Marxist Concerns in Anita Desai’s ‘The Village by the Sea’

Abstract

Marxist critical theory views the superstructure as a reflection of the socio-economic conditions of a society. Literature as a manifestation of the superstructure is a tool either to perpetuate the hegemonic structure or to subvert the repressive ideologies which keep socio-cultural status quo intact. The foundation of the current research comes from the theoretical concepts of Marxist critical theory which primarily deals with the class struggle and resultant oppression of the proletariat at the hands of the bourgeoisie. An attempt has been made as to how and in what ways does the novel A Village by the Sea by Anita Desai reflect the socio-economic conditions and the resultant class war, poverty and exploitation of the working class in the backdrop of the novel. The study describes Marxism in brief and analyses Marxist elements in the selected fiction. Basic tenets of Marxist critical theory form a theoretical framework for this research. The study reveals class war and struggle of the proletariat against the onslaught of capitalistic industrialization.