The Communist Manifesto is one of those cultural icons that is often talked about but seldom read. I read it for a class on literary theory and criticism, as an introduction to Marxist criticism. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I am happy to report that this is one political work that is easy, even enjoyable, to read. Based on the idea that changes in social structure follow changes in the methods of material production, Marx argues that wage-labor in factories and other low-skill jobs has turned the wage-laborer into just another material owned and used by the upper-class to produce and sell goods. His focus on personal growth and fulfillment in work might be surprising to those whose only conception of Marxist thought is the popular notion of communism. The work of Marx and Engels is important to the cultural landscape since their works were written, and because of this I think that every educated person interested in politics, social activism, or literary criticism should read something of theirs. The Communist Manifesto, being short and easy to read, is an obvious choice.

Rating: Recommended, if only because it's so important to modern thought.

Wow, I don't know anything at all about this stuff. I realized as I read the intro that I only have the vaguest idea about any of the following:

- Communism
- Capitalism - oh, that dude Adam Smith, like, invented it! I get it now!
- The Industrial Revolution - other than something about factories
- The Russian Revolution - that thing happened way after Marx!

One of the irritating things about learning is that it reminds you how much you don't know.

Music to listen to while you read the Communist Manifesto: Rage Against the Machine is a little obvious, but sortof fun when you get to this quote: "They are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine." I liked London Calling by the Clash; my favorite was White Lines by Grandmaster Flash. ( )