Reading Social Reality through Fiction: A Take on Dystopian Literature that Critiques and Constructs Marxist Theories

Social theories have a key function of criticizing social conditions or political systems. While raising these questions, theories also warn us against the potential negative consequences of utopian thought. Interestingly, one may observe that dystopian works of fiction serve the aforementioned key functions of theories as well. Speaking of Social theory, few can claim to have left an impact on it as deep-rooted and widespread as Karl Marx. Further, Socialism and communism, concepts that carved out strands in intelligentsia and also changed the histories of nations, are without doubt credited to Marx. These are also ideas that are often accused of being utopian. This essay shall aim to place literary fiction in the equation with social reality and theory by looking at how fictive narratives critique and construct Marxist theory. The observations have been made by taking the broader themes of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Ayn Rand’s Anthem, and Franz Kafka’s The Trial, which are important 20th century novels addressing Marxist theory. The reading of aforementioned novels shall be done while keeping in mind Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto and German Ideology. Bertolt Brecht’s work too, has been considered for the current essay.