Marxist Literary Theory

Marxism is a social and economic theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, focusing on the struggles between social classes and the effects of capitalism on human relationships. It argues that “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” (Marx and Engels 14). 

Marxist literary theory is essentially an approach to analyzing a text through the lens of social, economic, and material conditions, based on the ideas of Karl Marx. With this approach every work of literature can be viewed as a product of its historical context. 

Sources:

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Penguin Books, 2002.
Gilliam Writers Group. “Applying Marxist Literary Theory: A Student’s Guide to Class, Power, and Literature.” Gilliam Writers Group, 27 Sept. 2021, www.gilliamwritersgroup.com/blog/applying-marxist-literary-theory-a-students-guide-to-class-power-and-literature.