Marxist Literary Criticism Today

Abstract

While correctly described by its publisher as a basic introduction to Marxist literary criticism, Barbara Foley’s book is also a fresh renovation of its subject both for those familiar with the literature and those committed to socialist politics. Marxist Literary Criticism Today, unlike some previous introductions, does not take the occasion to covertly revise the tradition according to the point of view or sect of the author by setting down slanted foundational assumptions. Instead, Foley’s stated aim is to use the collectively produced, widely accepted “building blocks [that] have been supplied by earlier practitioners in the Marxist tradition.” This is an unapologetic (and, admittedly, “polemical”) “return to orthodoxy” (xvii–xviii). However, the goal of the book is in the present as we look toward the classless future. The author intends to demonstrate the current relevance of Marxism as a lens that defines the horizon of our possible advances, a total worldview, not just another literary theory (88). The title’s “Today” accurately reflects this emphasis on the contemporary. Foley’s most compelling arguments for the applicability of Marxism to contemporary critical tasks are enriched by the evidence, throughout, of decades spent putting the theoretical tools of historical materialism into practice as a teacher of college literature. For example, an intermittent series of inset boxes responds substantially to frequently asked questions, objections, or alternative explanations heard in the classroom. These give the text the