od ied ▁in ▁the ▁whole ▁person . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 4 1 , ▁the ▁German ▁theatre ▁critic ▁Heinrich ▁The odor ▁R öt scher ▁explicitly ▁defined ▁a ▁" character ▁mask " ▁as ▁a ▁the atr ical ▁role , ▁acted ▁out ▁in ▁such ▁a ▁way ▁that ▁it ▁express es ▁all ▁aspects ▁of ▁the ▁assumed ▁person ality , ▁his / her ▁social ▁station ▁and ▁background ; ▁successfully ▁done , ▁the ▁audience ▁would ▁be ▁able ▁to ▁recognize ▁this ▁person ality ▁on ▁first ▁impression . ▁ ▁Theatre ▁and ▁drama ▁The ▁shift ▁in ▁Marx ' s ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁concept , ▁from ▁dram atur gy ▁and ▁philosophy ▁to ▁political ▁and ▁economic ▁actors , ▁was ▁probably ▁influenced ▁by ▁his ▁well - known ▁appreci ation ▁of ▁drama ▁and ▁literature . ▁C ertain ly , ▁European ▁writers ▁and ▁think ers ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁and ▁ 1 8 th ▁centuries ▁( the ▁era ▁of ▁the ▁En light en ment ) ▁were ▁very ▁pre occup ied ▁with ▁human ▁character ▁and ▁character ology , ▁many ▁different ▁typ ologies ▁being ▁proposed ; ▁human ▁character ▁was ▁increasing ly ▁being ▁defined ▁in ▁a ▁sec ular ▁way , ▁independent ▁of ▁virt ues ▁and ▁v ices ▁defined ▁by ▁religion . ▁ ▁P ole m ics ▁The ▁first ▁known ▁reference ▁by ▁Marx ▁to ▁character ▁mask s ▁in ▁a ▁publication ▁appears ▁in ▁an ▁ 1 8 4 6 ▁circular ▁which ▁Marx ▁draft ed ▁as ▁an ▁ex ile ▁in ▁Br uss els . ▁It ▁occurs ▁again ▁in ▁his ▁po lem ic ▁against ▁Karl ▁Hein zen ▁in ▁ 1