Ministry of Higher

Marxism in Literature

In literature, it is necessary for readers to understand the background before analyzing any text. There are many theories that let readers analyze the literary text from different sides; Marxism is the targeted theory in our study. For Marxist theorists, Literature is not simply a matter of personal expression or text; it is related to the social and political conditions of the time.
Marxist thinkers interpret and analyze the literary context as an expression of contemporary
class struggle; All in all, they focus on the “content”.





² https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl_258/Lecture%20Notes/marxism.htm
Marx called the economic conditions of life the base or infrastructure. The base includes everything from technology and raw materials to the social organization of the workplace. This economic base has a powerful effect on the superstructure, Marx’s term for society, culture, and the world of ideas.Literature, for Marx, belongs to the superstructure along with law, politics, and so on. The challenge, then, is to see how it is influenced by the economic base.
A good Marxist reading draws our attention to details in the literary context that we might have glossed over otherwise.

2. The Concept of Identity in Marxism

Identity "refers to how individuals and collectivities are distinguished in their social relations with other individuals and collectivities. Search for finding identity can make us more sensitive about the environment, ourselves, and the society in which we live. According to Marxist thinkers, identities are shaped by the classes conflicting with each other. They view social class, as the foundation of identity. Overall, identity in Marxism depends on which social class you are. The social classes and Capitalism had a great effect on building identity and know who you are.