Marxism Resources for quiz

Marxism Notes Sheet

Teddy, Rajiv, Rea, Jair, Sean

Theory (Beliefs and Purpose)

-context of literature must relate to the author’s class/social status, specifically Marxist struggles

-economic

-political

-class struggle

-People need to read literature in terms of the social period in which it was written in

-Authors are formed by social contexts, and are not inspired individuals

-influenced by social class conflicts

-Society creates the author, who pens the text

• the authors intent is considered irrelevant

-Literature should contain overt/covert marxist themes and ideals

-covert ideals always involve Marxist themes and are analyzed in regards to the social contexts of the creation of the texts

-Genre related to the time period that produced it

History of Theory

Founders of Marxism- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

-Wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848

Marxism to achieve a classless society such as with state ownership of property.

Marxism was a materialist philosophy- Requires concrete, logical explanations of the world

Because of its format, the ideas of the theory was easily used to critique literature

Marxism created by end of Industrial Revolution in Europe, where capitalism philosophies are taking control. Marxism see’s this centralization of power as enslaving the individual. He and Engels write about how history has emerged to show that power will soon be centralized in a very few. He says that needs to stop by a proletariat revolution where we get a classless society. He couldn’t organize that though since he’s not a political leader but his theories were picked up in the 1920’s alongside separately developed communism, well after his death. Literature wasn’t taught until the 1900’s, concurrently with proliferated understanding of Marxism, creating Marxist criticism for literature.

Implications of Theory for us:

While we don’t completely disregard the authors intent in writing as Marxist criticism encourages, we do endeavor to apply the social, political, and economic situations the text was written in to the interpretation of the text.

These aspects may influence the author and therefore their work, but does not define their literature. Authors have independent ideas from the average person within their socio-economic class.

We see Marxist influences in our classrooms as well. When reading literature, the teacher would require us to have some knowledge about the time period. Last year, when reading The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald, we had a class project aimed to acclimate us with the culture of the 1920’s. We always reviewed the historical background and author biases, such as in Nightby Elie Wiesel, before starting a text. That’s a very Marxist approach to reading, where we focus on the historical conditions the text was written in rather than the writing itself.

Sleeping Beauty (Interpretation with Marxist Tenets)

Main interpretation: Sleeping Beauty (text) is propaganda created by the upper classes to demean the gravity of the struggles faced by the lower classes.

• Sleeping Beauty is brought down with a spindle. A spindle is used for a means of production by the lower classes. As a high class member in society, a princess, a Marxist would be interested in her interaction with a “lower class” object.. The interaction of high and low classes is what brought down Aurora. That’s similar to the Marxist beliefs that encourage a classless society, which would have avoided this issue altogether.The lower classes also heeded the kings command to destroy all their spindles without opposition, showing the lower classes as mindlessly obedient and the king as powerful.
• Sleeping Beauty was born to the regal name Aurora, bestowed by her royal parents. She changed her name to Briar Rose to go in hiding. When threatened to die by her 16th birthday, the king and queen decided to hide Aurora in a remote part of the woods like a peasant. She lives in a modest cottage with three fairies disguised as old women. Aurora has a completely different lifestyle than she would have in the castle, as is content with the situation until she learns of her true status. From there on, many issues arise from her trying to return to her “upper” status.
• The genre of this text- created 1700s, developed late 1800’s, early 1900. Late 1800’s is where the middle class emerges. Upper class does not want social mobility where in the story, Sleeping Beauty seemingly turns from a peasant to princess overnight. As a peasant, Aurora is having a good time (picks berries, cute birds and animals, etc) which is unlike peasantry would actually be like in that time period. This therefore disregards all class differences because peasantry is actually much worse and social mobility brings much more problems. The novel is therefore a creation of its times: a propaganda. The message carried is demeans the actual class struggle to further empower the higher classes.

Now mass produced (language dumbed down, sold in cheap stores) which would interest Marxists. Most available to the middle classes and ready the younger generations with this ideology. Since this book was created with a bias towards the upper class (no class struggle, peasantry great, kingdom willings burns spindles, etc), the middle class that reads it will be influenced by its propaganda. Marxists would not sympathize with the oppressive class (upper classes).