Marxist Literary Criticism

Practice flashcards generated from lecture notes on Marxist Literary Criticism.

Marxist Criticism

A school of thought created in the mid-19th century by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that studies how literary texts sketch social scenarios influenced by the economy and class system, typically employing a socioeconomic analysis with a dialectical viewpoint to comprehend social transformation.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

The creators of Marxist Criticism in the mid-19th century.

Dialectical Viewpoint

A perspective employed in Marxist socioeconomic analysis to comprehend social transformation.

Historical Materialism

A materialist interpretation of historical development used to understand class relations within Marxist criticism.

Politicization of literary form

The claim within Marxist criticism that structural and stylistic elements of literature are intertwined with, influenced by, and used to express political ideas, ideologies, and power structures.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, free markets, and the pursuit of profit.

Socialism

An economic and political theory advocating for collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.

Communism

A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs, with government also collectively administered.

Economic Determinism

A common criticism of Marxist criticism, suggesting it overemphasizes economic factors as the sole cause of social and historical developments.

Abstract Language/Difficult to Read

A criticism of Marxist criticism, referring to its often complex and challenging terminology and intellectual style.

Limited to Class Analysis

A criticism of Marxist criticism, suggesting its focus is too narrow, primarily concentrating on class relations and potentially overlooking other significant social factors and identities.