The idea of Marxist criticism challenges the ten tenets of liberal humanism in many aspects and on many levels of literary criticism and the basic understanding of human nature. Marxist criticism brings to light the idea that people should not function as individuals but rather should work together in groups to control and distribute the resources necessary for the continued survival of the human race. In his book the communist manifesto Marx argues that in order to create a utopia for the human race people as individuals must relinquish some of their individual freedoms in order to ensure that society is able to survive.
I believe that Marxist Criticism and the ideas presented in The Communist Manifesto Challenge the fourth tenet of liberal humanism and it’s underlying principles in the obvious manner possible. The fourth tenet of liberal humanism states “Human nature is essentially unchanging. The same passions, emotions, and even situations are seen again and again throughout human history. It follows that continuity in literature is more important and significant than innovation. Thus, a well known eighteenth century definition of poetry maintains that ‘what oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed’. Likewise, Sammuel Johnson denigrated Sterne’s novel Tristram shandy on the grounds of it’s novelty that is it’s originality’. I believe that this tenet shows that the idea of Marxism defies traditional thinking in saying that humans do not change thoughts or actions.
Marxism argues that people are ever changing and therefore are unable to think independently of each other. According to the Marxist ideology it is thought that the people should as a whole control the means of production and distribution for a given entity. This is a direct contradiction to the traditional means throughout human history of people working as individuals and bartering or trading goods and services in order to function in everyday life. This theory is also evident in Marxist literature such as that which was produced in the United Soviet Socialist Republic between 1910 and as some would argue even as late as the late 1980’s (the berlin wall falling in 1989).
According to the Marxist ideology literature must remain constant and conform to the standards set forth in the communist manifesto that it must promote human values such as Unitarian utilitarianism and the idea that the whole is what matters and the individual is nothing and should only be thought of as a part of the whole. The fourth tenet argues that without individualism and individual thoughts literature ceases to transverse across cultural and historical boundaries and therefore, loses it’s meaning and importance from one generation to another. Marxist criticism essentially argues that literature in order to be effective must be repetitive and convey the same message from one time period to another despite the fact that the message may no longer be relevant.
These are just a few of my thoughts on the contrasting views between Marxist criticism and the fourth tenet of liberal humanism.