Introduction to Marx

Marxist Literary Criticism

In this course, Dr Daniel Hartley (University of Durham) explores Marx’s thinking and its application for literary criticism. We begin with an introduction to Karl Marx as a man, discussing his theoretical influences. In the second module, we are introduced to the Marxist idea of ‘alienation.’ In the third, we look at definitions of ideology, focusing especially on Althusser. From there, we consider how Marxist theory can be used in literary critique. In the fifth, we use a Marxist lens to analyse the aesthetic contradictions in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891). Finally, we think about realism in world literature of the 19th century through a Marxist lens.

Introduction to Marx

In this module, we question the stereotypical depiction of Marx and think about his life, focusing on: (i) his interest in literature and his role as a great writer, as well as a great thinker, of the 19th century, (ii) Marx’s predilection for fighting and dueling, (iii) Marx’s militant revolutionary activity, (iv) Marxism as a combination of German idealism, British economics and French socialism, and (v) how Marx might explain the development of these three different philosophical traditions through a material-historical lens.