Marxism vs. Liberal Humanism

In terms of literary criticism, liberal humanism can be defined as the idea that we read literature to learn is deeper message and truths about human nature. Rather than look at the deep historic or economic, social, and political circumstances defined by culture that Marxist criticism looks at, liberal humanism looks toward the attitude of literature itself. Liberal humanists believe that a text must be detached from its context and studied in isolation in order to fully understand the deep meaning that an author intends. Marxism is based on a set of information that cannot be changed or read into. Readers don’t have the opportunity to explore the plethora of ideas that others may have when analyzing a similar text.

I would have to say that I myself would fall under the jurisdiction of liberal humanism more so than Marxist criticism. Although much can be said about the factual information in a text, such as the economic or class situations and how they vary by culture, I feel as though readers are limited by the facts that a text presents. On the contrary, when analyzing a text for deep meanings and further theorizing about human nature, readers are able to let their minds explore endless options of ideas. This also allows readers to research further and discover what other theorists have to say about the text or in reference to the text.