Which criticism analyzes social and political power structures, especially the exploitation of workers, in literary works?

Which criticism analyzes social and political power structures, especially the exploitation of workers, in literary works?

• A. Philosophical Criticism
• B. Marxist Criticism
• C. Appositive
• D. Sturm und Drang

Answer: (B)

Marxist criticism analyzes how literature reveals and questions the power structures that come from economics, class, and the relations of production. It asks who holds wealth and control, how workers are treated, and how ideology helps maintain or challenge those arrangements. When a text portrays factories, labor conditions, or the tensions between owners and workers, a Marxist reading foregrounds questions of exploitation, class conflict, and the ways economic systems shape human relationships and values. That focus on social and political power linked to economic arrangement makes it the best fit for the prompt. Philosophical criticism, by contrast, centers on ideas, ethics, and their impact on literature rather than on how power is organized in society. Appositive is a grammar term describing a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun, not a method of literary analysis. Sturm und Drang is a historical movement known for its emphasis on emotion and individual subjectivity, not systemic critique of power structures.

Marxist criticism analyzes how literature reveals and questions the power structures that come from economics, class, and the relations of production. It asks who holds wealth and control, how workers are treated, and how ideology helps maintain or challenge those arrangements. When a text portrays factories, labor conditions, or the tensions between owners and workers, a Marxist reading foregrounds questions of exploitation, class conflict, and the ways economic systems shape human relationships and values. That focus on social and political power linked to economic arrangement makes it the best fit for the prompt.

Philosophical criticism, by contrast, centers on ideas, ethics, and their impact on literature rather than on how power is organized in society. Appositive is a grammar term describing a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun, not a method of literary analysis. Sturm und Drang is a historical movement known for its emphasis on emotion and individual subjectivity, not systemic critique of power structures.