A Marxist Critical Lens“All people are born alike – except republicans and

democrats.” – Groucho Marx

By Kate Munsell, Natalie Gill, Kelly Cannon and Erin T Good

Join the Party! definition

• Based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

• Political tendency and social content of literature

• Emphasize the role of class

• Reflects, propagates, challenges the prevailing social order

“No book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have

nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.” George Orwell

Ask a Marxist!pose questions

Domination and Oppression of Subordinate classes:▫ 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?

Look at the conditions of production for the work of art:▫ What were the economic conditions for publication of work?▫ Who was the audience? What does the text suggest about the

values of this audience?

“History calls those men the greatest who have ennobled themselves by working for the common good; experience acclaims as happiest the man who has made the greatest number of people

happy.” – Karl Marx

For the People!advantages

• Compares societies in literature to those in real life

• In a historical context, can give insight to the ideals and practices of past societies

• Allows the reader to develop own opinions about the role of government in society

“Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.” Karl Marx

Destroy the People!disadvantages

• Misinterpreting the author’s message

• Not acknowledging other lenses exist

• Analysis is too narrow

“The slave frees himself when, of all the relations of private property, he abolishes only the relation of slavery and thereby becomes a proletarian; the proletarian can free himself only by abolishing private property in general.” – Frederick Engels

With this Sickle and this Hammer!

Marxism in other classes• Marxism in Sociology Class ▫ Theories of social change▫ Conflict between social classes▫ Theory of Revolution- workers alienated, solution- labor

union and political parties (gain control over bourgeoisies) • History

▫ Behavior due to social class▫ Viewing biases in historical documents

• English▫ Marxist lens▫ Understanding concepts

“Society does not consist of individuals, but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals

stand.” – Karl Marx

You Say You Want a Revolution!literature

• To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee▫ Social and justice equality ignored: Tom Robinson

• The Awakening: Kate Chopin▫ Gender inequality parallels social inequality▫ Oppression of women (in higher classes, ironically)▫ Man expected to be successful

• Lord of the Flies▫ Primitive social order decided who would live and who would

die

“While the miser is merely a capitalist gone mad, the capitalist is a rational miser.”

- Karl Marx

How Can We Use This?application

1. How do the characters interact?

2. Can you spot a class system?

3. How do the characters spend their free time?

4. What role does the government play?

5. Do the research! Learn from example.

Marxism and Literary Criticism By Terry Eagleton

Works Cited

eHow Contributing Writer, . "How to use Marxist Literary Criticism." eHow. 2009. eHow, Inc. , 21 Sep 2009. Web. <http://www.ehow.com/how_2071684_use-marxist-literary- criticism.html>.

http://www1.assumption.edu/users/ady/HHGateway/Gateway/ Marxistlitcrit.html

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/critical_define/crit_marx.h tml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxist_literary_criticism