Diary of a Madman (狂人日記)
Satire

Diary of a Madman (狂人日記)

By Lu Xun

A man's diary entries reveal his growing paranoia and belief that everyone around him, including his family, are cannibals. His descent into madness is intertwined with social commentary on traditional Chinese society.

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Kabuliwala (The Fruitseller from Kabul)
Drama

Kabuliwala (The Fruitseller from Kabul)

By Rabindranath Tagore

A fruit seller from Kabul forms an unlikely bond with a young Bengali girl in Calcutta, reminding him of his own daughter back home, until circumstances separate them for years.

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Rappaccini’s Daughter
Gothic short story (Dark Romanticism)

Rappaccini’s Daughter

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In Padua, a young student named Giovanni becomes infatuated with Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Rappaccini. But Beatrice tends a garden of poisonous plants cultivated by her father’s twisted science—and she herself has been raised on poison. In this dark tale of love and science, Giovanni discovers that to be with Beatrice, he too must risk becoming a monster.

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