BICOL REGIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Tuburan, Ligao City

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

CRITICAL ANALYSIS USING MARXIST APPROACH

A. Most Essential Learning Competency:

 Writing a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts,
applying a reading approach, and doing an adaptation of these, require
from the learner the ability to identify; representative texts and authors
from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa EN12Lit-
IIa-22
B. Objectives
At the end of this learning activity, I would be able to:
 Define and explain Marxist criticism and its key concepts
 Analyze a narrative of class struggle in a given text
 Write a critical analysis of the reading text using the Marxist literary
criticism

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

Marxist Criticism or Marxism is a type of literary criticism based on the writings

of German philosopher Karl Marx. It is a critical approach to literature which shows
the relationship between literature and the social—mainly economic—conditions
under which it was produced. Originally, Marxist critics focused on literary
representations of workers and working classes. For later Marxists, however,
literature became a document of a kind of knowledge and a record of the historical
conditions that produced that knowledge. Like cultural criticism, Marxist literary
criticism offers critiques of the “canon” and focuses on the ways in which culture and
power intersect; for a Marxist critic, literature both reproduces existing power
relations and offers a space where they can be contested and redefined. Important
20th-century Marxist literary critics include Georg Lucáks, Antonio Gramsci, Louis
Althusser,Terry Eagleton, Raymond Williams, and Frederic Jameson. Some of the
key concepts of Marxism include worker's uprising, materialism, class struggle, effect
of capitalism, classless society, ideology, and working class.
Marxist criticism is concerned with differences between economic classes &
implications of capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between the
working class and the elite. Hence, it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of
people’s experience is the socio-economic system. The common aspects looked into
when using Marxist criticism are as follows:
 Social class as represented in the work
 Social class of the writer /creator
  Social class of the characters
 Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

How to use Marxism in Analyzing Literary text?

There is no prescribed structure in writing Marxist analysis of literature,
but the following parts are almost always present.

INTRODUCTION:
a. Title of the book/article/work
b. Writer’s Name
c. Thesis statement
BODY:
a. Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
b. You may address the following questions:
 Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is accepted/successful/believed,
etc.?
 What is the social class of the author?
 Which class does the work claim to represent?
 What values does it reinforce?
 What values does it subvert?
 What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and those
it portrays?
 What social classes do the characters represent?
 How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
CONLUSION:
a. overall impression of the work
b. Scholarly or literary value of the reading text

Practice Task 1: Let’s Analyze.

Directions: Read and study the sample short Marxist criticism of “Dead
Stars” below, a classic Filipino short story by Paz Marquez Benitez and
answer the following questions on your answer sheet.

The imbalanced societal power play is evident in the short story in the
form of treatment of the characters based on their class. This is most easily
evident in the conversation between Alfredo and his fiancée, Esperanza,
about Calixta, their note-carrier who grew up in the latter’s family. The scene
depicts a parallelism in the circumstance of Alfredo and his new love, Julia,
and Calixta and her live-in partner. However, while no one blatantly frowns
upon the budding relationship between Alfredo and Julia, except for some
whispered rumors that reach Esperanza, Calixta is dubbed “ungrateful” to her
master for doing such an act. Alfredo does not have to answer to anyone for
his unfaithfulness, but Calixta is responsible not only for what her family might
think, but also for the members of her master’s family. Despite the same
 circumstances, the two people are regarded differently based on their
positions in life.

1. What is Marxist criticism?

2. Where did Marxism come from?
3. What are the key concepts of Marxism?
4. Who are the important 20th century Marxist literary critics?
5. What is the relationship between Marxism & literature?
6. What is the significance of Marxism to literary criticism?
7. How are the key concepts of Marxism correlated with literature?
8. What are the basic parts of Marxist critical analysis?

Practice Task 2. Critical Analysis.

Directions: Read and understand the story below, then write a short
COMPOSITION with 10 to 15 sentences presenting your Marxist critical
analysis of the story. The following questions below may serve as your
guide.

Write your answer on a sheet of yellow pad paper.

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

Mathilde Loisel is a charming and pretty woman who has always believed
herself destined for greater things than her life has brought her. The feeling that she
deserves the luxuries of life and is yet unable to afford those “delicacies” causes her
to suffer continuous feelings of jealousy and longing. After marrying a clerk who
works at the Ministry of Public Instruction, Mathilde settles into a life of mediocrity,
longing for women to envy her and men to pursue her. Finding these desires
unfulfilled, Mathilde even begins avoiding her wealthy friend Madame Forestier, a
former schoolmate, because returning from her friend’s house of opulence causes
Mathilde to suffer even more deeply when she returns to her own modest abode.
One evening, Mathilde’s husband arrives home with what he believes will be
joyous news for his wife. The couple has been invited to a grand ball and celebration
at the palace of the Ministry, and the invitation has been difficult for Monsieur Loisel
to procure. Yet instead of the delight he expects the invitation to elicit, his wife
responds with scorn, telling him that she cannot possibly attend without a proper
dress. Trying to comfort her, Monsieur Loisel asks how much a simple dress might
cost, and Mathilde estimates that such a dress would cost around four hundred
francs. Monsieur Loisel has saved just that amount of money to treat himself to a
gun and a getaway with friends the next summer, but he gives his wife his savings
so that she can buy the dress she desires.
As the date of the ball approaches, Monsieur Loisel senses his wife’s anxieties
growing. He asks why she’s been behaving so oddly, and she tells him that she
cannot go to the ball without having a single jewel to wear with the dress. He tries to
convince her that “natural flowers [are] very stylish at this time of the year,” but
Mathilde cannot be convinced. Instead, she worries that she will be humiliated,
looking “poor among other women who are rich.” Her husband gives Mathilde an
idea that overjoys her: she should simply ask to borrow some jewelry for the event
from Madame Forestier.
Madame Forestier shows Mathilde many pieces in her collection, from a pearl
necklace to pieces with precious stones and “admirable workmanship,” but nothing
seems stunning enough to capture Mathilde’s interest. She asks her friend if she has
any more jewelry, and Madame Forestier produces “a superb necklace of
diamonds.” Mathilde places it around her neck with trembling hands, “lost in ecstasy
at the sight of herself.” She kisses her friend and flees with her treasure. When the
ball arrives, Mathilde Loisel is as radiant as she’s ever dreamed. She is “elegant,
gracious, smiling, and crazy with joy.” Men desire to know her and beg to be
introduced to her. The attachés of the Cabinet desire to waltz with her, and the
minister himself makes comments about her. Mathilde dances until four in the
morning, made “drunk” by the pleasure of captivating the attention of a room, just as
she’s always desired. Finally, it is time to return home, and Mathilde finds her
husband asleep in an anteroom. When Monsieur Loisel wraps his wife in the
“modest wraps of common life” before they enter the cold, Mathilde again feels the
pains of her relative poverty in comparison to the women who wrap up in “costly furs”
as they prepare to leave. Desperate to escape scrutiny, Mathilde flees the room,
running outside and down the street. The couple cannot find a carriage, and it takes
a while to arrive home. As Mathilde stands before her mirror to appreciate her beauty
one final time, she realizes that the diamond necklace she has borrowed is missing.
Panicked, she tells her husband, who begins a frenzied series of questions about
where she could have lost it. Monsieur Loisel leaves to retrace their steps but returns
at seven o’clock empty-handed. He visits the police and newspaper offices and
offers a reward, but there is no lead. Finally, he tells his wife to write Madame
Forestier and claim that the clasp of the necklace has been broken and that they will
have it fixed before returning it. Mathilde does as instructed, and the Loisels attempt
to find an exact replica of the necklace. After much searching, they locate what they
believe is an exact match; it will cost them thirty-six thousand francs.
After borrowing money from everyone they can and adding to this total the
eighteen thousand francs left to Monsieur Loisel by his father, they are able to
purchase the necklace and present it to Madame Forestier. Mathilde then turns to
repaying the debt she and her husband have incurred. She dismisses her servant,
changes her address, and takes in a boarder. Mathilde settles into the “horrible
existence of the needy” as she submits to heavy housework, scrubbing floors and
scraping pots with her nails. She carries the weight of both slop and water and learns
to bargain with the grocer and butcher. Finally, after ten years of her life have passed
this way, Mathilde Loisel succeeds in paying off the debt of thirty-six thousand
francs. She goes for a walk in the Champs Elysees one Sunday and encounters
Madame Forestier there. Since she has now paid off the debt, she decides to speak
to her former friend, whom she hasn’t seen in all these years, and tell her the truth
about the necklace. Madame Forestier initially has no idea who Mathilde is. When
she realizes the identity of Mathilde, Madame Forestier “utter[s] a cry.” Mathilde
explains that she’s had to work ten years of strenuous labor to pay back loans she
incurred for the loss of Madame Forestier’s original diamond necklace but that she is
relieved that “at last it is ended.”
It is at this point that the painful blow is delivered: Madame Forestier takes
Mathilde’s hands and explains that the necklace was “paste,” worth at most five
hundred francs.
 1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe each one of them.
2. What are the social status of the characters?
3. Which class do the characters represent?
4. What values does it reinforce?
5. What values does it subvert?
6. How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
7. What social classes do the characters represent?

SUGGESTED OUTLINE:

INTRODUCTION:
 Basic details about the story, such as its title, background of the story, author,
and author’s background
PLOT SUMMARY/ DESCRIPTION
 Gist of the plot
 Simple description of the story
ANALYSIS/ INTERPRETATION
 Discussion and analysis of the work (Use Marxist Criticism approach)
 It is the best to ask the following questions during this part
 What aspects of the work make you think that it is a success or failure
 Were there unanswered questions or plot lines? If yes, how did they affect
the story?
 Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced, watched
or read before?
CONCLUSION/ EVALUATION
 Reinforcement of main assessment
 Comparison to a similar work
 Recommendation of the story (if you like it)
https://owl.purdue.edu./owl/subject-specific-writing

RUBRIC FOR WRITING A CRITIQUE PAPER

VGE GE SE LE N
(25) (20) (15) (10) (5)
Summary Clearly Presents Presents Insufficient No
(20%) presents author’s author’s explanation of explanation
author’s thesis and thesis, but author’s of author’s
thesis and describes may not thesis, and/or thesis, and/or
describes his/her provide insufficient no
his/ her strategies sufficient description of description of
strategies for for description strategies for strategies for
supporting it supporting it. of strategies supporting supporting
for thesis thesis.
supporting it.
Overall Exhibits Exhibits Exhibits Exhibit some Exhibit little
Quality of clarity, clarity, and some clarity, faulty logic, or no
Analysis complexity, some depth though only and/or evidence of
(20%) perceptivene about the minimal stereotypical effective
ss, topic, but depth of or superficial thinking
originality, lacks the thought thinking about about the
and depth of qualities of about the the topic topic (please
thought complexity, topic. note that
about the perceptivene there may be
topic ss, and effective
originality thinking in the
exhibited in composition,
level but not about
the topic).
Organizati Review is Review is Review has Distinction General
on & very well well separate between structure of
Content organized, organized, introduction, introduction, review is
(20%) containing an containing body body difficult to
introduction, an paragraphs, paragraphs, follow, and/or
body introduction, and and student failed
paragraphs, body conclusion, conclusion is to follow the
and paragraphs, but unclear. prescribed
conclusion. and connections format.
conclusion. among these
could be
improved.
Grammar Clear, Mostly clear, Adequate Poor sentence Very poor
& concise concise sentence structure. sentences
Mechanic sentences sentences. structure but Writing may structure,
s (20%) may require be wordy or and/or Uses
No May have editing for difficult to inappropriate
grammatical some minor clarity/wordin follow in language or
errors. grammatical ess. places. Many language that
errors. grammatical is too
Some errors. informal.
grammatical Significant
errors, but grammatical
these do not errors, and/or
impede Contains
understandin errors that
g are identified
by MS Word
software but
were not
corrected.
TOTAL