Tropes of History: Epic, Farce and Romance in Marx's Philosophy of History

Abstract

What is the relationship between the philosophy of history and literature, and how does this influence our understanding of actual historical events? Are narrative structures imposed post facto on historical events in the stories we relate, or are narrative structures part of the very structure of our experience of history? Adopting the hypothesis that historical events only become intelligible when placed within narrative structures, the article sets out to demonstrate the importance of such narrative structures as epic, farce and romance in Marx's philosophy of history.
The central claim of the article is that Marx's philosophy of history presupposes a tripartite narrative structure in terms of which historical events in the modern age are represented in three different stages: initially in terms of farce, that is as the inglorious power struggles of the bourgeoisie; then in terms of epic, a heroic struggle in which the proletariat gradually asserts itself; and finally in terms of romance, where the utopian society free from all conflict is founded. A further contention is that Marx's third stage is through and through teleological and eschatological, providing as it does a sense of history's end. It is this third stage, moreover, which is at one and the same time both the linchpin which reconciles farce and epic and the most dubious feature of Marx's philosophy of history.

Opsomming
Wat is die verhouding tussen die geskiedenisfilosofie en literatuur, en hoe be'invloed hierdie verhouding ons kennis van werklike historiese gebeurtenisse? Word verhaalstruk­ture post facto op historiese gebeure ge'imponeer in die stories wat ons vertel, of is verhaalstrukture deel van die struktuur van ons geskiedenisbelewing self? Deur die hipotese van dat historiese gebeurtenisse slegs verstaanbaar word binne die konteks van verhaalstrukture aan te neem, poog die artikel om die belang van sulke verhaalstrukture soos epos, klug en romanse in Marx se geskiedenisfilosofie aan te toon.
Die sentrale tese van die artikel is dat Marx se geskiedenisfilosofie 'n driedelige verhaalstruktuur veronderstel in terme waarvan historiese gebeurtenisse in die moderne tyd voorgestel kan word in drie verskillende stadia: eerstens in terme van klugspel, dit wil se as die eerlose magstryde van die bourgeoisie; dan in terme van die epos, 'n herorese stryd waarin die proletariaat homself laat geld, en laastens in terme van romanse wanneer die utopiese konflikvrye samelewing tot stand gebring word. 'n Verdere tese is dat Marx se derde stadium deur en deur teleologies en eskatologies is, omdat daarin die einde van die geskiedenis projekteer word. Hierdie derde stadium is nie net die kapstok wat klugspel en epos verenig nie, maar ook die mees twyfelagtige aspek van Marx se geskiedenisfilosofie.