Marxist criticism analyzes literature through a Marxist lens by examining the socioeconomic conditions under which it was produced and the representation of social classes, especially the working class and conflicts between classes. When applying Marxist criticism, analysts consider the social class of the writer and characters, how different classes are portrayed and interact, and what ideological messages the work conveys in terms of whose interests it serves under capitalism. The goal is to reveal how literary works both reflect and shape class-based societal views and power structures.

1. Marxist Criticism or
Marxism

2. German philosopher Karl Marx. It is a critical
approach to literature which shows the
relationship between literature and the
social—mainly economic—conditions under
which it was produced. Originally, Marxist
critics focused on literary representations of
workers and working classes. For later
Marxists, however, literature became a
document of a kind of knowledge and a
record of the historical conditions that
produced that knowledge.

3. the capitalist system, such as the continuing
conflicts between the working class and the
elite. Hence, it attempts to reveal that the
ultimate source of people’s experience is the
socio economic system. The common aspects
looked into when using Marxist criticism are as
follows:
● Social class as represented in the work
● Social class of the writer /creator
● Social class of the characters
● Conflicts and interactions between economic
classes

4. How to use Marxism in Analyzing Literary text?
There is no prescribed structure in writing Marxist analysis of literature, but the following parts are
almost always present:
INTRODUCTION:
a. Title of the book/article/work
b. Writer’s Name
c. Thesis statement
BODY:
a. Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
b. You may address the following questions:
● Whom does it benefit 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?
● What conflict can be seen 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?
CONCLUSION:
a. overall impression of the work
b. Scholarly or literary value of the reading text