Marxism is a literary theory that views literature as a reflection of class struggle and the economic base of society. It believes that literature can either reinforce the existing social conditions that benefit the bourgeoisie class or promote social change in favor of the proletariat class. Key Marxist thinkers who contributed to literary theory include Karl Marx, who argued that history and society are determined by economic conditions, Friedrich Engels, who collaborated with Marx, Georg Lukács, who believed texts reflect the society that produced them, Louis Althusser, who discussed how the working class is manipulated through ideology, and Antonio Gramsci, who developed the concept of cultural hegemony. Marxist criticism examines how power relations between the classes are portrayed in

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Mariano Marcos State University
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Laoag City
LIT 106: Literary Criticism
MARXISM
Hi… I am CAPTAIN BARBELL. I usually help people in distress. I give
solutions to your problems. I am so happy that I am here today at the Sunshine City
of Laoag! Let’s meet my first client.
Hello…My name is Nicholas, “NICK” in short. Captain Barbell, I have a
problem about learning this literary approach called “MARXISM”. Can you help
me with this?
Sure! Did you hear it? Nick needs our help. So let us try to help him! Come on. Let’s do it.
So, let us begin helping Nick. But before delving deeper, let us first define the term? What is
Marxism? Let us consult my HEAVY-DUTY BARBELL!
We also need to meet the brains behind this literary approach. Here, I only included the top five
proponents.
If anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist.
Reported by Friedrich Engels
Letter to Eduard Bernstein
He was a 19th century German philosopher that became a part of the
Young Hegelians,and later, the Communist League. He was revered as one of
the most influential socialist thinkers of the 19th century.
General Description
Sources of the Trend
Karl Marx
Marxist literary criticism is the belief that literature reflects class
struggle and materialism. 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.
Like New Historicism, it examines how history influences
literature; the difference is that Marxism focuses on the lower classes.

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WORKS:
The German Ideology (1845): introduced the concept of dialectical materialism (argued that the
means of production controls a society’s institutions and beliefs, and contended that history is
progressing toward the eventual triumph of communism)
Communist Manifesto (1848): identified class struggle as the driving force behind history and
anticipated that it would lead to a revolution in which the workers would overturn the capitalists,
take control of economic production, and abolish private property by turning it over to the
government to distribute fairly
Das Kapital (1867): argued that history is determined by economic conditions and urged an end
to private ownership of public utilities, transportation, and the means of production
CORE MARXIST PRINCIPLES:
 Proletariat. Lower class
 Bourgeoisie. Upper class
 Capital. Means of gaining profit
 Hegemony. Upper class dominates the lower class
 False consciousness. Lower class doesn’t realize the effect that the upper class has on them.
He shared Marx’s socialist beliefs and provided support financially as well as
intellectually while Marx developed his theories.
WORKS:
The Condition of the Working Class in England (1844): argues
that the Industrial Revolution made workers worse off.
Co-authored The Communist Manifesto (1848)
He was a literary theorist and philosopherwho was widely viewed as one of the
founders of “Western Marxism”.
CONTRIBUTION:
Reflectionism or Vulgar Marxism
Believed that the text will reflect the society that has produced it
Stressed that historical approach is different to reflectionism
Reflectionists attribute the separation that they discover to the ills of
capitalism.
He was commonly referred to as a structural Marxist.
CONTRIBUTION:
Interpellation
Argued that literature and art affect the society
Believed that the working class is manipulated to accept the ideology
of the dominant one
FriedrichEngels
Georg Lukács
Louis Althusser

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He was a leading Italian Marxist theoretician and politician.
CONTRIBUTION:
Developed the theory of cultural hegemony, to explain why the
"inevitable" revolution of the proletariat predicted by orthodox Marxism
had not occurred by the early 20th century.
Did you know that…?
The principles of Marxism were not designed to serve as a theory about how to interpret texts.
Instead, they were meant to be a set of social, economic, and political ideas that would, according
to their followers, change the world.
Base The methods of production in a given society
Bourgeoisie The name given by Marx to the owners of the means of production in a society
Capitalism An economic system that is based on private ownership of the means of
production and the creation of goods or services for profit
Hegemony Control or dominating influence by one person or group, especially by one
political group over society or one nation over others
Ideology A belief system
Proletariat The name given by Marx to the workers of the society
Socialism a political theory or system in which the means of production and distribution are
controlled by the people and operated according to equity and fairness rather than
market principles
Superstructure The social, political, and ideological systems and institutions – for example, the
values, art, and legal processes of a society – that are generated by the base
We already helped “Nick” on some of his problems. But I believe we should
teach him now the principles under Marxism. This will be a comprehensive view for him
to better understand the said literary approach.
That’s right Captain Barbell. So please help me read this table. Come
on! Let’s delve deeper in the world of Marxism.
General Precepts Underpinnings of the General Precept
Marxist literary criticism promotes the idea that
literature should be a tool in the revolutionary
struggle.
In Communist Manifesto (1848), Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels identified class struggle
as the driving force behind history and
anticipated that it would lead to a revolution in
which the workers would overturn the
capitalists, take control of economic
production, and abolish property by turning it
over to the government to distribute fairly.
Antonio Gramsci
Table of General Precepts and Underpinnings about Marxism
Trivia Corner
Definitionof Terms

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It attempts to clarify the relationship of literary
work to social reality.
It judges literature by how it represents the main
struggles for power going on that time, how it may
Louis Althusser pointed out that there remains
a possibility that the working class will develop
its own culture, which can lead to revolution
and the establishment of a new hegemony, or
power base. This idea is referred to as
production theory.
The concept of dialectical materialism argued
that the means of production controls a
society’s institutions and beliefs, and
contended that history is progressing toward
the eventual triumph of communism.
Georg Lucáks viewed the text as a reflection to
the society that has produced it. This is also
known as reflectionism.
Marxist reflection theory advocates that readers
who recognize the influence of capitalistic
classes on human behavior and the
perpetuation of injustice and inequality should
propose workable solutions.
Lucáks’s Vulgar Marxism seeks to determine
the nature of a given society, to find “a truer,
more concrete insight into reality” and look for
the “full process of life.”
Althusser’s Interpellation stated that the
working class is manipulated to accept the
ideology of the dominant one.
Frederick Jameson stressed on the political
unconscious, the exploitation and oppression
buried in a work. The critic, according to
Jameson, seeks to uncover those buried forces
and bring them to light.
To write well is more than a matter of ‘style’; it
also means having at one’s disposal an
ideological perspective which can penetrate to
the realities of men’s experience in a certain
situation.
In Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo, the pessimistic
view is rather a unique transformation into art
of an ideological pessimism rife in his period—
a sense of history as futile and cyclical, of
individuals as impenetrable and solitary, of
human values as relativistic and irrational,
which marks a drastic crisis in the ideology of
the Western bourgeois class to which Conrad
allied himself.
To explain any social or political context, any
event or product, it is necessary to first
understand the material and historical
circumstance in which they occur.
Marxism is the basis of a system of thought
that sees inequitable relationships as the source

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influence those struggles.
It should follow rules laid down by literary
tradition.
of class conflict.
Literary works are forms of perception,
particular ways of seeing the world which is
the ‘social mentality’ or ideology of an age.
For Antonio Gramsci, literature is a tool of the
privileged class.
Joseph Stalin stressed that literature should
promote Socialism.
Writers and critics alike began to use Marxist
interpretations and evaluations of society in
their work. Through this, it became
interestingly important to ask how a given text
contributed to the solution of social problems
based on Marxist principles
Marx described his own works in a letter to
Engels as forming an ‘artistic whole’, and was
scrupulously sensitive to questions of literary
style.
Marxist criticism is not merely a ‘sociology of
literature’ concerned with how novels get
published and whether they mention the
working class. It should be sensitive to forms,
styles and meanings.
1. Who are the powerful people in the society depicted in the text? Who are the powerless people?
Are they depicted with equal attention?
2. Why do the powerful have that power? Why is it denied to others?
3. Do you find evidence of class conflict and struggle?
4. Do you find repression and manipulation of workers by owners?
5. Is there evidence of alienation and fragmentation?
CONTENT
Should be portrayed as being
oppressive to most people
ELEMENT
Follows the rules laid down by
literary tradition
WRITER
On the side of the oppressed
READER
Enlightened about the
relationship of the powerful
few to the powerless many
WORK
Anatomy of Marxist Literary Criticism
Guide Questions for Marxist Literary Criticism

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6. Does the bourgeoisie in the text, either consciously or unconsciously, routinely repress and
manipulate less powerful groups? If so, what are the tools they use? News? Media? Religion?
Literature?
7. What does the setting tell you about the distribution of power and wealth?
8. Is there evidence of conspicuous consumption?
9. Does the society that is depicted value things for their usefulness, for their potential for resale or
trade, or for their power to convey social status?
10. Do you find in the text itself evidence that it is a product of the culture in which it originated?
11. What ideology is revealed by the answers to the preceding questions? Does it support the values
of capitalism or any other "ism" that institutionalizes the domination of one group of people over
another--for example, racism, sexism or imperialism? Or does it condemn such systems?
12. Is the work consistent in its ideology? Or does it have inner conflicts?
13. Do you find concepts from other schools of literary criticism--for example, cultural studies,
feminism, postmodernism--overlapping with this one?
14. Does this text make you aware of your own acceptance of any social, economic, or political
practices that involve control or oppression of others?
Preview the short story titled The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and be ready to answer the
questions which will be given to you by the reporter.
You are going to watch a video titled The Fox and the Sick Lion by Aesop. Concentrate watching
it so that you can find some of the Marxist principles present in the video.
Are you done? Do you like the video? Were you able to find there the principles of Marxism?
Now, fill up the table below.
QUESTIONS ANSWER PROOF/REASON
Who is the bourgeoisie?
Who are the proletariats?
What is the capital that is being
depicted in the video?
Is hegemony present in the
video?
Take a Glimpse
Task 1. If Your Eyes Can See

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Does the video present false
consciousness?
Form groups of four. Invent a very brief story based on one of the pictures below. (Note: The
picture that will be given to you will depend on your groupings.) Be guided on the following Marxists
principles to come up with the work.
1 The characters should consist of both bourgeoisie and proletariats.
2 Gaining a capital should be depicted in the story.
3 False consciousness, as well as hegemony, is evident in the work.
Are you done? Now, be ready to share it in class.
Based on the discussion and your experience you had in analyzing literary works in a Marxist
approach, I believe you are now ready for our last task.
Formulate your own definition of Marxism. Write your answer below. Be ready to share it in
class.
My Own Definition of Marxism
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Task 3. Define Me
Task 2. Be a Marxist!

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Wow! We just helped ‘Nick’ on his problem. Well, I enjoyed my stay
here at Laoag City. I enjoyed being with you ‘Nick’ and our friends. Until next
time!
Thank you for coming to our city Captain Barbell. I hope you will
come back. Thank you for helping me in my problems.
I am ‘Nick’. I am a Marxist.
Because of ‘Nick’ and with the help of Captain
Barbell, I was able to become a better critic of a literary
work. I am not already blind with what is happening around
me. I am proud to be a Marxist critic! Thank you, guys. 
REFERENCES
Eagleton, Terry A. (1976). Marxism and Literary Criticism (pp. 551-573). University of
California Press
Shor, Ira. Literary Criticism: Marxism. Helena High
Dobie, Ann. Theory into Practice: Marxist Criticism (pp. 79-96).
JESPER C. SILVA
BSEd III-A, English
DR. JAHNESE D. ASUNCION
Professor
LIT 106: Literary Criticism
October 14, 2015
S.Y. 2015-2016
Your name here:
_______________________________
BSEd III-A, English