapsed. At the stage of personality disorder, he began to realize his insignificance before the social class order: "I have already wanted to understand several times why all these differences occur. Why am I a titular adviser and why on earth am I a titular conscience?" ^{[6, p. 185]}   

When he fell ill with schizophrenia, he decided that he was the king of Spain, who should have dominated everything and had the right to build the world at will. He was comfortable and safe in this world, because his life was built on the principles of pleasure – there was no need to go to work, there was no need to worship the director, there was no need to take care of a woman …

However, when he was put in a madhouse and began to be tortured, the world again did not correspond to his desires. As a result, the hero did not find a way out either in the real world or in the fantastic. In order to somehow get rid of suffering, he had to seek salvation in distant lands or to his mother: "Save me! take me! give me three quick ones... Mother, save your poor son..." ^{[6, p. 196]}

The structure of Lu Xin's "Notes" is as follows: rethinking "them" – enlightenment – rethinking the "I" itself – asking for help. Crazy Lu Xin rebuilt the world according to his principles from the very beginning of the story. Cannibalism is the main event in the diary of a madman, that is, it is the center of the narrator's narrative and the center of the hero's reflection. In the mind of a madman, the world consists of binary opposition: they are the ones who eat man and we are the ones who don't eat man. Zhao Guiweng, a dog from Zhao's yard, children, women, a tenant and residents from the village of Wolf, a young man and even the hero's brother – they are all ferocious cannibals with dark faces and bared fangs; they are all executioners disguised in Confucian ethics, preaching "humanity", "justice", "morality" and "virtue."

After he identified "them" as cannibals, he tried to enlighten and change his brother and other heroes according to his principles. He told his brother: "... some abandoned cannibalism, focused all their thoughts on self-improvement and turned into people, into real people..." ^{[7, p. 60]} In his diary, he shouted at "them": "Repent immediately, repent sincerely! Know that cannibals will not be tolerated in the future..." ^{[7, p. 62]}

Orientation in the environment helped the madman to know himself. He reconsidered his position, saw what he had been wrong about in the past, and deeply repented: "Maybe I, too, unknowingly ate a few pieces of my sister's meat..." ^{[7, p. 63]} At this moment, in the process of keeping a diary, the current "I" is already sharply different from the past "I".

In the end, the disappointed madman asked for help and hoped for changes in the future: "Maybe there are more children who have not eaten people? Save the children!" ^{[7, p. 63]} In his mind, there is still a way out in the world: children are the hope for positive changes in the future.

       It can be seen that during the course of the plot, the painful state of the characters intensified and therefore they violated the rules of the real world and reconsidered their place in this world. In the minds of two patients with schizophrenia, the pleasure principle prevails and egocentrism develops. The existing world order no longer restricts the heroes, and therefore they feel and the world in this way, like newborns. Both "Notes" begin with an extraordinary sense of the environment: "An extraordinary adventure happened today." ^{[7, p. 173]}; "I haven't seen her (the moon) for more than thirty years, and today, when I saw her, the mood rose unusually." ^{[7, p. 53]} Another striking manifestation of a mental disorder is a departure from real temporal and spatial concepts, in connection with this, time flowed and space was described from the point of view of madmen, as a result of which it acquired fantastic features. For example, in Poprishchin's mind, "the day was without number" ^{[6, p. 189]} and the madhouse was Spain; Lu Xin's hero could not distinguish between day and night. The removal of the restrictions imposed by the rules of reality even changed their idea of themselves: in the mind of Poprishchin, "I" was first a titular official, then was the king of Spain; in the mind of the hero Lu Xin, "I" was first suffering from cannibalism, then "I" turned out to be a cannibal. The inconsistency of self-image with reality eventually pushed them into the abyss of despair, so they had to seek help.

So, thanks to the genre of the diary of a madman, the narrative elements are greatly reduced, and the lyrical beginning increases, this is the main difference between these stories from earlier ones. This genre helps to show the personality of the hero more fully and portray his inner world. At the same time, the author's voice becomes more hidden. Along with this, you can see in the notes that although the mentally ill to some extent break away from the real rules, but part of the reality remains in their minds - they still suffer and hope for a human attitude towards them. This, on the one hand, corresponds to the symptoms of schizophrenia, on the other hand, comes from the author's idea. The similarities of the two writers, the historical stage and even the cultural structure bring the two works closer together, and vice versa, these factors distinguish them.   

The genre of the diary of a mentally ill person has characteristic features. First of all, both writers depicted in their work the inconsistency of personal aspirations with reality. When Gogol studied in Nizhyn, he repeatedly expressed his desire for public service in letters to his relatives: "In my dreams and in reality, I dream of Petersburg, and with it the service to the state." ^{[8, p. 265]}; "... I was burning with unquenchable jealousy to make my life necessary for the good of the state, I was boiling to bring at least the slightest benefit." ^{[8, p. 273]} However, when he served in St. Petersburg his flame of service to the state was extinguished by the cold water of real vulgarity. He writes: "The silence in him is extraordinary, no spirit shines among the people, all employees and officials, everyone talks about their departments and colleges, everything is suppressed, everything is mired in idle, insignificant labors, in which their lives are fruitlessly spent." ^{[8, p. 278]} The disappointed writer realized that only through his creativity can he bring real benefit to the people and realize his own aspirations, and this will bring him inner comfort. He saw it as a writer's duty to reveal human nature and thereby benefit humanity. In his article "The Author's Confession", he confessed that the author "fulfills exactly the duty for which he was called to earth ... he serves his state at the same time, as if he were really in public service" ^{[8, pp. 228-229]}.

Lu Xin experienced a similar internal conflict and made a similar choice. On the one hand, he was disappointed in the situation of China at that time, which suffered a number of defeats in the struggle with the imperial powers, as well as with feudal forces inside the country, and he saw the reason for this in the spiritual weakness of the Chinese people. And therefore, in his work, he was engaged in spiritual enlightenment of the people in order to strengthen the spirit of the Chinese people. He has repeatedly talked about the motivation of his literary and creative activity. In the preface to the collection "Cry" he writes: "If the mass of the people are ignorant, any person, the tallest and the strongest, can be exposed to shame. At that time, I began to consider spiritual rebirth as the first necessity and literature as the best means for it" ^[9] This is stated by his close friend Xu Shoushan in his book "Remembrance of the Deceased Friend Lu Xing": "When Lu Xin studied at the Kobun Gakuin Institute, he often discussed with me the following three big questions:

1. What is the most ideal humanity? 

2. What is most lacking in the Chinese national character?

3. What is its root cause?

He worked tirelessly on these three issues throughout his life, and then resolutely abandoned the study of medicine and engaged in literary activity. One of his goals was to solve these problems..." ^[10]

So, both writers experienced violent internal conflicts due to the inconsistency of the inner ideal with the external reality. These psychological factors bring the two writers closer together and determine the interest in the topic of insanity in the "Notes".

In addition, their inner torment comes from their love for the Motherland, concern for the people, as well as the desire for truth, goodness and beauty. This was stated by Lu Xin himself. Lu Xin has spoken many times about the influence of Russian literature on his work, especially Gogol. In the article "How I started Writing" he wrote that he read Russian literature most of all, that at that time he loved Gogol most of all, and admitted that he wrote "Notes of a Madman" under the influence of hundreds of foreign works he had read.

"The search for works calling for struggle led me, of course, to Eastern Europe. I read most of all the writers of Russian, Polish and small countries in the Balkans…My favorite writers at that time were Gogol and Senkevich.

…

I was not prepared for literary activity. After all, my luggage consisted of hundreds of previously read books by foreign writers and a little knowledge of medicine." ^{[11, pp. 122-123]}

Russian Russian literature was considered by him to be a teacher and friend of Chinese literature, as he saw the similarity of the destinies of the two countries and the reflection of the fate of the nation in Russian literature. In both countries there were oppressor and oppressed classes, because of which the people suffered a lot. In Russian literature, Lu Xin saw "suffering, search, resistance and struggle, revolution and struggle, construction, and struggle, and victory" ^{[12, p. 102]}.

He explained the reasons for turning to Russian literature in this way:

"The adventures of detectives, adventurers, fairy tales about English misses, African Negroes could only tickle the nerves of fat, well-fed and drunk people, and some of our youth already felt the oppression, they did not need works that tickled the nerves, they suffered and rushed in search of urgent instructions. And then she found Russian literature.

And then she realized that Russian literature is our teacher and friend. Russian literature revealed to us the beautiful soul of the oppressed, his suffering, his struggle; we lit up with hope, reading the works of the forties. We grieved together with the heroes of the works of the Sixties. Didn't we know that the Russian Empire pursued an aggressive policy in China, but from its literature we understood the most important thing that there are two classes in the world - oppressors and oppressed!" ^{[12, p. 99]}

Lu Xin saw one unchanging goal among various Russian writers – "to direct them to life." According to the writer, "Russian literature has been aimed at "life" since the time of Nicholas II. Regardless of what its main idea is – either in search, or in solution, or in a riddle, or in decadence, its main direction remains the same: for life" ^[13]. This coincides with the motivation of Lu Xin's literary activity – enlightenment and improvement of people's lives. The writer writes: "... speaking, for example, about why it is necessary to write, I, like more than ten years ago, adhere to "enlightenment views", that is, I believe that writing is necessary in the name of life and to improve this life." ^{[11, p. 123]}

Thus, the choice of the genre of the diary of a mentally ill person is not accidental. Firstly, the narrative on behalf of a madman is characterized by unpredictability and special expressiveness of personal emotions, since they allow you to reveal personal aspirations and get rid of social law and order. Secondly, the two writers have a similar psychological attitude - the inconsistency of personal aspiration with reality. Thirdly, the writers of the two countries have a similar worldview and spiritual values – love for the Motherland, caring for the people, fighting evil and lies, striving for truth and goodness.

However, the two madmen differ greatly from each other primarily in clinical manifestations, on the basis of which it can be argued that Poprishchin had delusions of grandeur, and the Chinese madman had delusions of persecution. In Poprishchin's notes, there is a shift of attention from the world of "them" to the world of "I". At first, Poprishchin was a "normal" person. Although he recorded all the episodes from his point of view, but he did not focus all the attention on himself. Most of the time he behaved as a narrator and observer of the environment. He created portraits of the head of the department, the director of the department, the daughter of the director, etc., carefully monitored their appearance, attire, facial expressions, movement... When expressing his opinion, he wrote many times "I said to myself" ... In addition, he deliberately indicated his spatial displacement: "he was with our boss in the office" ^{[6, p. 176]}, "I was in the theater" ^{[6, p. 178]} … All these narrative elements indicate that the world of "them" occupied most of the hero's attention, and that the ability to think intelligently was preserved. However, when megalomania began, there are fewer narrative elements in the diary, and, accordingly, the lyrical and dramatic beginning increases. Through lyrical and dramatic modes, he rebuilt the world according to his will as the almighty and overly concentrated on his "I". According to I. D. Ermakov, he "creates a new world based on the principle of pleasure" ^[14]. In his world, he became the absolute center, the environment was unimportant to him. All this is a typical symptom of megalomania and narcissism.

Unlike Poprishchin, the hero, who fell ill with persecution mania, lived in fear and put himself in a relatively low position: anyone, even children, can eat him. Compared to Poprishchin, Lu Xin's hero focused on "them", on their relationship to "me". "They" in the mind of a madman are indifferently ferocious cannibals, they have no personal traits, in other words, "they" turn into a symbol of the oppressor, and do not exist as concrete personalities: "They crowd at the entrance, curiously stretching their necks. Some have completely indistinguishable facial features, as if they are covered with veils; others, as then, have dark faces with lips. I know that they are all from the same gang, that they are all cannibals." ^{[7, p. 61]}

Although the hero paid more attention to "their", but indifferent portraits, the lack of a sense of space and an excessive subjective sense of time show that the narrative beginning in his notes is clearly less than in Poprishchin's notes. On the contrary, the notes are supplemented with subjective judgments, dramatic monologues and lyrical appeals. For example, the hero thinks about the welfare of the nation as a whole and tries to influence the feelings of other people so that they stop engaging in cannibalism: "Repent immediately, repent sincerely! Know that cannibals will not be tolerated in the future..." ^{[7, p. 62]}; "I, who have four thousand years of cannibalism behind me, only now realized how difficult it is to meet a real person." ^{[7, p. 63]}

A madman who concentrates on "them" has a big split between him and the people around him, his notes show the development of human consciousness. And there is no self-development in Poprishchin's notes, since in essence he is no different from the vulgar people whom he criticized and hated. So, we can say that in Lu Xin's story there are more reasonable factors and a brighter voice of the author, and Gogol's idea is hidden in the techniques of irony and fiction. These features are determined by socio-historical and national cultural foundations.

First of all, megalomania as a literary manifestation of the 30s reflects the social life and psychological crisis of modern people. Megalomania, that is, the desire to define the "I" as the highest being superior to others, demonstrates the social disease of this time – "mania of ambition and imposture."^[15] On the one hand, Poprishchin saw lies and ambition in the people around him, hated and criticized them, however, on the other hand, he, as contemporaries of Russian society, inevitably obeyed the social system of values, striving to become a person of high status. This impotence before nature forced him to turn to the troika, to distant lands, to his mother and even to God, symbolizing the patron and savior. That is, in reality there was almost no way out. In the opinion of Yu . Manna, such a contradiction between personality and reality is characteristic of the "natural school". "With her interest in the laws of the "century" she developed the self-consciousness of Russian society. But by its opposition of "good" human nature and "cruel'"it attracted the environment to stereotypical, easily implied decisions: human will is nothing, reality is everything."^[16]

And the persecution mania reflects the extremely cruel social problems in China at that time – the persecution of new revolutionary forces by the old feudal civilization. In this regard, crazy Lu Xin shows more fighting spirit. His conflicts stemmed from a complete denial of the world order – cannibalism. Poprishchin became a slave to the rules, and the crazy Lu Xin tried to educate others and thereby influence them. This is not only a way out for a madman, but also the main task of the advanced intellectuals of our time. In the note, he compared himself to Xu Xiling, who appeared more than once in the following stories of Lu Xin. Lu Xin created several intellectual characters who fought hard against the feudal system. His contemporary Mao Zedong saw the spirit of struggle and revolutionism in Lu Xin's work: "Lu Xin is the greatest and most heroic standard bearer of this new cultural army. Lu Xin is the master of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, he is not only a great writer, but also a great thinker and a great revolutionary. Lu Xin's bones are the hardest. He doesn't have the slightest sense of bondage and charm. This is the most valuable character of the colonial and semi-colonial people. Lu Xin is the most loyal, brave, resolute, loyal and ardent national hero, standing on the cultural front, representing the majority of the entire nation and speaking out against the enemy. Lu Xin's direction is the direction of the new culture of the Chinese nation."^[17]

In addition, the difference between the two heroes is due to cultural differences between Russia and China.

One can find the origins of madness in ancient Russian literary monuments, especially in the hagiographic and geographical tradition. In this respect, the "Life of Protopop Habakkuk" is indicative. In the autobiography, the hero always strives for holiness, so he constantly repents of his sins before God, does good deeds in the name of God, saves spiritual children from the devil and is even ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of holy deeds. He admires the fool Theodore, who, in his opinion, is a great ascetic and receives power from God: "He, the dead man, is light, he climbed into the hot oven after the loaves and sat naked on the floor and eats crumbs in the oven." ^[18]

The crazy elements of Russian culture can also be seen in the image of Ivan the Terrible. According to Lotman, the roles of God, unlimited power, the devil and a sinful person are combined in the behavior of the Terrible, which gave rise to a fool in him.^{[1, p. 152-154]} The desire for greatness and glory, and the accompanying devilish beginning were represented in ancient Russian literature and became part of the Russian spirit, passed down from generation to generation.

Poprishchin turned to the medieval tradition, his insane behavior stemmed from selfish heroism. From Lotman's point of view, medieval consciousness is an integral part of the Russian cultural structure: "In the medieval consciousness, we witness a completely different structure: the ideal, highest degree of value (holiness, heroism, crime, love) is achieved only in a state of insanity. Thus, only a madman can implement the highest rules." ^{[1, p. 81]} Poprishchin imagined himself as a Spanish king, because in his knowledge the king is the almighty and in Spain "chivalric customs are still conducted" ^{[6, p. 191]}. The madness of the Field eventually includes "chivalry". Being a fool, he can tell the truth: "Mother, father, God will be sold for money, ambitious, Christ-sellers!" ^{[6, p. 189]} He even once tried to do a "great thing" – to save the moon, although it was very funny and crazy in the opinion of "normal" people.

However, it is obvious that the foolishness of the Field is ostentatious, since there is nothing noble about him, he became crazy simply because he could not accept himself as he is. From the point of view of Christianity, he is as sinful as the other heroes. In this respect, his illness appeared as a punishment – the devil lives in him. Avvakum had many such characters: a sinful demoniac man came to Avvakum to repent and was cured. Gogol was one of the first to draw attention to the sin of a small person who wants to seem like an important person at the same time. Poprishchin, as an author, was extremely focused on the inner world. Ignorance, the fall and the thirst for greatness of the hero led to madness. He forgets that the world was created by God, that he himself is God's creation and believes that he has the right to condemn all people and the social structure as a whole. In this respect, there are more religious and narrative elements in the notes compared to the Chinese notes.

In comparison with Poprishchin, the Chinese madman is more reasonable and proactive. Cultural differences are also evident in the titles of the two stories, in the very concept of "crazy". "Crazy" in Russian means mentally ill, devoid of mind and common sense. In Russian culture, a madman is somewhat close to a fool, in which noble and low aspects are combined. The Chinese character "?" ("Notes of a madman" in Chinese is written as """) also has two meanings – mentally ill and violent. And in Chinese literature, it often has a positive connotation, and its negative sides are reduced or ignored. "?" not only provides an opportunity to get rid of traditional Confucian ethics, which promotes a golden mean between two extremes and distorts human nature with restraint, but also allows you to discover yourself.

The first vivid image of a madman in the history of Chinese literature is Jie Yu.^[19] In the opinion of a "normal" person, he was talking nonsense, but, according to the representative of Taoism Chuang Tzu, he was telling the whole truth: he led a free life away from politics because he realized that the race for merit and fame can destroy personal life, and therefore it is better to follow the heavenly law. Under the pen of Chuang Tzu, Ze Yu appeared as an opposite image compared to Confucius:

When Confucius was wandering in the kingdom of Chu, the local madman Ze Yu, passing by him, sang:

Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!

How your valor has faded!

There is no hope for the future.

There is no going back to the past.

When there is a Way in the Celestial Empire,

The wise succeeds.

When there is no Way in the Celestial Empire,

The wise... lives!

And in our time of troubles, he will be glad to avoid execution.

Happiness is easier than fluff. You can't keep him.

Misfortune is heavier than the whole earth. You can't push him away.

But enough, enough

Rule over people and the power of good!

Disastrous, disastrous

Walk along the line drawn on the ground!

Earthly thorns, do not torment the wanderer!

My path is winding – I won't hurt my feet! ^[20]

A similar image is found in the novel "The Dream in the Red Chamber" by Cao Xueqin – a mad monk. From the very beginning, the hero claims that the thirst for fame, wealth, beauties and descendants is all emptiness. Let's see the appearance of a crazy monk:

...two monks are heading towards him: one Buddhist and one Taoist. They were approaching, talking animatedly and gesticulating. A Buddhist monk with a scab on his head was barefoot, the Taoist's hair was disheveled, and he limped noticeably. ^{[21, p. 28]}

Although he looks abnormal, but he was telling the truth:

Holiness is clear to any hermit,

anyone is attracted to a hermit.

However, the dream of honor and glory

it won't work for people in any way.

There were many nobles and warriors,

where did they go?

The mound is buried in high weeds,

if the time of their life passes.

Holiness is clear to any hermit,

anyone is attracted to a hermit.

Yes, only the dream of untold wealth

it won't work for people in any way.

One thing occupies a person's whole life,

That there is not enough wealth for him.

He will accumulate wealth, his eyes will close,

and a person's life will pass.

Holiness is clear to any hermit,

anyone is attracted to a hermit.

Yes, only a dream about the temptations of beauties

it won't work for people in any way.

The beauty assures every day,

That she is grateful to you.

But when you die, another one will turn up,

and her passion will pass immediately.

Holiness is clear to any hermit,

anyone is attracted to a hermit.

Yes, only taking care of children and grandchildren

it won't work for people in any way.

We know parents who are grieving with their hearts,

And now and in ancient days.

And you will look for grateful descendants,

and your life will pass for nothing. ^{[21, pp. 34-35]}

It can be seen that "?" (a hieroglyph denoting a madman) in ancient Chinese literature not only provides an opportunity to violate celestial rules and express personality, but also symbolizes absolute spiritual freedom, a state of achieving inner enlightenment and a generous and optimistic life position. According to Taoist and Buddhist doctrines, celestial affairs are all emptiness, all non–existence. But a modern Chinese madman could not abandon all earthly affairs like a monk. He still retains the Confucian ideal of saving people, so he concentrated on celestial affairs and tried to educate people.

The conflict between the Confucian ideal and reality determines the tragic and lyrical beginnings of the work – a tradition that began with the poet Qu Yuan. In the article "On Romanticism", Lu Xin praised Qu Yuan, believing that he "spoke freely and said what his predecessors did not dare to say" ^[22]. Zhang Shuxiang, who traces the tradition of lyricism to the pre-Qin era (up to 221 BC), argues that the poet Qu Yuan is the first person in the history of Chinese literature in whose work one can see the image of the lyrical "I": "The "I", purified through the baptism of the soul and art, testifies to the real birth of the poetic "I"" ^[23]. For example, Qu Yuan in the elegy "Li-sao" ("") conveyed his grief because his talent remained unrecognized and because he could not fulfill his aspirations, and expressed his devotion to the country and determination to fight for ideals. The poet successfully created the image of "?" and "?" (These are hieroglyphs denoting "I" in the ancient Chinese language. Both hieroglyphs could be used in different cases, but "?" has a large bookish coloring, and "?" – colloquial. There is virtually no difference in value. Different selves are used here to avoid repetition.) with strong emotions and high moral qualities, which makes the poem full of humanity and humanism. 

So, in "Notes of a Madman" the Chinese literary tradition continues, rationality and insanity, tragedy, lyricism are combined. This allows a madman to dare to expose the absurdity of cannibalism and shout that cannibalism is an executioner disguised with the words "humanity", "justice", "morality" and "virtue": "In the old days people were often eaten: I remembered this from history, though vaguely. To cope, I opened a history book, there were no dates in the book, but every page was replete with the words "humanity", "justice", "morality" and "virtue"."^{[7, c. 55]}

Based on the above, it can be concluded that Gogol and Lu Xin introduce the genre of the diary of a madman into the literary traditions of their countries. Both of these texts are characterized by tragedy, lyricism and a full-fledged image of the personality and inner world of the hero. Both writers combine rational and irrational factors in their work, combine the point of view of the hero and the voice of the author in the form of a first-person narration on behalf of a madman. This is not only the result of the author's position, but also the product of a specific historical stage and cultural explosion. Both "Notes" breathe the same psychological attitude – the inconsistency of personal aspirations with reality and similar cultural values – love for the Motherland, concern for the people, the fight against evil and lies, the pursuit of truth and goodness. However, the two works differ greatly in content. Firstly, the hero who fell ill with megalomania concentrated on "I", and the hero who fell ill with persecution mania concentrated on "them". Secondly, Poprishchin turns out to be powerless in front of the environment, and crazy Lu Xin demonstrates fighting spirit. Thirdly, Gogol's story has more narrative and fantastic beginnings, and Lu Xin's story has more lyrical and rational beginnings. These traits are due to socio-historical and national cultural characteristics – religious tradition and attention to the inner world and a bright individual beginning in Russian literature, more violent social conflicts and attention to the outside world and the importance of personal desires and volitional aspirations in Chinese literature.

1. The Movement for a New Culture is an ideological liberation movement of the mid–1910s and 1920s, initiated by advanced Chinese intellectuals under the slogan "democracy" and "science".

2. Cannibalism: According to the article "Cannibalism and Etiquette" by Yu, cannibalism as etiquette has existed in China from time immemorial.  It is easy to find records that a subordinate sacrificed his son to show loyalty to the ruler, that the son cut his meat in honor of his parents, that soldiers ate wives and children during the war, that human meat can cure consumption (source: . .............. //. .... . ?6?.). The scientist Sun Fuyuan further revealed the symbolistic meaning of cannibalism, in his opinion, it has three levels: firstly, at the physical level cannibalism means to devour human meat; secondly, it is beating, that is, rulers exterminate subordinates; thirdly, it has the meaning of slavery (source: . «» // . ?4?. ?2?).

3. Humanity, justice, morality and virtue are traditional Chinese values. During the Eastern Zhou period (770-256 BC), the first discovery of the "I" and the heyday of Chinese civilization came. This situation was not accidental. During this period, the Zhou dynasty declined, along with the ceremony and etiquette of the state. In order to revive the dead etiquette and ease social contradictions, some prominent intellectuals at that time tried to rebuild cultural studies and the system of values by renewing the relationship between heaven and man. According to the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism, people must observe the heavenly laws, which manifest themselves in life as moral norms. Since that time, the five virtues – humanity, justice, decency, wisdom and loyalty have become the norms of human behavior, gradually became the value system of China and have survived to the present day. However, Confucianism gradually submitted to the authorities and came to a standstill, which severely limited the actions and nature of a person. Since the Han Dynasty, with the political course of "rejecting a hundred schools, honoring only Confucianism," the doctrine of Confucianism was given the concept of a rigid order, ethical norms were fixed as three foundations – the absolute power of the sovereign over the subject, the father over the son, the husband over the wife. Only with three foundations, five rules apply – humanity, justice, decency, wisdom and loyalty.

4. Xu Xilin (1873-1907) - Chinese revolutionary, head of the Army of the Restoration of China. In 1907, he sacrificed his life in the Uprising of Anqing (present-day Anhui Province) against the Qing Dynasty, and in the end the uprising was suppressed.

5. Zhang Shuxiang (?,, 1948 - ) – a scholar in the field of ancient Chinese literature.