Two Different Approaches To Literary Criticism Are Marxist

Two different approaches to literary criticism are Marxist criticism and feminist criticism. The Marxist approach looks at the hierarchy of the classes. â€Å"One form of historical criticism is Marxist criticism, name for Karl Marx (1818-1883). Actually, to say â€Å"one form† is misleading, since Marxist criticism today is varied, but essentially it sees history primarily as a struggle between socioeconomic classes, and it sees literature (and everything else) as the product of economic forces of the period† (1750). Alternatively, the feminist approach focuses on the differences between men and women. â€Å"Feminist criticism can be traced back to the work of Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), but chiefly it grew out of the women’s movement of the 1960s.†¦show more content†¦Thus, the feminist view shows that this play occurs during a sexist time in history. During the rising action in the play, we see that Linda is objectified, a workhorse, and is not seen outside of the home. She is always working and sleeps very little. She is obtuse to Willy’s lies. Willy has her believing that he is a well-liked man. Willy indicates that â€Å"the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates a personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want† (1578). He believes he represents the well-liked man. The Marxist view show the characters in the light of a hierarchical structure. The two structures are the working class and the dominating class. This is shown in the relationship between Howard and Willy, and Bernard and Biff. Howard is Willy’s boss. He owns the firm that he works. He gives the orders and Willy must follow them. When looking at Bernard and Biff, Bernard is the dominating class. He is the one that made it through college, unlike Biff who did not pass high school. Bernard is Charley’s son and works as a lawyer. Willy asks, â€Å"Bernard is not well liked, is he?† Biff confirms, â€Å"He’s liked, but he’s not well liked.† Thus Willy confirms â€Å"Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world,Show MoreRelatedThe School Of Marxist Criticism1703 Words   |  7 PagesA Strange American Approach In this particular assignment I want to focus in the school of Marxist criticism. And the reason why is because I find it very interesting to learn every concept of its background and the ways it is used in many literature works. Which this specific lens implies that those point of views are not the way to go. In other words it targets that there should not be an upper nor lower class or division of society rather there should only be one with equal opportunities, equalRead MoreWhat Is Literature? Essay1778 Words   |  8 Pagesliterature has become a problematic and a controversial issue among various literary schools. What is literature? 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