Abstract Kenneth Burke's important 1934 essay ““My Approach to Communism”” is often read as ““a commitment to Communism”” celebrating the movement. A typescript (recently discovered in the Kenneth Burke Papers) of a speech given by Burke in January, 1934 invites a reconsideration of ““My Approach.”” The speech, delivered to the New York John Reed Club, is concerned with finding a solution to America's contemporary economic and social derangements and is more committed to this search and the desired effects of social change than any specific political system or party. Resituating ““My Approach to Communism”” as a revised and abridged version of this speech encourages a re-reading of the essay as an extended critique of capitalism and an argument for social conditions that foster cultural stability for art's sake.
