CAPE Literatures in English Unit 1 Term B1/6B2

Briefly outline the history of the theory. Explain the basic concepts of Marxist Criticism. Evaluate the theory for its implications in literature as it concerns the text.

Marxism is a socio-economic and political worldview or inquiry based on a materialist interpretation of historical development, a dialectical view of social transformation, an analysis of class-relations and conflict within society. Marxist methodology informs an economic and sociopolitical enquiry applying to the analysis and critique of the development of capitalism and the role of class struggle in systemic economic change. There is no single definitive Marxist theory; Marxist analysis has been applied to diverse subjects and has been misconceived and modified during the course of its development, resulting in numerous and sometimes contradictory theories that fall under the rubric of Marxism or Marxian analysis

In the mid-to-late 19th century, the intellectual tenets of Marxism were inspired by two German philosophers: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxist analyses and methodologies have influenced multiple political ideologies and social movements throughout history. Marxism encompasses an economic theory, a sociological theory, a philosophical method, and a revolutionary view of social change. Other important theorists include Terry Eagleton and Fedric Jameson

Think way back before the advent of industries. There were land owners (lords, Kings etc) and those who worked on the land (surfs) and gave most of the earnings to the land owners in exchange for military protection, the right to live on the land etc. This gave rise to a class system since the land owners would become richer while the workers would remain in a state of poverty.

There was a movement from working on the land to working in industries as human civilisation grew. The class system now comprised of the owners of the means of production (bourgeoisie) as the ruling class (replacing lords and Kings) and the working class (replacing the serfs) or proletariat who earned wages from working for the ruling class. Essentially capitalism replaced feudalism but the ruling class still maintained economic dominance over the working class.

Capiltalism created a tension/conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The working class, realising that they are being taken advantage of, would rebel and overtake the ruling class and once there is equal ownership of the means of production there will no longer be the need for a class system. All the workers will work towards equal shares of the profits. The theory maintains that in order to reach a ‘classless’ stage in society, the bourgeoisie stage must be passed through first.

Think about Post Colonialism and Feminism. Both address inequality- one on the basis of the coloniser over the colonised and the other with male over female. Similarly, Marxist theory bases it ideas on inequalities based on the class system- the upper ruling class over the lower working class.

Along with psychoanalytical, feminist, and cultural criticism, Marxist literary criticism exemplifies what the French philosopher Paul Ricouer terms a "hermeneutics of suspicion." These are approaches that concern themselves not with what the text says but what it hides. As Terry Eagleton, a leading Marxist critic, writes, the task of Marxist literary criticism "is to show the text as it cannot know itself, to manifest those conditions of its making (inscribed in its very letter) about which it is necessarily silent."

By its very nature, ideology is silent. Like the water in the aquarium breathed by the fish, ideology is virtually invisible. Its invisibility gives it greater power. Ideology - defined in general as the shared beliefs and values held in an unquestioning manner by a culture - exerts a powerful influence upon a culture. Those who are marginalized in the culture are most aware of the ways in which an ideology supports the dominant class in the society. Those who enjoy the fruits of belonging to a dominant group of the society barely generally are filled with what Marx called "false consciousness.” Since it is not in their interest to notice the ways in which an economic structure marginalizes others, they tend to buy into an ideology that supports that structure.

Base vs. Superstructure: Base in Marxism refers to economic base. Superstructure, according to Marx and Engels, emerges from this base and consists of law, politics, philosophy, religion, art. Ideology: the shared beliefs and values held in an unquestioning manner by a culture. It governs what that culture deems to be normative and valuable. For Marxists, ideology is determined by economics. A rough approximation: "tell me how much money you have and I'll tell you how you think." Hegemony: coined by the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci, this "refers to the pervasive system of assumptions, meanings, and values -- the web of ideologies, in other words, that shapes the way things look, what they mean, and therefore what reality is 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, some would argue that the media's obsession with tragedy (e.g.the deaths of Jon Benet Ramsay, Diana, JFK Jr., the murders at Columbine High School in Colorado) make commodities out of grieving people. The media expresses sympathy but economically thrives on these events through ratings boost.

They explore ways in which the text reveals ideological oppression of a dominant economic class over subordinate classes. In order to do this a Marxist might ask the following questions: Does the text reflect or resist a dominant ideology? Does it do both? Does the main character in a narrative affirm or resist bourgeoisie values? Whose story gets told in the text? Are lower economic groups ignored or devalued? Are values that support the dominant economic group given privilege? This can happen tacitly, in the way in which values are taken to be self-evident.

They look at the conditions of production for the work of art. For example, they ask What were the economic conditions for publication of a work? Who was the audience? What does the text suggest about the values of this audience? Marxist literary criticism can also be viewed as a type of cultural criticism, in that it seeks to analyse a discourse (of power) that makes up one of the discourses that determine a text's historical meaning.