This interview with Prof．Barbara Foley covers a wide range of critical approaches and new challenges in the fields of Marxist theory,Marxist literary criticism,and Marxist pedagogy．Prof．Foley holds that Marxism provides a meta-theory,a privileged standpoint from which to study the connections between literature,politics and history．After examining fundamental principles of Marxism－－historical materialism,political economy,and ideology critique－－Foley analyzes long-standing debates over the nature of literature and sets forth key concerns of Marxist literary criticism．This interview also examines a broad range of literary works－－from classical to contemporary,conservative to revolutionary－－that displays Marxism's continuing value in explaining the multiple mediations between abstract social forces and their expression in literary form．Her new book,Marxist Literary Criticism Today is pedagogical in orientation,directed at twenty-first-century readers interested in linking emergent texts,genres,and cultural debates with traditional principles of materialist inquiry．