Dear Alice,
For my money, the best place to start is with 'on the Order of
the Discourse'. This is normally (yet improperly) translated as The
Discourse on Language. The essay is found as an appendix in 'The
Archeology of Knowledge. It was Foucault's inaugural lecture for his
induction into the College de France. The piece clearly sets out
Foucault's attitude toward the state of scholarship and inquiry. It was
given in 1970.
As an interesting side bar, I was told that the lecture so upset
the status quo types in the audience that the place errupted immediately
after the lecture was done. The language he uses is clear and I've found
that it profoundly affected the way I read him. I wish that I had started
with this piece.
Good luck,
Thomas Hart
Memorial University of Newfoundland
thart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------
For my money, the best place to start is with 'on the Order of
the Discourse'. This is normally (yet improperly) translated as The
Discourse on Language. The essay is found as an appendix in 'The
Archeology of Knowledge. It was Foucault's inaugural lecture for his
induction into the College de France. The piece clearly sets out
Foucault's attitude toward the state of scholarship and inquiry. It was
given in 1970.
As an interesting side bar, I was told that the lecture so upset
the status quo types in the audience that the place errupted immediately
after the lecture was done. The language he uses is clear and I've found
that it profoundly affected the way I read him. I wish that I had started
with this piece.
Good luck,
Thomas Hart
Memorial University of Newfoundland
thart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------