1. Marxist Criticism

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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