English 12 / Unit 7: Literary Criticism and Analysis
7.5 Marxist Criticism
Notes
Marxist criticism, based on Karl Marx's ideas, examines class, economic power and how wealth shapes society.
- Key terms: bourgeoisie (owners of wealth and production), proletariat (workers), class conflict, ideology (beliefs that justify power).
- Questions: Who has money and power? Who works and for whom? Whose interests does the story serve?
- Example: In Hard Times, Dickens shows factory owners profiting while workers suffer.
- A Marxist critic might note that Pip's "great expectations" depend on wealth and class status.
Practice
In Marxist criticism, the proletariat refers to:
Marx contrasted workers with owners.
A critic examines how a novel shows factory owners growing rich while workers live in poverty. The critic is applying:
The focus on class and economic power is Marxist.
Which question best reflects a Marxist lens?
Marxist criticism studies economic power.
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