Cheat sheet with literary theories Marxist worksheet Northrope Frye Stuff

Minds-On Finish your T-Charts of “The Veldt” that we started last class. 10-min. How was “The Garden Party”? IMPORTANT DATES: Literature Circles Thurs, April 30th and Fri, May 1st Annotated bibliography assignment due Monday, May 4th Test on passage analysis from the short stories and applying literary theories to them [Wednesday, May 6th]

What is Marxism? In your groups, I want you to write in bullet points in answer the red questions below. The questions are related to one another. Answer as many questions as you can. What do you consider to be a social class? How do you define it? What is it based on? What do you think leads people to become members of a particular social class? Can a person change his or her social class? If so, how? Is one social class more powerful or weaker than another? Explain your responses in a complete paragraph.

How can we apply Marxist Theory to literature? To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. To be able to analyze The Garden Party using the Marxist lense, but then moving onto another theory that we have learned in the course so far. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Do you think that it’s good for society to be structured like this Do you think that it’s good for society to be structured like this? What are the positives and negatives of it?

Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; To know what Marxism is. MARXIST LITERARY THEORY looks at: how the “working class” and the more privileged higher class is represented through characters, description, and their experiences. Usually, the working class is exploited and its characters are more noble and appealing. The upper class is corrupt and doomed What does culture mean? As Terry Eagleton, a leading Marxist critic, writes, the task of Marxist literary criticism “is to show the text as it cannot know itself, to manifest those conditions of its making (inscribed in its very letter) about which it is necessarily silent.” Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Who was Karl Marx? Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; To know what Marxism is. Who was Karl Marx? Born in Trier, Germany in 1818 German philosopher who rejected the tenets of Romanticism in favor of philosophy of dialectical materialism. Criticized the injustice inherent in the European class/capitalist system of economics operating in the 19th Century. Believed that capitalism allowed the bourgeoisie to benefit at the expense of the workers. The Communist Manifesto. Das Kapital, analyzes the capitalist form of wealth production and its consequences for culture. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; To know what Marxism is. superstructure—a multitude of social and legal institutions, political and education systems, religious beliefs, values, and a body of art and literature that one social class uses to keep members of the working class in check. My Version: Superstructure – different institutions eg political, edu systems, rel beliefs, values, and a bunch of art and lit that one social classe uses to control [work class]. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

$ Key Terms Proletariat Bourgeoisie Capitalism Materialism Classism Commodification

The two main classes of society are: To know what Marxism is. Economic Power A society is shaped by its forces of production. Those who own the means of production dictate what type of society it is. The two main classes of society are: 1. the bourgeoisie (who control the means of production and wealth) and 2. the proletariat (who operate the means of production and are controlled by the bourgeoisie). Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

To know what Marxism is. Since the bourgeoisie own the means of production—and, therefore, control the money— they can manipulate politics, government, education, art, and media. Capitalism is flawed in that it creates commodification (a desire for possessions, not for their innate usefulness, but for their social value). Display of material objects is the most common way of showing off one’s wealth. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Thus, the proletariat continues to struggle, never able to “catch up.” To know what Marxism is. Commodification is one way the bourgeoisie keep the proletariat oppressed. Whenever the proletariat manages to acquire some sort of status symbol, the bourgeoisie concocts a new one. Thus, the proletariat continues to struggle, never able to “catch up.” TASK: In your groups, help each other summarize what commodification is. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Materialism vs Spirituality What is Materialism? What is Spirituality? Which one do you think is more prominent in terms of the society in which we live today? Karl Marx believed: Regardless of what some might claim, social values reflect material goals, not abstract ideals. The material world is the only non-subjective element in a society. Money and material possessions are the same by every measure within a society, whereas spirituality is completely subjective. The quality of a person’s life is not destroyed by spiritual failure but by material failure. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Class Conflict A capitalist society will inevitably experience conflict between its social classes. The owners and the workers will have different ideas about the division of the wealth generated, and the owners will ultimately make the decision. Dialectical materialism- It is these material needs that causes the conflict and instigates change in society. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Class Conflict Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Marx called on the proletariat to reject the social structure of the bourgeoisie, the rules that would keep them subservient forever, and form their own values. Such a course would be the only way to escape the oppression, for the proletariat could never defeat the bourgeoisie on its own terms. For the workers to win, they must establish new terms. Do you see this happening today? Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Class Conflict Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; The bourgeoisie present their political, economic, and social structures as the only reasonable ones. The proletariat, indoctrinated from birth to have pride in their station, are prevented from wanting to overthrow their oppressors (ironically, the smaller and actually less-powerful group). The only real social division is class. Divisions of race, ethnicity, gender, and religion are artificial, devised by the bourgeoisie to distract the proletariat from realizing their unity and rebelling against their oppressors. In sum, the bourgeoisie manipulate us through art, media, politics, cultures, etc. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Have you heard of the Industrial Revolution? To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. Why do you think literary critics would be interested to use this lens? Have you heard of the Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Marxist Literary Theory To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. Marxist Literary Theory Focuses on the representation of class distinctions and class conflict in literature Focuses more on social and political elements than artistic and visual (aesthetic) elements of a text Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens How does the author’s social and economic class shown through the work? Does the work support the economic and social status quo, or does it advocate change? What roles does the class system play in the work? ? Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens What role does class play in the work; what is the author’s analysis of class relations? How do characters overcome oppression? What does the work say about oppression; or are social conflicts ignored or blamed elsewhere? Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. Questions Raised By the Marxist Literary Lens Does the work propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the work? In what ways does the work serve as propaganda for the status quo; or does it try to undermine it? Does the literature reflect the author’s own class or analysis of class relations? Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; To know what Marxism is. To understand how to apply Marxist Theory to literature. To be able to analyze The Garden Party using the Marxist lense, but then moving onto another theory that we have learned in the course so far. Are we getting the idea? Complete the reading and worksheet. Can we apply some of the questions to “The Garden Party”? After, I want you to analyze The Garden Party using the Formalist lens. IMPORTANT DATES: Literature Circles Thurs, April 30th and Fri, May 1st Annotated bibliography assignment due Monday, May 5th Test on passage analysis from the short stories and applying literary theories to them [Wednesday, May 6th] Capitalism; Bourgeoisie; Proletariat; Commodification; Dialectal Materialism

Consolidation Review the cheat sheet that I’ve given you. We will not be able to go through all of these literary theories/lenses. TASK: I want you to create a cheat section for Archetypal Theory. IMPORTANT DATES: Literature Circles Thurs, April 30th and Fri, May 1st Annotated bibliography assignment due Monday, May 5th Test on passage analysis from the short stories and applying literary theories to them [Wednesday, May 6th]

Ideology By its very nature, ideology is silent. Like the water in the aquarium breathed by the fish, ideology is virtually invisible. Its invisibility gives it greater power. Ideology—defined in general as the shared beliefs and values held in an unquestioning manner by a culture—exerts a powerful influence upon a culture. Those who are marginalized in the culture are most aware of the ways in which an ideology supports the dominant class in the society.

False Consciousness Those who enjoy the fruits of belonging to a dominant group of the society barely generally are filled with what Marx called “false consciousness.” Since it is not in their interest to notice the ways in which an economic structure marginalizes others, they tend to buy into an ideology that supports that structure.

Main Ideas in Marxism Class consciousness: The self-awareness of a social class Its capacity to act in its own rational interests

Main Ideas in Marxism Ideology: Consciousness and perceptions within a society Often controlled by the ruling class Determined according to what is in the ruling class's best interests Confuses the alienated groups Creates false consciousness Example: commodity fetishism (perceiving labor as capital ~ a degradation of human life)