Customer Reviews

Marx (The Great Philosophers Series)

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For those who wonder why Marxism persists as an inspiration to millions throughout the world despite the collapse of "communism" in the late 1980s, this book will provide a lucid and inspiring answer. Terry Eagleton, the foremost Marxist critic of his generation, takes only 57 pages to explain this extraordinarily complex (and fascinating) subject in lucid, straightforward prose, but he covers the subject with such enthusiasm and precision that this little book is worth any number of large, ponderous tomes on Marxism. This is, quite simply, the best introduction to the subject.

Covering such ideas as surplus value, alienation, commodity fetishism, and other elements of Marx's thought, Eagleton touches only briefly on the subject of dialectics, which he reserves for the reader to investigate on her own. He describes the truth of Marxism and dispels several myths, and by the end of this book, readers should have the preparation necessary for perusing the great man's work themselves.

We live in an era in which capitalism, imperialism, and Fascism are the rules of the game (see the Bush administration), and for those who wonder what other options exist in this world, Eagleton offers a tantalizing and important alternative.

I think this book is that kind of books that seem to be a "little" one, because of his size and price, but when you read it you find a new different conclusion: a great book, for wich you would pay even the double of what you paid it, where there isn't any spare word. Every reflection is full of content. It's a excellent chose for those who want to learn something new about Marx and don't have enough time to read something more extent. This book it's short, clear and interesting.

When buying a chapbook like this, what you want is a nice overview of different aspects of a subject. Mr. Eagleton has done that very well; Marx is not the easiest person to wrap up in <100 pages. Would love to see what this title does with Derrida?