This volume investigates how the transition from Fordist industrialism to financialized capitalism fundamentally reshapes the language and consciousness of those living within the American economic system. Richard Godden, a scholar of American literature and culture, utilizes a framework that bridges economic history and linguistic analysis. He argues that the contradictions inherent in the rise and eventual decline of US Fordism are not merely reflected in, but are actively registered by, the specific vocabularies and narrative structures of the era. By examining these linguistic shifts, the author maps the failure of industrial imperatives to sustain the social and economic order of the late twentieth century.

Scholars in the fields of American studies and political economy frequently note the dense, theoretical nature of Godden's prose. Experts highlight this work as a significant contribution to understanding how economic shifts permeate the cultural and linguistic fabric of society.