Marxist literary criticism
Marxist literary criticism is like looking at a story with a particular pair of glasses on. Imagine you’re trying to read a book with pink glasses on – everything looks pink! The pink glasses are called a “lens” and Marxist literary critics wear a lens that helps them see how the story reflects the relationship between different groups of people in society.
To understand what Marxist literary criticism is all about, we first need to talk about Karl Marx. Karl Marx was a man who studied how societies work. He thought that society was divided into different groups of people - rich people who owned factories and poor people who worked in those factories. He called the rich people "bourgeoisie” and the poor people "proletariat”. He believed that the bourgeoisie controlled the government, the media, the schools, and everything else and that the proletariat were always put at a disadvantage. He argued that this was unfair and believed that there should be a revolution - where the proletariat overthrow the bourgeoisie and take control of the factories and the government.
Marxist literary critics read books and analyze them to see how these groups of people are represented in the story. They try to see which characters belong to the bourgeoisie and which belong to the proletariat. They also look at how the story portrays the struggle between these groups. They are interested in how characters interact with each other and the power dynamics that are at play in the story.
For example, a Marxist literary critic might read a book like “The Great Gatsby” and focus on how the characters’ lives reflect the same struggles between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat that Marx identified. They might look at how Gatsby, who came from poverty, tries to win the love of Daisy, who comes from a rich family. They might analyze how Gatsby’s desire to become wealthy and powerful is motivated by his desire to be with Daisy, and whether that desire reflects the struggle between the classes that Marx recognized.
Marxist literary criticism is a way of looking at a story from a certain perspective that is concerned with the ways in which social class and power are represented. It can help readers to see how a story might reflect or challenge the ideas that Marx had about society.
To understand what Marxist literary criticism is all about, we first need to talk about Karl Marx. Karl Marx was a man who studied how societies work. He thought that society was divided into different groups of people - rich people who owned factories and poor people who worked in those factories. He called the rich people "bourgeoisie” and the poor people "proletariat”. He believed that the bourgeoisie controlled the government, the media, the schools, and everything else and that the proletariat were always put at a disadvantage. He argued that this was unfair and believed that there should be a revolution - where the proletariat overthrow the bourgeoisie and take control of the factories and the government.
Marxist literary critics read books and analyze them to see how these groups of people are represented in the story. They try to see which characters belong to the bourgeoisie and which belong to the proletariat. They also look at how the story portrays the struggle between these groups. They are interested in how characters interact with each other and the power dynamics that are at play in the story.
For example, a Marxist literary critic might read a book like “The Great Gatsby” and focus on how the characters’ lives reflect the same struggles between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat that Marx identified. They might look at how Gatsby, who came from poverty, tries to win the love of Daisy, who comes from a rich family. They might analyze how Gatsby’s desire to become wealthy and powerful is motivated by his desire to be with Daisy, and whether that desire reflects the struggle between the classes that Marx recognized.
Marxist literary criticism is a way of looking at a story from a certain perspective that is concerned with the ways in which social class and power are represented. It can help readers to see how a story might reflect or challenge the ideas that Marx had about society.
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