Mario Puga--
For the most informed biographical discussion of Foucault's interest
in De Sade and sadomasochism, I'd look at David Macey's biography, _The
Lives of Michel Foucault_.
About the "self." A short answer would be to review his later stuff
on the techniques of the self. There the basic idea is that selfhood can
be shaped. We could take an experimental and creative attitude toward
defining who we are, rather than a scientific or theological attitude....
--E. Heroux