If Marxist views can be applied to literary criticism, then it is inev

Question

If Marxist views can be applied to literary criticism, then it is inevitable that prevailing schools of thought will be overthrown. Historically this has indeed been the case. Classicism gave way to Formalism and also Structuralism, Feminism, and Marxism—contemporary trends in literary criticism that sought to debunk the tenets of previous and competing theories. Of the myriad movements in literary criticism, however, there is one, known as Reader-Response criticism, so convincing that it cannot be overthrown. Its scope is so far-reaching and its assumptions so sound that it should be accepted as the umbrella under which all literary criticism is viewed. In short, all literary criticism is a form of Reader-Response. This truth becomes evident when one considers the irrefutable fact that all criticism requires the response of a reader. Furthermore, some aspect of Reader-Response theory has been present in all major theoretical movements in the field of literary criticism.

Plato, whose work marks the genesis of literary criticism, examined the effect of poetry. That he saw poetical effect as dangerous does not compromise the fact that he acknowledged the importance of the response a text elicits from its recipients. Plato is not the only theorist in the Classical tradition to emphasize the importance of the reader's response. Aristotle states that the goal of tragedy is to produce the proper effect on the audience. His work has also been viewed as a Formalist approach because it shows great attention to the text. Nevertheless, to Aristotle, great tragedy must elicit a specific response.

Even the Formalists with their emphasis on the objectivity of the text must acknowledge that any reading of text must be reliant on preconceived notions about the meaning of and interplay between words; such notions are the product of a reader's education and experience. Latter schools of thought provide other examples of the pervasiveness of Reader-Response theory. Feminist and Marxist criticism lay great importance on the differences among various readers, either those of gender in the former school or those of socioeconomic status in the latter.    1  
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with

A. contrasting various methods of literary criticism
B. defending an underrated critical method
C. explaining the roots of a controversial theory
D. arguing in favor of one view of a specific school of thought
E. questioning the permanence of a literary movement

2  
 2. The author suggests that Marxist views are

A. too outdated to apply to modern literary criticism
B. useful in evaluating other schools of thought
C. another example of Reader-Response criticism
D. similar in most respects to the views of the Formalists
E. in direct conflict with Feminist criticism
  3  
 3. The passage states all of the following about Plato EXCEPT:

A. He believed that poetry was dangerous.
B. He believed that tragedy's purpose is to affect the audience.
C. He emphasized the effect of a text on the audience.
D. He is considered the first literary critic.
E. He is considered part of the Classical tradition.

4  
 4. The passage provides information to answer each of the following questions EXCEPT:

A. What are the basic tenets of Reader-Response criticism?
B. Which school of thought pays great attention to the text?
C. What is an aspect of Feminist criticism?
D. What are some contemporary trends in literary criticism?
E. How can Aristotle’s ideas be viewed?

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 298 Date: 28 Aug-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

amolgaykhe07 · Answer

For the first question on this page - https://gmatclub.com/forum/if-marxist-v ... 17636.html Could you please elaborate why D is the correct answer and not B ?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

The purpose as noted in the passage map—to argue that Reader-Response criticism is an overarching school of thought that encompasses all other theories of literary criticism—is a good prediction.  (D)  matches the prediction and is correct. While  (D)  is phrased in more general terms, the  "specific school of thought"  is Reader-Response criticism, and the  "one view"  is that Reader-Response encompasses all other theories of literary criticism.

(B)  is a distortion of information in the passage and is incorrect. The author thinks that Reader-Response is the best theory and that this theory will eventually prevail, but never says that the theory is underrated.

cyrwr1 · Answer

can you provide OE for #2 and #4?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The author suggests that Marxist views are

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

The keywords "the author suggests" identify this as an Inference question. The correct answer will be supported by the passage, but it may have to be "assembled" from different parts of the passage or paraphrased.

Research

The context clue  "Marxist view"  is found at the beginning and the end of the passage. Review those two locations and inventory the information found there.

Make a prediction

The beginning of the passage identifies Marxism as both a school of literary criticism that predicts the demise of prevailing schools of thought and one of those schools that supplanted Classicism. The end of the passage discusses Marxism as a school of literary criticism consistent with Reader-Response theory that considers the socioeconomic status differences among readers an important factor. Find the choice that matches one or more of these ideas.

Evaluate the answer choices

(C)  matches the prediction from the latter section of the passage and is correct.

(A)  is not mentioned in the passage and is incorrect. The author does not criticize Marxism but mentions it first as a school of thought that has eclipsed former schools and then as an example of Reader-Response.

(B)  is distortion of information in the passage and is incorrect. Marxism is not used to evaluate other theories. It is only used to introduce the idea that theories often overthrow other theories.

(D)  is extreme and is incorrect. According to the author, Marxism and Formalism are similar in that they are both Reader-Response theories and replaced Classicism, but it is extreme to say they are alike in most respects.
 
 (E)  is a distortion of information in the passage and is incorrect. The author compares, rather than contrasts, Feminist and Marxist criticism in the last paragraph. There is no mention of conflicts between these two schools of literary criticism.

TAKEAWAY:  While it can be difficult to predict the answer to an Inference question precisely, always have an idea of what the correct answer might contain based on the information in the passage.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. The passage provides information to answer each of the following questions EXCEPT:

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

The keywords  "the passage provides"  identify this as a Detail question. EXCEPT means the four incorrect choices will be found in the passage. The one correct answer will not be in the passage.

Research

The questions posed could be found in any part of the passage, so review the passage map, especially the author's purpose.

Make a prediction

While a specific prediction is difficult, keep the main idea in mind—Reader-Response literary criticism encompasses all other types—and research the choices against the passage as needed. Eliminate any choice that is supported by the passage.

Evaluate the answer choices

(A)  is never mentioned in the passage and is correct. While the entire passage is arguing for the validity of Reader-Response criticism, and the name of the theory explains that this criticism relies on the response of a reader, the author doesn't explain its basic tenets.

(B)  is answered by the fifth sentence in paragraph 2. Eliminate.

(C)  is answered by the last two sentences in the passage. The author describes two aspects of Feminist criticism: it relies on the gender of the reader and is a form of Reader-Response criticism. Eliminate.

(D)  is answered by the second sentence in paragraph 1. Some examples are Structuralism, Feminism, and Marxism. Eliminate.

(E)  is answered in paragraph 2, which states that Aristotle’s ideas can be viewed in light of Classicism, Formalism, and Reader-Response. Eliminate.

TAKEAWAY:  Never skip making a prediction. Even if the question does not provide a clue as to the location of the correct answer, review the passage map for the main ideas and keep the author's purpose in mind.

Answer: A

Sahil237 · Answer

That he saw poetical effect as dangerous does not compromise the fact that he acknowledged the importance of the response a text elicits from its recipients. please explain this line

mkeshri185 · Answer

Structuralism, Feminism, and Marxism—contemporary trends in literary criticism that sought to debunk the tenets of previous and competing theories.

It is said directly here that Marxism(along with others) sought to debunk the previous theories. Then why can't be B the correct answer? If we are discarding something then we can't discard on the fly that ohh this looks bad so discard it. We need to evaluate it first and that's what B says

egmat · Answer

mkeshri185  you're right that "debunking" does require some form of examination.

However, there's a crucial difference here. The passage states that Marxism "sought to debunk the tenets of previous and competing theories" - but  debunking  (overthrowing, disproving) is not the same as  evaluating for usefulness .

Evaluating for usefulness  = Assessing the value or merit of something 
  Debunking  = Attempting to prove something wrong or discredit it

The passage describes Marxism as attempting to  overthrow  previous theories, not as being a useful  tool for evaluating  them.

What the Author Actually Suggests

More importantly, the question asks what the author  SUGGESTS  about Marxist views, not just what is stated as historical fact.

The author's main argument throughout the passage is that  ALL literary criticism - including Marxism - is actually a form of Reader-Response criticism .

Look at paragraph  3 : "Feminist and Marxist criticism lay great importance on the differences among various readers...those of socioeconomic status in the latter."

Here, the author demonstrates that Marxism considers how readers of different socioeconomic backgrounds respond to texts. This shows that Marxism exemplifies Reader-Response criticism → Answer  (C) .

Answer (B) misses the author's main argument entirely. The author isn't suggesting Marxism is useful for evaluating other schools - the author is arguing that Marxism itself  is  a form of Reader-Response criticism.

Does that clarify your doubt?

If Marxist views can be applied to literary criticism, then it is inev

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

If Marxist views can be applied to literary criticism, then it is inev

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