Sally Rooney's Marxism

 

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A discussion between ChatGPT and myself about what we know concerning Sally Rooney's political ideas. I debated a few questions and ideas back and forth, and finally asked the chatbot to write up the dialogue as an essay/blog-post.

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Sally Rooney’s Marxist Worldview: A Modern Critique of Capitalism

Sally Rooney, the celebrated author of “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends”, and now “Intermezzo”, is often described as a Marxist writer. While she doesn’t adhere to a strict political doctrine, her worldview is deeply shaped by Marxist analysis, particularly in her critique of capitalism’s impact on human relationships, social inequality, and cultural life. Through her novels and interviews, Rooney offers a nuanced, modern take on Marxism, one that is intellectually rich but avoids rigid political prescriptions.

Capitalism and the Human Condition

At the core of Rooney’s work is a critique of capitalism’s profound effect on interpersonal relationships. In her Dublin-set novels, characters navigate a world shaped by economic constraints, where class divides and social hierarchies permeate their interactions. Rooney’s portrayal of these dynamics aligns with a Marxist understanding of how capitalism alienates individuals from one another and commodifies human life. Rather than focusing on abstract economic theories, her Marxism is lived, rooted in the everyday struggles of her characters to find meaning and connection in a commodified world.

This approach marks Rooney as part of a tradition of Marxist thought that is more concerned with the cultural and psychological dimensions of capitalism than with strict political-economic analysis. In this way, she echoes the work of the Frankfurt School, a group of mid-20th-century Marxist thinkers who critiqued capitalism’s influence on culture and consciousness.

A Gradualist, Not a Revolutionary

Despite her Marxist leanings, Rooney does not appear to advocate for a Leninist or Bolshevik-style revolution. She rarely discusses violent overthrow or revolutionary parties in her public statements. Instead, her Marxism appears more gradualist and reformist. She is critical of existing power structures but does not suggest an imminent collapse of capitalism or a specific mode of governance to replace it. In some cases she even appears to flirt with a reformed Catholicism as a framework for a meaningful social life.

In interviews, Rooney has described Marxism as more of a framework for understanding the world than a strict political program. This flexible and intellectual approach to Marxism fits with a broader tradition of Western Marxist thought, which emphasizes systemic critique and raising consciousness over revolutionary action. Her work suggests that change may come from a deeper understanding of capitalism’s flaws rather than through immediate, radical upheaval.

Cultural Capitalism and the Frankfurt School

Rooney’s focus on culture and personal life under capitalism closely aligns with Critical Theory as originally developed by the Frankfurt School. Thinkers like Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse were concerned with how capitalist society influences culture, media, and human behavior in ways that reinforce social domination. They argued that capitalism’s control extends beyond economics into the realm of ideology, shaping how individuals perceive the world and their place within it.

Rooney’s novels explore these themes, portraying characters whose desires and relationships are shaped by the broader social and economic forces of capitalism. This approach reflects a Frankfurt School-influenced understanding of capitalism’s subtle, yet pervasive, control over human life. Her critique is not just about economic exploitation but about how capitalist ideology penetrates the most intimate aspects of life, alienating people from themselves and from each other: pervasive meaninglessness always totters at the edges of nihilism.

The Future of Capitalism

While Rooney is deeply critical of capitalism, she does not explicitly predict its immediate downfall or suggest that technological advances like automation will lead to a post-capitalist world. Instead, her focus remains on critiquing the present, analyzing how capitalism affects personal and social life. There is no clear vision of a utopian future in her work - her Marxism is more concerned with the here and now, exposing the contradictions and injustices of the current system.

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Yes, I've read “Intermezzo” now. It's good, smart, perceptive: quite a page turner. Lots of interesting symmetries (partner-age, fraternal personalities). Do middle-class youngish men really say "I love you" with feeling, quite a lot, to their brothers these days in Dublin? The Internet thinks Sally Rooney is INTP - and this is an INTP-ish novel.

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