Class conflict, class relations, capitalism, Marxism, industrialism

This thesis aims to study class conflict in the North and South (1854) by Gaskell, Middlemarch (1874) by George Eliot, and The Way We Live Now (1875) by Anthony Trollope. It precisely focuses on the application of Karl Marx’s ideas on class tension and class interests that tend to change because of the change in the contemporary mode of production and economic activities. It shares a deep look into the shaping ideas in the respective works, simmering problems, including constitutional, religious, and political developments that affected class relations and views of “has” and “have-nots”. At the same time, tendencies of the respective writers, their overtly expressed and implied ideas in these works in discussion are analysed. Since Marxist theory relies on economy as the “Base” that serves as a launching pad for any maneuver within the social structure, the thesis intends to look at life from the very lens by analyzing the influence of “money” and “power” over other socio-cultural activities of the period mentioned in these works. The stated aspects will be looked at from the Marxist critics’ perspective. Theoretical Chapter elaborates Marxist ideas with respect to the forthcoming analytical chapters which include detailed discussions on the selected novels. This study includes highlights of religious, political, cultural, and family life, being affected by economic factors.All the three works explored in this thesis were published within a time span of twenty-one years. The three authors’ main concerns are social, economic and political issues of the times, and their common themes such as class conflict, materialism, and rising capitalism not only give a solid view of the age but also revitalize history. It is seen that the flourishing of thevnovel genre in the nineteenth century coincides with that of industrialism. Consequently, the powerful economic boom which subordinated human labor, moral values, and ethics, gave birth to new class formations. Finally, in the concluding chapter, it has been proved that class struggle, and its relative impacts, manipulating power of capital and so forth are parts of these major works of the time.