The Twelfth Canto moves closer to modern times and certainly well away from Renaissance Italy. The focus is on finance (insurance, securities, speculation), specifically some speculation by a Manhattan firm in Cuba.

In one sense, this is enjoyable to read. Pound compares finance to more honest labor. But knowing what we know about Pound, this enjoyment is outweighed by a deep and nagging discomfort, knowing as we do that Pound’s bias against banking and finance was driven by a terrible and unforgivable commitment to anti-Semitism.