Guide to Week 4: Thursday

        We will discuss thoroughly ways to apply Marxist critical methods to "Soldiers," and at the end, we can try out some Marxist methods on Chapter X.  You will write your "Working with" assignment on "Cat."  Remember that Marxist theory teaches us to look for sources of mental behavior, and what characters say and do, in social conditions rather than in repressed psychological events from their past existence.  Think about the historical situation in which the narrative is set and the effect it may have on social relations among the characters.  Think about the commercial situation in which characters find themselves, including the "economy" of the household or relationship.  Which characters have the power to command and which characters obey, and from what socio-economic sources do those powers and obedience derive?   Click here for a list of terms of art and processes necessary to applications of Marxist interpretive methods.

Useful Web Sites

Class in America: Nick's and Tom's relative economic status and what Fitzgerald is trying to tell us about the sheer excess of Tom's lifestyle

Titles Communicate Theory: Can You Tell Which Theories These Articles Use?