Critic speak is tough, but we've got you covered.
Quote :Studies in European Realism (1948)
Marxism searches for the material roots of each phenomenon, regards them in their historical connections and movement, ascertains the laws of such movement and demonstrates their development from root to flower, and in so doing lifts every phenomenon out of a merely emotional, irrational, mystic fog and brings it to the bright light of understanding.
Here Lukács shows what Marxism hates: fog. And what it loves: roots and flowers. Think sun-loving mountain goat.
Okay, let's translate. Lukács is trying to show that Marxism is historical. It's all a question of origins: where did things start, how did things happen, and what caused it all? The Marxist answer is always material: money, technology, location (usually the city), and so on.
Lukács thinks this answer—that the basis of everything that ever happens is material—is more scientific than other explanations. Shakespeare was an inspired genius, you say? He was great because he created psychologically complex characters in existentially complex situations? Whatever, says Lukács: Shakespeare's plays are about class relations, and they were written for money.