By MSM YAQOOB
Material
Dialectic is a specific way of thinking to understand reality and the notion
used by Karl Marx in his book German Ideology. To Marx and Engel the
significance of the real world in terms of economy and class distinction is
important. The chief principle of this concept is that everything is determined
by material and material is taken from matter which is changeable and
independent in its existent. Briefly, dialectic materialism is; everything is
shaped by the economy even our notion and ideas.
For
in-depth discussion first, we need to review the Marxist concept of economy and
its application in literature. What is the role of this concept in literary
theory, is a topic of hot discussion. Let’s start from scratch, the Marxist
theory.
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Marxism is a
socio-political and economic theory of German philosopher, Karl Marx, and Georg
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel but it is not started as a literary movement or theory.
It is difficult to trace the exact years of its emergence as a literary theory
due to its historical complication but believed that Marxism is a phenomenon of
the 20th century. This school of thought revolves around the three seminal
works of 'The German Ideology (1845), The Communist Manifesto (1848), and Das
Kapital (1867). The general focus of all these written works is a class
distinction, economy, and unfair distribution of wealth with the implications
and complications of the capitalist system, but in literature, they believed
that "everything is shaped by
material, the ideas, conscious and beliefs are the superstructures of the
society and the base of every structure is economy".
Tyson states
that "Marxism attempts to reveal how
our socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experience"
Let's come to
the three seminal works and take a closer look at them.
Communist
Manifesto demonstrates the technique used by the bourgeoisie (the elite class)
to enslave the labor class through their economic policies that ultimately lead
to the exploitation of the proletariat. The ideas of this work boost the labor
class and show them the ways to take over the bourgeoisie as well. Government
must take responsibility for every citizen and distribute material equally and
fairly. This school of thought follows a specific way of thinking to know the
truth and reality which is termed as material dialectic.
Richter believes that "what drives historical change are the
material realities of the economic base of society, rather than the ideological
superstructure of politics, law, philosophy, religion, and art that is built
upon that economic base". In simple words, everything is determined by
economy even ideas and concepts. This is the argument cited by German Ideology.
Again in Das Kapital, the maneuvering trick of the elite class is shown, that
they are in few but control the majority. Briefly, human consciousness is
governed by social interaction. There is a continuous clash going on between
the working and elite class and literature is a reflection of that all things.
The conflict leads to a new society of freedom and equality. Marx stated in his
book that "stable societies develop
sites of resistance: contradictions build into the social system that
ultimately leads to social revolution and the development of a new society upon
the old"
In the new
society, there will be harmony, fairness, equality, and equity between the
upper and lower classes. If such happened capitalism will die itself. Marx
stressed that the revolution began by the poor but it should be guided by
intellectuals.
Antonio Gramsci,
one of the prominent Marxist thinkers believes that "all the forces of production, which constitute the Base, inevitably
advance and that this, in turn, leads to changes in society". He
called it hegemony.
The school of
thought is not only concerned with the number of publications of a literary
work and depiction of class distinctions rather it attracts the attention of
critics to the style and meanings of a text from different perspectives.
The role of dialectic
materialism in literature is that everything is determined and shaped by the economy. Publication of a work of art, its economic impacts, the author’s
financial condition, and the economic condition of that contemporary society
where the text has been produced. We can’t arrive at the correct interpretation of
a text without analyzing the economic condition and effects of materialism.
This is Marx concept but later it rejected by modern theories like post
structuralism, deconstruction, reader-response theory, and author oriented
approaches.
