The Lunatic by Hilaire Belloc (1906)
This novel tells the story of a young man who becomes embroiled in a series of misadventures after being declared insane by a court. The narrative explores themes of identity, morality, and the blurred lines between sanity and madness.
By Hilaire Belloc · First published 1906 · Genre: Psychological Fiction, Satire, Literary Fiction · 2,269 words
First lines
Those who are interested in what simple straightforward people call the / Pathology of Consciousness have gathered a great body of evidence upon / the various manias that affect men, and there is an especially / interesting department of this which concerns illusion upon matters / which in the sane are determinable by the senses and common experience. / Thus one man will believe himself to be the Emperor of China, another / to be William Shakespeare or some other impossible person, though one / would imagine that his every accident of daily life would convince him / to the contrary.
What this Textopian page supports
The Lunatic is listed on Textopian as a short story by Hilaire Belloc, dated 1906 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Hilaire Belloc
- Date: 1906 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Psychological Fiction, Satire, Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Social Commentary
- Length: 2,269 words
- Structure: 1 section, 22 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Lunatic by Hilaire Belloc
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Psychological Fiction — Explores the mental state and delusions of a character in an asylum, focusing on the pathology of consciousness.
- Satire — Uses irony and exaggeration to critique societal norms and political systems through the protagonist's delusions.
- Literary Fiction — Emphasizes character development and thematic depth over plot, with a focus on introspection and societal commentary.
- Speculative Fiction — Imagines a future society and its political systems as perceived by the delusional protagonist.
Tags
Satirical · Social Commentary · Dark Humor · Absurdism · Fiction · Novel · Psychological Insight · Morality Tale · Critique of Society · Philosophical Themes · Existential Crisis · Madness as Metaphor