Employing textual and narrative analysis developed within postmodernism, Carver carefully examines Marx's language — and the language around Marx — to arrive at a reassessment that is free from the restraints of past dogma. He addresses ways in which texts are read, how hermeneutics and deconstruction have altered our reading of them, and trends toward viewing Marx not simply as a revolutionary or an economist but as a political thinker whose insights are relevant to current debates over free markets and mixed economies.

Carver first leads readers through a new, detailed examination of Capital. He then explores Marx's relationship with the socialism of his contemporaries, critiques translations of Marx, examines works written with Engels, considers Marx's relationship to Hegel, and applies Marx's thought and show that there is more to Marx than we might ever hope to discover. It is a lucid and provocative work that liberates Marx's ideas for what they can contribute to a fresh evaluation of our present political milieu.