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Marxism: Introduction

Class Relations, Capitalism and

Commodification2003 Spring

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Outline

Starting Questions

Focuses in this unit

Marx

Snowed Up

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Starting Questions (1): Economic

Determinism

Is money (or the economic relations we are in) the

most important determinant in our life?

The apparently non-materialist aspects of life

the mental: our belief, ideas and ideals;

the spiritual: oursoul

literature and all the cultural products.

Love -- Can love transcend the conditioning ofmoney

and the other social factors (e.g. class, educational

background, etc.)?

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Starting Questions (2):

Class Relations

Which class do you belong to? Are we all middle

class? What types ofclass relations do you see

in our society?What is capitalism? How does it influence our life?

What type ofrelations of production are there at

school and in between the teachers and students?

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Commodity Fetishism?

( 920415) Why do we want more than what is useful? Do we have

insatiable desire? If so, why?

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General Responses: (1)

Political Economy of Love

powerrelations

(e.g. )

( )

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General Responses: (2)

Relations of Production

Class -- not the most basic category in any kindof social analysis. Can be combined with the

other categories such as race and gender. Important in analyzing the power relations in

society and in literaturecontrol/exploitation,inequality, and dialectical relations(master/slave).

e.g. love between Daisy and Gatsby, Sons andLovers, Mulholland Dr.

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General Responses: (2) -2

Teacher & Student RelationsOne example

Are teachers authorities to rebel against?

Are students buyers free to choose what theywant? I dont think the school will like it.

Why does the father say that if the teachers

serves the students ascustomers,

the former

will not guide,

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General Responses: (2) -3

Teacher & Student Relations

Teacher-student: commercial relation and others

Teachers (like experts and those with technicalskills ) are professionalsthey can produce

more knowledge and thus more of their labor power

and values.

They, like the students, are still in the system of

domination and subordination. (Ref. Scase 80)

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General Responses: (3)

Our Consumption Habits

Why cant we stop buying?

Possible reasons:

Devaluation of the goods we buy or own; positional

goodsWhen more people own the goods, the satisfaction

it brings is reduced. (e.g. 40,000 dollar face cream; shark fin;

etc.)

Durkheim: human wants are in principle limitless; capitalism

develops too fast, always changing our expectations.Stoppable only by 1) repressive social morality; 2) regulating

capitalism.

Loss of Religion and Sense of Stability.

Marxist views: (later) capitalism creates false needs and

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Marxism: Topics & Schools on

Focus

1. Marx and Vulgar Marxism

2. Western Marxists :

Althussers theory of

Ideology & Gramscis

Hegemony

3. American & British Marxism:

Jameson and Eagleton

4. Foucault &

1. Dialectic Materialism,

Class and

Commodification2. Literature & Society

3. Marxist Literary Criticism

4.Literature as Discoure

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Marx: Basic Ideas

1. Economic Determinism; (previous Q & A)

2. Dialectic Materialism--(His Dialectic View of

History: Revises Hegels view of history)3. Critique of capitalism

Exploitation of laborers andAlienation of themfrom their productive process

Commodification of Human Identity and Relations

4. Social Structure: Base and Superstructure

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Dialectic Materialism:Marxs Two major Statements

It is not the consciousness of men that

determines their being, but, on the contrary,

theirsocial being that determines theirconsciousness.

(In other words-- Consciousness does not

determine our socio-economic existence; oursocio-economic existence determines

consciousness.) Economic Determinism

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Marx: Two major Statements (2)

The philosophers have only interpreted the world invarious way; the point is to change it.

Has Marxism failed after the fall of Berlin Wall, the

collapse of Soviet Union and the capitalization ofmainland China?

e.g. Soviet Union 3 years after their its collapse, ofRussias economy is private owned.

China capitalism has been developing since 1970s insome special economic zones an official stockexchange was set up to allow people to buy andexchange shares. (Saunders 4)

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Economic Determinism: Some

Basic TermsMeans of production --

e.g. Machines in industrial society; media andcomputerin our age of Information; those who ownthem, or know well how to use them, get to hold power

over those who don't.

Modes of production -- In the industrial society -- mechanical reproduction;

in our "post-industrial"age -- electronic reproduction.

Relations of production -- between the capitalist class who owns those means ofproduction, and the proletarian class whose labour-power the capitalist buys for profit.

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Economic Determinism: example

Production of a novel today: influenced by

Means of production

typing or handwriting;including only verbal language or also drawing.

Modes of production -- multimedia or print copy;

Relations of production from production (with

publishers) to distribution (with bookstores andnews media) to consumption (readers)

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Marxs Critique of Capitalism1. Capitalism caused by industrialisms

amplification of labor power(e.g.) with

machines surplus values

accumulation and expansion of capitals

Investment

(re-investment)

Productive process

(the laborers +

machine)

Economic surplus

(alienation)

Marketable

commodities

(Scase

13)

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Marxs Critique of Capitalism (2)

2. Consequences: exploitation and alienation of

laborers, exchange values over use values;

reification(

) and commodification ofhuman relations

Example: Modern Times ; Bicycle Thief

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Marxs Critique of Capitalism (2)

2. immiseration thesis -- exploitation and

alienation of laborers,

Note: Saunders argues that capitalism actuallyincreases human wealth (of the poor and the

rich alike) and improves human lives

What do you think?

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Marxs Solution

3. Marxs argument: State-owned properties

Communism

(example: clips ofThe Greatest Thinker: Marx) Pension funds or share-holding is not enough;

State-owned capital; possible problem, the

States inefficiency;

Commune (regional economy, self-sufficiency)

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Marxs Critique of Capitalism (3)

3. fetishism The charming and enigmatic nature of commodity

Use value Exchange values added to it;

abstract relations between the products

relations between men

Commodities as system of signs, hiding

the economic relations in the productionprocess.

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Critique of Capitalism (4) by

Western Marxism

Herbert Marcuse capitalism creates our

false needs, whereas ourreal needs

are repressively desublimated in a one-dimensional world of commodities. (Cf.

Saunders 79)

Ardorno: creates massified pseudo-identity

e.g. The Icicle Thief

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Social Structure:

Base and Superstructure

Base-- The sum total of [the] relations ofproduction constitutes the economic structure of

society, the real foundation

Superstructure--a legal and politicalsuperstructure, cultural institutions and forms ofsocial consciousness.

Relations between --

The mode of production of material life conditionsthe social, political and intellectual life process in

general.

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Social Structure:

Base and Superstructure (2)

Other ways to describe their relations:

reflect, determine ultimately, cause,

condition,sets the limit

e.g. Vulgar Marxisms reflectionism

(presupposes a homology in social structure)

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Social Structure:

Base and Superstructure (3)

Ideology: the ruling ideas of the ruling class;

imposed on the other classes.

Superstructure

Base as foundation, center

Parallel,

reflect

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Althussers idea of

social formation; de-centered

Relative autonomy of the social levels and

ultimate determination by the base

Superstructure

Base

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Snowed Up

1. What are the binary opposites in the story?2. How is Edie related to the men around her?

3. What gets "snowed up" in the story?

4. What do you think about the ending? Is Edie

finally subject to both the control of her society

and the belittling of her author?

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Binary Opposites

1. class difference:

Lord Bilbrton--> has power, Mr. Alderman Thrigg--> has money;

Aurelles--> Aurelles' playing chess -- "trying oh, sohard to play chess--which he does not understand--with papa; and all just because."

father's position: in financial trouble, to be saved onlyby being appointed by the government.

2. difference in age and appearance:Lord Bilbrton "wizened", Mr. Alderman Thrigg "stout"and Aurelles "strong, tall, noble-looking"

3. order vs. Edie's giddy head

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Edie in between these men

She prefers Aurelles over the other two suitors,

though she is aware of the former's clumsiness

in social games.reflected in her terms of address--> Aurelles or

Phillip or Phil; Lord Bilberton or Charlie

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Edie's change by the snow

Before the snow -- Edie's position against classdifference and social customs:

like a shuttlecock or tennis ball; 2. It is laughable . . . p. 20

Edie's rebelliousness and ambition as a writer:1.p. 20 the fur coat -- must wear it; interest in her own looks;2.not going to be sold exactly. p. 203.be a poetess someday.

4.hate their "coming to the point." --> will not marry them, willcry, quarreled; am cross.

5."entanglement with a penniless soldier."p. 216.her view of having a spouse p. 21

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The Other Peoples reponses:

1) 1/4 Lord B: "poor shivering ancient body

2) 1/5 "I shall perish with an angel!" Mr. Thrigg is

not good at using metaphors; Bilberton, silly

with fright. Papa, cynical.

* Mr. Thrigg as one trying to help;

3) 1/6 Mr. Thrigg in despair and struggle (p. 23)

1/14 p. 24

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The Other Peoples reponses : (2)

4) 1/14 All the servants left but the maid, papa an

invalid, Bilberton helpless; Thrigg trapped in

snow; the arrival of Phillip p. 25

5) 1/15 eat the cat;

6) 1/17 Papa and the Alderman may die. Philip is

the only one active to get food.

7) 1/18 the last try by Phillip

8) 1/19 a feast; The Alderman eats a long time.

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Edie's changing views of the

snow and the others

1)1/3 "Why it is beautiful! I wish I was snowballingAurelles." (21)2) 1/4 nothing to do; hate the snow p. 21 1/5 - 6, laughs

at her suiters.3) 1/10 "we shall be starved." Misses "Phillip." --a veryshort entry.* turning point: 4) 1/14 "Nothing but snow." "Such

fun! The Alderman has been helping me in thekitchen." Philip arrives; he is willing to rescue Thriggonly if he gives up his pursuit of Edie. Edie changesher tactics. p. 26

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Edie's changing views of the

snow and the others

5) 1/15 must write to pass away the time;* Edie's weakness and incisive comment on the"weakness of the snow": 1/17 cries; comments on

the snow. "the weak, feeble despised flakes of snow."1/18 waiting;* turning point: 1/19 he has all my heart1/22 the roughs invasion; nice to have a soldier

around. Hope for us at last--fog.1/15 Is aware of her being a commodity between twomen. Will be a good girl and make Phil a first rate wife.--Her diary ends with a bracket and blankness.

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Snowed Up: Its Contraditions

Although Jeffries writes a cautionary take aboutwhat happens when society is deprived of

technological support, there also appears to bean unarticulated desire for such a catastrophe tooccur, a desire for devastation and forreversion.

[He expresses] liberal anxiety but also areactionary 'back to nature' impulse. (Meynard139)

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References

Sauders, Peter. Capitalism: A Social Audit.

Buckingham: Open UP, 1995.

Scase, Richard. Class. Buckingham: Open UP, 1992. .

92/02/14.

Maynard, Jessica. A Marxist Reading of 'Snowed

Up.Literary theories : a case study in criticalperformance. Eds. Julian Wolfreys and William

Baker. London : Macmillan Press Ltd , 1996