MARXISM

emphasizes economic and social

conditions
 based on the political theory of
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
 concerned with understanding
the role of power, politics, and
money in literary texts
 ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT MARXISM
Marx believed that the means of Marxism asserts that literature is
production (i.e., the basis of a reflection of culture, and that
power in society) should be culture can be influenced by
placed in the hands of those who literature.
actually operate them
Marxists believe literature can
Marx wrote that economic and instigate revolution.
political revolutions around the
world would eventually place
power in the hands of the masses,
the laborers.
MARXISM
Economic Power
A society is shaped by its forces of
production. Those who own the
means of production dictate what
type of society it is.
The two main classes of society are:
1. the bourgeoisie (who control the
means of production and wealth)
and
2. the proletariat (who operate the
means of production and are
controlled by the bourgeoisie).
Class Conflict
A capitalist society will inevitably
experience conflict between its social
classes.
The owners and the workers will have
different ideas about the division of the
wealth generated, and the owners will
ultimately make the decision.
This constant conflict, or dialectical
materialism, is what promotes change.
 The bourgeoisie control most artistic
output because, whether through patronage or
sponsorship, they fund the
arts and entertainment. Since the bourgeoisie
materially support the writers and the painters,

the artist must be careful not to offend

bourgeois values.
Anything offensive or challenging to
the bourgeoisie will simply not be published or
sold.
Any artist who wishes to criticize the
bourgeoisie must do so in a subtle way through
satire, irony, and other figurative means.
 RECURRENT TERMS IN MARXISM
HEGEMONY

Coined by the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci;

refers to the pervasive system of assumptions, meanings,

values, and the web of ideologies;

shapes the way things look and mean for the majority of people
within a given culture
Reification
Often used to describe the way in which people are turned into
commodities useful in market exchange.
For example, the media’s obsession with tragedy (e.g. the deaths
of popular artists) which results in making commodities out of the grief
of the public. The media expresses sympathy but economically benefits
from these events through increased networks ratings and media
mileage.
 Ideology
The shared beliefs and
IDEOLOGY values held by a culture; governs
what the culture considers to be
normative and valuable.

The marginalized are most

aware of the ways in which an
ideology supports the dominant
class in society.
QUESTIONS RELEVANT TO A MARXIST
READING/ANALYSIS
Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is
accepted/successful/believed, etc.?
What is the social class of the author?
Which class does the work claim to represent?
What values does it reinforce?
What values does it subvert?
What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and
those it portrays?
What social classes do the characters represent?
How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
REFERENCES
Bressler, C. E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice.
New York: Prentice Hall, 2004.
Habib, M.A.R. A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to Present.
Oxford, Blackwell, 2008.
Leitch, Vincent B, Gen. Ed. The Norton Anthology of Literary Theory
and Criticism, New York and London: W.W. Norton and
Company, 2001.
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing About Literature. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 2003.