Abstract：At the mature stage， Marx thought deeply about the relationship between productive labor and non-productive labor. This paper discusses Marx’s thinking from three aspects： the relationship between productive labor and capital in general， literature and art as productive labor and as non-productive labor， and the artistic production after emergence of artistic production. By reading the texts of Marx’s economic manuscripts from 1857 to 1858， it can be found that Marx did not conclude whether literature and art are “productive labor” or “non-productive labor”. It shows that he has left a flexible theoretical space in dealing with the special relationship between literature， art and capital. The present artistic production has changed greatly compared to the time when Marx lived. In the new historical context， the relationship between “productive labor” and “non-productive labor” should be re-examined and analyzed carefully， so that literature and art could be repositioned well in social relations， which is significant for the development of the contemporary cultural industry.
2019, Vol. 58 
