Marxism 2: Literature, Society & Ideolog

Marxism 2: Literature, Society & Ideology : 

Marxism 2: Literature, Society & Ideology

Marxism: Focuses : 

Marxism: Focuses Dialectic Materialism -- Marx and Vulgar Marxism Literature,Society & Ideology: Althusser as a focus Marxist Literary Critics: Jameson and Eagleton Cultural Marxism (if time allows)

Literature & Society (1) : 

Literature & Society (1) Literature of Commitment & Reflectionism -- Related questions: What are the functions of literature? Is good literature politically committed literature? Does literature have to “reflect” its society, or help promote a certain political cause? On the other hand, can literature be completely un-political?

Literature & Society (2) : 

Literature & Society (2) Ways of reflecting society indirectly not through content but through forms (e.g. fragmentary form as a way to reflect social fragmentation); incorporating different ideologies

Ideology Defined : 

Ideology Defined “rigid set of ideas”; e.g. somebody refrains from eating meat “for practical rather than ideological reasons.” --negative ruling ideology: legitimating the power of the dominant group--negative sets of ideas to justify certain organized social actions --could be positive or negative *sets of ideas to justify certain actions while masking their real nature. --negative

Ideology Defined by Althusser : 

Ideology Defined by Althusser Ideology is a ‘Representation’ of the Imaginary Relationship of Individuals to their Real Conditions of Existence. Ideology has the function of constituting individual as subjects. * Ideology is not any idea; it should be a system of ideas (representation) produced by some institutions (state apparatuses ????)

Ideologies: Examples : 

Ideologies: Examples Which ideologies do the following statements support? ???????????????????? ??????????,?????,??????? ????,????? Clips from Marx the Greatest Thinker

Literature - ideology - Economic Base : 

Literature - ideology - Economic Base reflecting or relatively autonomous; reflect, embody, perform, transform, critique Over-determination Social Levels Multiple Ideologies

Social Structure: Base and Superstructure (3) : 

Social Structure: Base and Superstructure (3) Ideology: the ruling ideas of the ruling class; imposed on the other classes. Superstructure e.g. Literature of the middle class, of proletariat Base(as foundation, center) relations of production, means of production Parallel, reflect

Althusser’s idea of social formation; de-centered : 

Althusser’s idea of social formation; de-centered Relative autonomy State Apparatuses (Repressive & Ideological) ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? RSA ?? ISA

Althusser’s idea of social formation; de-centered : 

Althusser’s idea of social formation; de-centered Relative autonomy; mediation (??); over-determination ??????; ????; ???;?? ??/?? ?? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? Superstructure ??????

Ideology: Literary Examples : 

Ideology: Literary Examples T. S. Eliot “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” W. B. Yeats Jack London’s “Chinago”