Marxist Criticism

Background to Marxism Historical Criticism with a political philosophy Marxism developed by Marx and Engels Marxism as a way to see social movements as objectively as possible 5 stages of societies: hunter-gatherers, slave society, feudal, capitalism, communism

Major Terms Substructure – the material or economic order that organizes the world (stages of society and material beliefs) Ideology – the common thread that runs through society. This hides the conflict that we are all unequal Superstructure – organizational structures that we use to perpetuate the ideology and substructure (e.g. government)

A Marxist Look at Schools Capitalist society; hierarchy of a school Substructure The more education that you have, the more successful you will be!! Ideology Schools, universities, diplomas, requirements for jobs Superstructure

Other Terms Commodification – giving something a monetary value Social class – A status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and the accumulation of wealth Proletariat – working class

Assumptions of a Marxist Critic Literature reflects the substructure Literature is rooted in a moment in history Literature itself is a superstructure

Strategies for the Marxist Critic Try to find the ideologies behind the text How do the ideologies try to mask the suffering or inequality Ask whether the text supports or challenges those ideologies To be effective, we have to look at the historical context of the writer, and the biography of the writer