Marxist Literary Theory aka “Dialectical Materialism,” “Historical Materialism,” “Sociological Criticism” A text is written by its [material] context

In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto. They were concerned about workers’ rights, conditions of the working classes, and freedoms for underprivileged people groups. Marxism was essentially a way to view and analyze world conditions and historical developments. Eventually, their ideas spread across Europe, grew into the fervor that fed many revolutions, and were adapted by Lenin and Stalin. Today in the “Western” world, Marxism mostly survives in academia as a protest against Capitalist excess.

In American colleges and universities, Marxism has evolved into an even more influential LITERARY theory than an actual political system. Some of the most important theorists have included: Leon Trotsky György Lukács Bertolt Brecht Walter Benjamin Terry Eagleton Herbert Marcuse Theodor Adorno Louis Althusser Frederic Jameson Jürgen Habermas

MAIN IDEAS - History is a cycle of struggles between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat

MAIN IDEAS - Workers are alienated from their labor and from themselves

MAIN IDEAS - All cultural products can be analyzed as if they were works of literature

MAIN IDEAS - Writers and writings are shaped by economic context

MAIN IDEAS - Literature can be a political tool

Some Questions Marxist Literary Critics Ask: Who benefits 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? Is there a conflict 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?

ONE MAIN QUESTION: How was this text “written” by its material conditions [economics, work, society, class, politics]?

"...what drives historical change are the material realities of the economic base of society, rather than … politics, law, philosophy, religion, and art" (Richter 1088). " our socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experience" (Tyson 277). “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” (Marx, qtd. in Sim & van Loon 19). “You can analyse and form value judgments on any cultural phenomenon: literature, art, music, political systems, sport, race relations, etc.” (Marx, qtd. in Sim & van Loon 4). “Social class, and its prevailing 'ideology'...have a major bearing on what is written by a member of that class” (Barry 158).

How to “do” a Marxist reading: 1. Look for examples of oppression, bad working conditions, class struggles, etc. 2. Search for the “covert” meaning underneath the “overt,” which is about class struggle, historical stages, economic conditions, etc. 3. Relate the context of a work to the social-class status of the author. 4. Relate the literary work to the social conditions of its time period. 5. Explain an entire genre in terms of its social period. 6. Show how literature is shaped by political, economic, labor, and class conditions.

[Potentially] Positive Aspects of Marxist Criticism It has real-world applications It makes connections with work, politics, money, etc. It is concerned about the conditions of oppressed people

[Potentially] Negative Aspects of Marxist Criticism It is really easy to fake It always gets entangled with politics It quickly moves away from the text into (only) context It readily makes value judgments on literature

THE CONTEXT WRITES THE TEXT

Sources Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 2 nd edition. NY: Manchester UP, Print. Brizee, Allen, and J. Case Tompkins. “Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism.” Copyright © by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Web. 13 Sept Sim, Stuart and Borin van Loon. Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide. Totem Books, Print.