How did Marxism influence literary criticism during the 1920s and 1930s?

During the 1920s and 1930s, Marxism profoundly reshaped literary criticism by shifting the focus from aesthetic isolation to the relationship between literature, society, and politics.12

Theoretical Foundations

Marxist criticism sought to analyze literature through the lens of history, class consciousness, and the critique of bourgeois ideology. Thinkers like György Lukács emphasized the historical condition of society as the primary ideological agenda within literary works, while Walter Benjamin explored how modern mechanical reproduction changed the experience of art, arguing that art could serve as an instrument to overthrow false consciousness.3

Impact and Practice

• Social Commitment: In the United States, the Great Depression spurred intellectuals to move away from the political apathy of the 1920s toward active engagement. Critics such as Edmund Wilson and Kenneth Burke incorporated Marxist historical perspectives into their work.41
• Institutionalization: In the Soviet Union, this influence culminated in Socialist Realism, which mandated that literature serve the state by portraying proletarian values and the building of a socialist society.35
• Intellectual Circles: Journals like Partisan Review became hubs for critics who, while often sympathetic to socialist ideals, engaged in rigorous debate regarding the intersection of art and political orthodoxy.124