MARXISM THEORY

By: Sistiono Pambudi 10211141003

English Literature Faculty of Languages and Arts State University of Yogyakarta

Background
Marxism is a theory which is coined in 19th century because industrial revolution occurred in Europe. The industrial revolution affects social discrepancy in society and it makes social classes that are separated. In those social classes, there are bourgeois and proletariat which have different position. Bourgeois is society who has money in company. Besides, proletariat is workers in the company such as farmer and labor. Marxism is coined by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. In their book The German Ideology, basically the theory refers to the concept of history, society and social revolution. Marx thinks that industrial revolution era was a condition where injustice occurred in proletariats life. The function of proletariats only becomes slaves of bourgeois. Bourgeois asks proletariats to do all their jobs and projects. Absolutely, it harms proletariats because bourgeois pays them with low salary. Even, the salary is not enough for their daily life. Therefore, Marx thinks that capitalism has to be changed by communism. Communism tells that there are no social classes in society. Thus, proletariats start to collect power because they think that bourgeois already colonizes them.

Marxism Theory
A. Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx was born on 5th May in 1818, Trier, Germany. Then, he was dead on 14th March in 1883, London. He is the first philosopher who popularizes Marxism. He is well-educated and he is great young intellectual. He has done home-schooling for 13 years. After he passes from Gymnasium Trier, Marx continues his study to Bonn University. He takes law study program in 1835. Those are some Marxs educational biography in that time.

(http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/bio/marx/eng-1869.htm).

Marx is a philosopher who concerns to history, politics, social-economics, and definitely literature. Though he is expert in historical study but his experience in literature study is also good. Actually, he creates Marxism in literary work is to show social discrepancy between bourgeois and proletariat. Karl Marx also believes that literature is an appropriate media to maintain social status quo because literature acts

as entertainment. In this section, literature becomes written media which tells about factual social with poetic language and it can make readers know about the exact fact. Marx also believes that literature should not be didactic. Literature can be used to provoke and to persuade readers for knowing social-economics system which is wrong in a country. Other one, literature should not only show the aesthetic element but also literature can show real culture in a country or a civilization.

Based on Marxism, Marxist Criticism views a literature as the reflection of socialculture which is born in particular place. Even, Marxist argues that literature is the reflection of social-culture which owns particular ideology. Essentially, Marxist Criticism interprets literary text is not only a result of humans imagination, but also literature upraised because the condition of social-economics and ideology which occurred in particular place and particular culture.

This theory also persuades to the readers to find out an absurd descriptions of the condition in social class. Actually, Marx wants the readers to find the injustice of right and duty of proletariat. If literary text presents about the condition of social class that has been resolved. For example, there is equality of right, duty and social classes in society. Automatically, the readers will never know the exact cases in the country. Marxist Criticism provokes the readers to see and feel deeply about wrong condition in social class. This theory also gives the description about the way how they can be free from the condition which intimidates them. In this case, an appropriate approach is political approach. Also, Marxist believes that communism will be successful to realize prosperity for proletariats. Thus, literature is appropriate media which makes society be aware about social violence and it supports them to struggle their right and duty in order to there is significant change for proletariats.

There are several terms that be used in Marxist literary criticism: Base in Marxism refers t economic base. Superstructure, according to Marx and Engels, emerges from 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 Ill tell you how you think. Hegemony is created by the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci, this refers to the pervasive system of assumptions, meanings, and valuesthe 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. Reification: often used to describe the way in which people are turned into commodities useful in market exchange.

Conclusion
According to the explanations above, we can conclude that Marxism is theory which focuses on how proletariats can get justice of the right and duty from bourgeois. Also, Marx and Engels create the theory by observing the factual condition that occurred in industrial revolution in 19th century. Another one, Marxism is the theory that does not only concern to aesthetic value of literary but also the readers can know wrong condition of social classes. Therefore, Marx hopes proletariats want to fight for struggling their right and duty.

References
Marx Dobie, Ann - Theory Into Practice - Marxist Criticism (http://occonline.occ.cccd.edu/online/swells/Marx%20Dobie,%20Ann%20%20Theory%20Into%20Practice%20-%20Marxist%20Criticism.pdf) 3.HistoryMarxistCriticism (http://www.ucm.es/info/siim/siim2/3.HistoryMarxistCriticism.pdf) http://rsbikaltim.blogspot.com/2012/01/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo_11.html http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/bio/marx/eng-1869.htm