Marxist criticism

Welcome to our topic, Marxist criticism! Marxist criticism is a very explosive topic and a rather political as it is philosophical in its nature envisioned by Karl Marx as a way of historical determinism. That is, our history is a record of protracted struggle between to opposing structures within the society driven primarily by economic and material needs of people who live in that society. Hence, literature being the reflection of life; we will take a closer look at the lives of these people who portrayed various lives using their pens. Related to this, you need to read the short story, “The Diamond Necklace,” written by the French writer Guy de Maupassant. You may download the story by clicking here. We will utilize the said story as we read and write following the tenets of Marxist criticism. So, hold on and join me here looking through the Marxist lens of life!

“The Marxist analysis has nothing to do with what happened in Stalin’s Russia; it’s like blaming Jesus Christ for the Inquisition of Spain.” ~ Tony Benn, British Labour Politician

Intended learning outcomes

At the completion of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Explain Marxist criticism;
2. Discuss the gist of the short story “The Necklace;” and
3. Write a Marxist criticism of a chosen literary piece.

What is Marxist criticism?

Marxism is a philosophical and ideological belief which is derived from the philosophical standpoint of Karl Marx, a Jewish-German philosopher and political scientist who advocated that the events in history are nothing but a record of struggle between two opposing classes in society, the “proletariat” and the “bourgeoisie;” which will ultimately lead to the fall of capitalism and an ushering of communism where everyone is equal with another, being one gets equal share of the society’s wealth according to his needs and according

Historical background

Karl Marx

• Karl Marx was a 19th century German philosopher who became a part of the Communist League. Marx is revered as one of the most influential socialist thinkers of the 19th century.
• Some of his major works include:
  1. The Communist manifesto (1848)
  2. Das Kapital (1867)

Friedrich Engels

• Engels was pretty much Marx’s best friend. He shared Marx’s socialist beliefs and provided support financially as well as intellectually while Marx developed his theories.
• Some of his major works include:
  1. The Conditions of the Working Class in England (1844)
  2. The Communist Manifesto (1848)

What is Marxist criticism?

Marx argued that communism or Marxism is the best form of government where there is equality in the allocation and distribution of wealth. It attempts to debunk the principles of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system that is based on private ownership of the means of production and the creation of goods or services for profit. Instead, Marxism utilizes socialism’s concept of public ownership.

Marxism theorizes that in order to remove the proletariat from its poor economic situation, a socialist revolution must occur to remove the unconcerned ruling class from government. Following the revolution, a new, socialist government is created that subsequently becomes communist in nature.

Marxist criticism is the belief that literature reflects this socio-economic struggle and economic determinism. Like new historicism, it examines how history influences literature; the difference is that Marxism focuses on the lower classes. It looks at how literature functions in relation to other aspects of the superstructure, particularly other articulations of ideology. Like feminist critics, it investigates how literature can work as a force for social change, or as a reaffirmation of existing conditions.

Principles of Marxist criticism

• Marxist criticism promotes the idea that literature should be a tool in the revolutionary struggle.
• It aims to arrive at an interpretation of literary text in order to define the political dimensions of literary work
• It attempts to clarify the relationship of literary work to social reality in a political sense.
• It believes that the literary work has always a relationship to the society.
• It highlights and lauds solution from the critic (if ever s/he could come up with one).
• It judges literature by how it represents the main struggles for power going on that time, how it may influence those struggles.

Reading as a Marxist critic

When reading a literary piece using the Marxist lens, one should take a careful eye on the following:

1. What is the economic status of the characters?
2. What happens to them as a result of this status?
3. How do they fare against economic and political odds?
4. What other conditions stemming from their class does the writer emphasize?
5. To what extent does the work fail by overlooking the economic, social, and political implications of its material?
6. In what other ways does economic determinism affect the work?
7. How should the reader’s consider this story in today’s developed or underdeveloped world?

Keywords to look for using Marxist criticism

1. Economic power. In analyzing a text using Marxist criticism, remember that economic system is the moving force behind human history. Thus, to explain any social context or genre, take time to  really understand the surrounding historical circumstances involved.
   1. For instance: In the given story, the society depicted an unequal distribution of goods and services, thus, gangster are common which rob the rich seemingly due to limited opportunities given to them.
2. Materialism vs. Spiritualism. Marx averred that reality is material not spiritual. We are not spiritual beings but socially constructed ones. As critics, we are tasked to examine the relationship among socioeconomic groups in order to achieve insight into ourselves and our society.
   1. For example: The characters are shown eating a meal with meager amount of food and certain emotions are involved showing their material needs and wants not to be easily satisfied by spiritual acts or rituals.
3. Class conflict. Conflict here principally means the friction between the proletariat (working class) and the bourgeoisie (ruling class).
   1. For instance: In the drama “Romeo and Juliet,” features a love story between two lovers who come from different classes of society as it seems everyone else are not in favor of it…
4. Ideologies, arts, literatures. According to Marx, the dominant or stronger class do control art, literature, and ideologies leaving the minority or weaker class no choice but to acquiesce or simply, out of desperation, give in and waste their lives.
   1. For example: In the story “The Necklace,” Mathilde Loisel can’t even afford to buy a nice piece of dress save for the jewelry to accentuate it due to the poverty she is mired into. She has no choice but to borrow a necklace from a friend, Madamme Forrestier

Analyzing literary piece using Marxist criticism

1. Approach the text with an eye for how the characters interact. Marxist thought relies on relationships between individuals, and even those aspects of relationships that are ‘social’ can be part of a Marxist criticism
2. Evaluate the vocational roles of all characters. The Marxist criticism includes a focus on a “class system” where the vocations of characters provide the most direct reference to their place within this system. Look at the level of luxury that each individual has and how much they have to work.
3. Look at how characters use their free time. Part of the Marxist criticism is based on the argument that individuals can use free time productively. Examining the free choices of individuals is actually a large part of Marxist literary criticism.
4. Assess the role of government in the piece of literature. Is it draconian? Laissez-faire? Marxist thought relies on government as a model for liberty and also for communalism: look at the tools that government uses. Does the government, in soliciting citizenship, appeal to the capitalist tendencies of individuals or to their innate love of community?
5. Use Marxist writers as a guide. Pick ideas outlined by Marxist writers of past eras and apply them to your particular study.

Writing your Marxist criticism

Prewriting

• Clarify your understanding of the ideology of the work;
• Identify the elements of the text that present the  ideology;
• Determine how those elements promote it – that is, convince the reader to accept it; and
• Assess how sympathetic or opposed it is to Marxist principles.
• Examine the introduction/setting/over-all status of the society as regards economic, social, and cultural aspects.
  1. At the beginning, try to seek and understand the apartheid or the inequality present in the society.
  2. What class does the character belong to?
  3. What struggles or conflicts are presented from the beginning? Does any of these run towards the ending of the story?

Drafting and Revising

• Introduction. Introduce your chosen Marxist scenario from the selection and explain its relation to Marxist ideology at the outset. After this introduction, the rest of your essay will be greatly concerned with with where and how the ideology is worked out.
  1. Alternatively, you may begin by narrating an incident in the selection that illustrates the social relationships of the characters or some other socioeconomic aspect of the society as preparation for your statement of the work’s over-all worldview.
• Body. The central part of your essay is your acceptance or rejection of the Marxist principles in the text  you are analyzing. You may:
  1. describe a major character/s;
  2. assess the nature of the social institutions depicted;
  3. point out the struggles between groups of people.
• Conclusion. The conclusion of a Marxist  criticism often takes either form of:
  1. an endorsement of a classless society in which everyone has equal access to power and goods;
  2. a criticism of repressive societies when that is not the case;
  3. making a case for social reform, pointing out that the selection has either supported or rejected social change.

In any cases, to wrap up your conclusion, you will need to consider how the ideology in the text affirms or conflicts your own. You may find it interesting to reflect on what the work has revealed to you about you own ideology. Explaining your realization can provide a powerful ending to your analysis. Enjoy writing guys!

References

• Dobbie, Ann B. (2009). Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
• Fry, Paul H. (2013). Theory of Literature. New Haven: Yale University Press.
• Habib, M. R. (2011). A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to Present. UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
• https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/722/
• http://academic.cengage.com/eng/dobie/theoryintopractice2e