MR VIJAYANAND BANSODE
MARXISM
Marxism is the important philosophy of the world. Marxism is not a
theory; it is a school of social, economic and political aspects. It is
important ideology of the 20th century. Two German, writers,
philosophers and critics – Karl Marx (1818-1883_) and Friedrich Engel (1820-1895)
– co- authored a text in 1848 that proclaimed, Marxism‘s basic doctrines , ‘the
Communist Manifesto’ Unlike other schools of literary criticism , Marxism
did not begin as an alternative theoretical approach to literary analysis.
Before 20th century, writers and critics embraced the principles of
Marxism and formulated these ideas in the working classes of society an
opportunity to change their world and their life styles. Marxism provides to
working class to improve their socio- economic condition by giving them
philosophical system and plan of action, to bring out change in the society.
Marxism offers /gives humanitarian attitude for the social, political, economic
and cultural understanding to the writers, philosophers, thinkers and
downtrodden people of the society. These and similar ideas become the basis of
socialism and communism.
In the philosophy of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engel says,
‘Capitalists and bourgeoisie (middle class/ upper class) had successful
enslaved the working class or the proletariat (inferior class) through economic
policies and control over the production of goods therefore this philosophy emphasis
and provokes to working or proletariat class and they must organize against the
capitalists and bourgeoisie economic and political power and agitate for their
fundamental rights. It should be placed the ownership of all the government,
which will easy to distribute among the people.
In addition to this work, Marx himself authored ‘Das Capital’.
The text of Das Capital becomes foundation for the Marxism, Socialism and
communism. According to Karl Marx, history is record of past, which is dominated
by bourgeoisie (upper and middle class) people through the economic system and
policies. Marx maintains that and
intricate web of social relationship emerges when any group of people engage in
the production of goods. A few, for example will be the employers, but many
more will be the employees. It is the employer (bourgeoisies) who have the
economic power and who will readily gain social and political control of their
society. Eventually this ‘upper class ‘will articulate their beliefs, their values,
and even their art. Consciously and unconsciously they will force these ideas or
what Marx calls their ideology, upon their working class. In such system, the
rich become richer and poor becomes poorer and more and more oppressed. To get
rid society from the situation, Marx believes that government must own all
the industries and control the economic production of a country to protect the
people from the oppression of the bourgeoisie.
Taken together,’ The Communist Manifesto and ‘Das Capital’,
provide us with a theory of history, economics, politics, Sociology, and even
metaphysics. In these writings Marx did not give direct connection to access
the literary genres (literary kind) but indirectly based on the production of
goods and the social relationships that develop from this situation, he
necessarily assumed that the totality of a people’s experience –social interaction,
employment, and other day today activities were directly responsible for the
shaping and development of an individual’s personal consciousness. That our
place in society and our social interactions determines our consciousness or
existence.
Really Marx highlights various social aspects
throughout his writings literary approach to evaluate text it was common during
Marx’s time. Sociological assumptions was one of the factors of it but Marxism
emphasizes on historical setting, authors’ life ,the time period in which the
work was written , and the cultural milieu of the text and author, all of these
being related to sociological issues. Marxism emphasis, critic should
understand the literary text not only inner side but also outer side of the text.
He must understand social relationship of text and author then critic could
evaluate it successfully. Marxism expands the traditional historical approach
to literary analysis by dealing with sociological issues that concentration
only the characters in a work of fiction but also the authors and the readers.
Marx believed links literature and society and how it reveals truths, concerning
our social interaction.
Americans and European critics turn towards Marxism
during the first decades of the 20th century especially at the end
of the 1920s and throughout the 1930s the time of the Great Depression. Most of
intellectuals of capitalistic countries turn towards Marxism and applied
sociological approach to save their countries from Great Depression. Using Marxism’s
emphasizes on economic production, social relationships, and the individual
American critics such as ‘Verhon Louiz Parrington’, began reinterpreting their countries
cultural past articulating its present conditions. Marxism provided perfect
definition for the humankind to evaluate the system on the basis sociological
approach.
After Marxism again faded away but the time of 1960s
and early 1970s, American and European critics once again recognized that
Marxism is important aspect to solve the social unrest and political turmoil
like, Vietnam War, Algerian conflict, the Cubian Missile crisis and variety of
social problems in America and Europe. Many famous academicians supported Marxism.
These were academicians from American universities, such as Berkley, Columbia,
and San Diego. This group is known as Frankkurt School.
Marxism challenged bourgeoisie approach towards
literature. The renowned and famous critics Terry Eagleton and ‘Frank Lentricchia’, supported by saying
that, Marxist approach is base of all the sociological theories. Even the
pioneers and supporters of structuralism, deconstruction, feminism, New
Historicism agreed that Marxist philosophy is the basic foundation for the
evaluation of literary text.
Marxism is not literary theory that can be used to
interpret a text. Unlike other school of criticism, it is first a set of
social, economic and political ideas
that its followers believe will enable them to interpret and more importantly
change their world.
Ultimate reality declares Marxism is material not
spiritual. What we know beyond any doubt is that human beings exist and live in
social groups. All of our actions and responses to such activities as eating,
working, even playing are related in some way to understand ourselves and our world;
we must first acknowledge the interrelatedness of all our actions within
society. For example , we want to know who we are? and how we should live?, we
must stop trying to find answers by looking solely to religion or philosophy
instead we must begin by examining all
aspects of our daily activities within our own culture. Upon examining
our daily routines, including our beliefs and values, we will discover that it
is our cultural and social circumstances that determine who we are? What we believe,
what we think are direct result of our culture and our not our religion or our
supposed philosophy of life.
Marxism discovers two terms in literary arena ‘Base’
and ‘Superstructure’. Base relates with economic production the social
relationship and economic structure of society. Other hand ‘Superstructure’
relates with and called it a multitude of social and legal institutions,
political and educational systems religious beliefs, values and a body of art
and literature. ‘Base’ and ‘superstructure’ of the society if it is under the
control of the upper class(bourgeoisie ) then common people or poor people suppressed
due to its effect on the system.
The exact relationship between ‘base’ and ‘superstructure’
however is not easily defined. Some Marxist critics argue that ‘base’ directly
affect the ‘superstructure’, some critics says these two terms are interrelated
and interdependent. Whatever position held by Marxist today, most would agree
that the relationship between the base and the superstructure is a complex and
will continue to remain a contentious point in Marxist theories.
The relationship between the ‘base’ and
‘superstructure’ becomes clearer when we consider capitalistic America. Marxism
declares, capitalists hold economic power in the society in this way center of
power in the society in this way they control the base (base means economic
production and economic and social relationships). If they called controlled
‘base’ then they would formulate ‘superstructure’ relates with ideology,
system, values, laws etc. as per their interest. In this way these people
capitalistic/ bourgeoisies’ people exploit the working class people by
providing false reflection of the society through literature. Therefore Marxism says ‘base’ and ‘superstructure’ of
the country are in the hands of upper class/ ruling class then it is very -
very difficult to get justice to
common/economic class of the people of the society. Therefore critics must
understand social and common value for the evaluation of the text. When the
bourgeoisie establishes superstructure, it is called false consciousness.
The
metaphor of "base" and "superstructure," is used by Marx in
his argument that the economic relations of production in a society determine
the forms of the state and social conciousness, or, more broadly, all social
and ideological structures, such as law, politics, religion, education, art,
etc. This is one of the most important parts of Marxist theory for literary and
cultural studies, especially as it relates to the theory of ideology and the
role of art in the production of ideology. Following 2nd International
theorists Georgi Plekhanov
and Karl Kautsky
traditional Marxists interpreted "base" to mean "material
reality" and "superstructure" to mean something like
"social and intellectual phenomena" and interpreted Marx's argument
to mean that there is a relationship of straightforward mechanical causality
between the base and superstructure. According to this argument, a feudal economic
order will inevitably produce the particular forms of government, law, art,
religion, etc., characteristic of the middle ages, while a capitalist economic
order will produce those of modernity. But this straightforwardly mechanistic
understanding of the relationship between base and superstructure is seen as
too simplistic by most contemporary Marxist critics, and Marx himself provides
various more complex statements on the problem
Consciously and unconsciously this social elite
inevitable forces its ideas upon the working classes. Almost without their
knowing it, the working classes have become trapped in as economic system.
Therefore their leisure time habits, entertainment are to be decided by the
bourgeoisie people. Those things are in favour of their interest and it
exploits the poor people.
Bourgeoisie (middle and upper class) people dominates
literature and they reflect elite ideology through it which is responsible for
the exploitation. Therefore critics need to understand these things while evaluating
any literary things. Marxism emphasis thinker and author should understand the
reality of life because economic base directly determines the literature.
Literature will mirror of the economic base.
Marxism’s methodology is dynamic process declaring
that a proper critique. Marxist argues the study of literature and the study of
society are intricately bound together. Such relationship demands that Marxist
approach to a text must deal with more than the conventional literary themes,
matters, of style, plot, characteristics, and the usual emphasis on figures of
speech and other literary devices utilized by other approaches to literary
analysis. Marxism must move beyond these literary elements and must uncover the
author’s world and his or her worldview. It is the ideology expressed by the
author’s as evidenced through his or her fictional world and how this ideology
interacts with reader’s personal ideology.
Some
extremist socialists, however, insist on the complete abolition of the
capitalist system and of private profit. The ultimate goal of all socialists,
however, is a classless cooperative commonwealth in every nation of the world.
Marxists
believe in the abolition of property, and therefore of class mistreatment,
would make it possible for individuals to contribute according to their abilities
and take according to their needs. Karl Marx believes that there has always
been a struggle between the working class and the ruling class and it is this
conflict that brings people to ruin. According to his theories, the society
will overcome this status driven ways through revolutions. Society will
eventually become classless.
Really, Marxism
is outstanding philosophy which compels to think literature different way.
Marxism is evergreen branch of criticism and will remain the same up to the
doom’s day of the world.
TERMINOLOGY
- Base vs. Superstructure: Base in Marxism refers to economic base. Superstructure, according to Marx and Engels, emerges from this base and consists of law, politics, philosophy, religion, art.
- Ideology: the shared beliefs and values held in an unquestioning manner by a culture. It governs what that culture deems to be normative and valuable. For Marxists, ideology is determined by economics. A rough approximation: "tell me how much money you have and I'll tell you how you think."
- Hegemony: coined by the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci, this "refers to the pervasive system of assumptions, meanings, and values -- the web of ideologies, in other words, that shapes the way things look, what they mean, and therefore what reality is for the majority of people within a given culture" (See glossary in case studies in contemporary criticism book).
- Reification: often used to describe the way in which people are turned into commodities useful in market exchange. For example, some would argue that the media's obsession with tragedy (e.g.the deaths of Jon Benet Ramsay, Diana, JFK Jr., the murders at Columbine High School in Colorado) make commodities out of grieving people. The media expresses sympathy but economically thrives on these events through ratings boost.
·
Proletariat: "The proletariat
is that class in society which lives entirely from the sale of its labour power
and does not draw profit
from any kind of capital; whose weal and woe, whose life and death, whose sole
existence depends on the demand for labour...
·
Bourgeoisie :The class
of people in bourgeois
society who own the social
means of
production as their Private
Property, i.e., as capital.
