Societal Mirrors and Marxist Literary Theory

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts of Societal Mirrors and Marxist literary theory, including key terms, historical context, alienation, and textual analysis applications.

Societal Mirrors

Literary criticisms that reflect society by analyzing how story conflicts connect to the broader "rules of society" and the structural inequality between privileged groups and The Other.

The Other

A person or group in society who possesses little power or agency.

Agency

The ability of an individual to change their own circumstances.

Privileged Group

The people in a society who possess access to resources and power that The Other does not.

Social Blindness

A state in which privileged individuals do not intentionally seek to harm or subjugate others, but fail to perceive or understand the struggles of The Other because their own privilege feels normal.

The Six Societal Mirrors

The six literary analysis lenses named after sociological and political frameworks: Marxism, postcolonialism, feminism, queer theory, affliction theory, and ecocriticism.

Literary Marxism

A critical lens that investigates how narrative conflicts stem from money, economics, and social classes, used to explain story dynamics rather than judge characters or advocate a political agenda.

Political Marxism

A social and economic philosophy that seeks the complete elimination of private possession in order to eradicate class struggle.

Materialism

A primary focus on gaining and maintaining access to vital life resources such as wealth, education, and healthcare.

Dialectical Materialism

Karl Marx's concept originating in The Communist Manifesto that the struggle between individuals and groups to access finite resources (such as land, food, and possessions) forms the backbone of all societal and historical conflict.

Bourgeoisie

The privileged class that holds access to resources and restricts distribution to ensure its own continued survival and supremacy.

Proletariat

The working class or "have-nots" who lack needed resources and agency, representing The Other in Marxist theory.

Alienation

A profound feeling of separation, isolation, and division generated by capitalist economies and industrial factory labor.

Alienation from Others

The division that occurs when capitalism forces businesses and individuals into competition for profit, customers, and status instead of working collaboratively.

Alienation from Labor

The estrangement experienced by factory workers performing repetitive, unskilled tasks (such as sewing a single button) rather than crafting whole goods, stripping pride from the worker and value from the consumer.

Alienation from Purpose

The loss of personal meaning and pride historically derived from skilled craft vocations (reflected in occupational surnames like Smith, Taylor, Mason, and Potter) when labor becomes abstract or intangible.

"Opiate for the Masses"

Karl Marx's description of religion, arguing that it functions like opium to numb the pain of alienation by promising an afterlife free of suffering instead of fixing earthly conditions.

Mindless Escapism

A Marxist critique of drug use and mass media (television, film, books, internet) as pacifying distractions that offer an escape from alienation rather than an authentic, meaningful life.

Utopia (Marxist)

The envisioned classless society achieved after the proletariat overthrows the bourgeoisie, where all citizens have equal access to resources and enjoy the dignity of meaningful work.

Socialism

The transitional stage toward utopia in which society establishes government-run social welfare programs to care for the poor, injured, young, and elderly.

The March of History

Karl Marx's theory that human civilization gradually evolves through conflicts over resources, progressing over thousands of years from primitive violence through small socialist steps to a communist utopia.

Marx's Vision of Government

A democratic system in which the common populace holds a critical voice, while the state fairly manages goods distribution, eliminates predatory competition, and protects workers, consumers, and the environment.

Soviet Deviation

The departure from Marx's vision under Lenin and Stalin, which established a fascist dictatorship that hoarded resources, suppressed citizen freedoms, and fueled war rather than ensuring equal distribution.

Class Division in The Hunger Games

A Marxist literary example where the populace is partitioned into economic districts enforced by giant physical walls and strict laws prohibiting inter-district travel.

Power Dynamics in "The Most Dangerous Game"

A Marxist literary example in which Rainsford must neutralize Zaroff's resources (killing Ivan and the hunting dogs) and physically wrest a weapon to transfer power to himself, ultimately becoming the new bourgeoisie.