Marxism and Marxist Literary Criticism Literature in English ASL

Introduction Any political practice or theory based on an interpretation of the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Including Communist Parties and Communist states

Characteristics of Marxism Attention to the material conditions of people's lives, and lived relations among people People’s consciousness of the conditions of their lives reflects these material conditions and relations “Social class" = differing relations to production (a particular position within such relations)

Characteristics of Marxism Material conditions and social relations: historically malleable View of history: class struggle (evolving conflict between classes with opposing interests) structures each historical period A sympathy for the working class The ultimate interests of workers best match those of humanity in general

Characteristics of Marxism Workers' revolution: the means of achieving human emancipation and enlightenment The actual mechanism through which such a revolution might occur and succeed

Main Ideas in Marxism Means of production: A combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor used by workers to make products Means of labor = machines, tools, equipment, infrastructure, and "all those things with the aid of which man acts upon the subject of labor, and transforms it" Subject of labor = raw materials and materials directly taken from nature Means of production produce nothing Labor power is needed for production to take place.

Main Ideas in Marxism Base and superstructure: Base: people with regard to “the social production of their existence” forms the economic basis Superstructure: political + legal institutions + religious, philosophical, and other ideas The base conditions the superstructure and the social consciousness Reflexive: changes in one group often influence the other

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)

Main Ideas in Marxism Exploitation: Exploitation of an entire segment or class of society by another An inherent feature and key element of capitalism and free markets Profit gained by the capitalist = the value of the product made by the worker + the actual wage that the worker receives Paying workers less than the full value of their labour To enable the capitalist class to turn a profit

Class System in Marxism Identity of a social class: derived from its relationship to the means of production As opposed to the notion that class is determined by wealth alone

Class System in Marxism The proletariat Individuals who sell their labour power The bourgeoisie Owns the means of production" Buys labour power from the proletariat (recompensed by a salary) Exploits the proletariat

Class System in Marxism The lumpenproletariat Social scum: criminals, vagabonds, beggars People with no stake in the economic system Selling themselves to the highest bidder The Landlords Wealthy people owning pieces of land Retaining their wealth and power The Peasantry and Farmers Disorganized Incapable of carrying out change Disappearing: most becoming proletariat but some becoming landowners http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZRYMlv9tU

Marxist Literary Criticism A loose term describing literary criticism informed by the philosophy or the politics of Marxism Terry Eagleton (Marxism and Literary Criticism, 1976) Not merely a 'sociology of literature', concerned with how novels get published and whether they mention the working class Aim: To explain the literary work more fully A ensitive attention to its forms, styles and meanings Grasping those forms, styles and meanings as the product of a particular history

Marxist Literary Criticism Goals: An assessment of the political "tendency" of a literary work (determining whether its social content or its literary form are "progressive“) Applying lessons drawn from the realm of aesthetics to the realm of politics

Marxist Film Theory Expressing ideas of Marxism through film in terms of film editing, such as montage Employing radical choice of subject matter, as well as subversive parody, to heighten class consciousness and promote Marxist ideas

Marxist Film Theory Sergei Eisenstein: Shunning narrative structure by eliminating the individual protagonist Telling stories where the action is moved by the group Story told through a clash of one image against the next (whether in composition, motion, or idea) The audience is never lulled into believing that they are watching something that has not been worked over Important works: Can dialectics break bricks? (1973) http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=6lEz5rye_U4

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