Marxist Approach to Literary Criticism

Marxist Approach to Literary Criticism

• Marxism is a cultural theory developed by Karl Marx that embodies a set of social, economic, and political ideas to interpret and change the world.
• According to Marx, social inequality is a consequence of the division of labor, leading to class society.

Social Inequality and Classes

• Social classes refer to the division of people based on wealth, power, and prestige.
• There are two main social classes: the upper class/ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the proletariat or working class.

Marxist Literary Criticism

• The Marxist approach focuses on the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat in a literary work.
• Nine important details to apply in Marxist literary criticism:
  • Identify the presence of the upper class and working class in a literary work.
  • Focus on the actions and qualities of the social classes.
  • Examine how the author highlights social issues in the work.
  • Analyze actions or dialogue that show conflict or disagreement between people from different social classes.
  • Note how the literary work fixes or addresses social problems.
  • Uncover the author's underlying message about social inequality.
  • Search for the author's purpose in writing the story through interviews and articles.
  • Study the author's background and context in writing the work.
  • Consider the historical and cultural context in which the work was written.