《狂人日记》是鲁迅先生用白话文写的第一篇小说、是一篇对封建主义充满了义勇和正气的宣战书。《狂人日记》的发表,在中国文学创作史上起了划时代的作用;它被公认为现代新文学的奠基石。茅盾曾高度评价了它在思想上艺术上的杰出成就,认为《狂人日记》使“中国人一向自诩的精神 The Madman’s Diary is the first novel written by Lu Xun in the vernacular and is a declaration of war with feudalism that is full of courage and righteousness. The publication of “The Madman’s Diary” has played an epoch-making role in the history of Chinese literary creation; it is recognized as the cornerstone of modern new literature. Mao Dun once spoke highly of his outstanding achievements in ideological art and considered that “The Madman’s Diary” made “the spirit that the Chinese have always boasted.”