ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the classical Marxist view of ideology and offers some examples of how it may apply to concrete literary works. Ideology is a socially constituted illusion serving the interest of the ruling class in society. It discusses three objections to the classical theory. It may seem reductive; it may wrongly seem to suggest that ideologies are exclusively illusory; and it may unduly seem to privilege literary realism. The chapter focuses on French Marxism of the Post-War period and provides an overview of significant developments of the approach within that tradition. It argues that Marxist literary criticism is able to offer powerful and relevant tools for reflecting on the relation between literature and society. For Karl Marx, ideology is thus rooted in human Praxis, the activities of men, which in turn are social. Ideology also constitutes an essential part of the "superstructure"—the legal, political, religious and cultural ideas and preconceptions that provide legitimacy to the ruling class.
