Lucien Goldman on socialist literature

“The epochs during which the dominant classes are stable, epochs in which the workers' movement must defend itself against a powerful adversary which is occasionally threatening and is in every case solidly seated in power, produces naturally a socialist literature which emphasizes the 'material' element of reality, the obstacles to be overcome, and the scant efficacy of human awareness and action." Lucien Goldman, The Human Sciences and Philosophy (London, 1969), pp. 80-81.