MARXISM

LITERARY THEORY & CRITICISM, UNIT 3

KARL MARX, WHO?

• Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) was initially inspired by Hegel’s philosophical framework of absolute idealism,

which briefly infers that our sense of self and our comprehension of the world are both shaped up by

the interaction of opposites, though we do not position ourselves in opposition but rather as part of an

all-inclusive whole.

• Marx gradually rejected theology and turned to materialism as

a mind-set and worldview.

• Marxism therefore engages in social analysis in terms of

economic standards, focusing on class relations and socio-

economic disparities.

MARXISM: THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

• Class disparity & class struggle.

• Economic system determines social

relations, ethics, morality & political

structures.

• Capitalism: the rich become richer,

the poor become poorer.

• From Capitalism to Socialism.

• Communism would be a classless, stateless,

humane society erected on common

ownership and the principle of "From each

according to his ability, to each according

to his needs".

• Social Revolution: the ultimate ideology.

• Socialists: a moneyless state.

MARXISM IN BRIEF

QUOTES FROM KARL MARX

• Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the

relations within which these individuals stand.

• Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have

nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all

countries, unite!

• The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private

property.

• The history of all previous societies has been the history of class struggles.

• Religion is the opium of the masses.

FRIEDRICH ENGELS (1820 – 1895)

• Also developed atheistic beliefs since young age.

• Contributed to Marx’s writings, co-authored and edited even after

Marx’s demise.

• In his work The Origin of the Family, Private Property & the State

(1884), Engels used anthropological evidence to argue that family

structures changed over history and that the concept

of monogamous marriage came from the necessity within class

society for men to control women to ensure their own children

would inherit their property. He therefore predicted that a future

communist society would allow people to make decisions about

their relationships free of economic constraints.

QUOTES FROM ENGELS

• From the first day to this, sheer greed was the driving spirit of civilization.

• The state is nothing but an instrument of oppression of one class by another - no less

so in a democratic republic than in a monarchy.

• All history has been a history of class struggles between dominated classes at various

stages of social development.

• Some laws of state aimed at curbing crime are even more criminal.

GEORGE ORWELL, NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1949)

HOW MARXISM APPLIES TO LITERATURE

History repeats itself. Humans often perform the same actions repeatedly, because they are habitual

beings. All humans have the same instincts, and their lives are based on how they control and

manipulate them. Nineteen Eighty-Four is about how humans live in an abstract setting. Orwell uses this

abstraction to show his prediction of a world allowed to continue its capitalistic trend. More specifically,

he points out the major class differences. In Orwell's story, the Party's victory is absolute and its

domination is unstoppable. Obviously, today's world has not reached this extreme like Nineteen Eighty-

Four's world, but through such an extreme case, Orwell displays the values socialism and an undesirable

outcome of capitalism. The main characters in Nineteen Eighty-Four are repressed and forced to work

for the benefit of the Inner Party members. Inevitably, the members of the Outer Party feel restless and

perform small acts of rebellion. Winston and Julia's acts are small and are quickly subdued. Their

rebellion fails because their actions only benefit themselves and do not to help those around them.

END OF UNIT 3