Not at all. As I remember, both Clare O'Farrell and I have remarked on the
problems of the Essential Works before.
Clare talked of:-
the excellent collection _Dits
et Ecrits_... What a time saver these volumes are especially when I
think of all the effort I went to originally, tracking down Foucault's
pieces in the early 80s!! BTW, I think it is a great pity that the whole 4
volumes are not being translated in their sequential entirety as opposed to
just bits and pieces of them - bits and pieces which mostly seem to have
already appeared elsewhere in English.
And when I was talking of Foucault's lecture courses I said:-
I know of no plans for English translations, but given the mess they have
made over translating Dits et Ecrits - which is truly appalling - I wouldn't
hold your breath
I also wrote a review of the first volume, when I never actually finished.
Here are some bits from it:-
?With the publication of Michel Foucault?s Dits et écrits in 1994, we are in
a new position to begin to assess the significance of his work?. Arnold
Davidson?s words, found at the beginning of his useful introduction to the
collection Foucault and his Interlocutors, outline the situation into which
both of these works fall. Dits et écrits ?the French edition of the shorter
works ? runs to four volumes, has over 3,000 pages, and contains 364 pieces.
Such is the scope of these volumes that Foucault?s work has to be
reinterpreted in their wake, just as the publication of the Gesamtausgabe of
Heidegger has provided many new insights in recent years.
The Essential Works is billed as the English translation of these volumes,
but its title betrays from the outset its more limited scope. While the
French is a chronological collection, the arrangement of the English version
is thematic: this first volume is entitled Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth,
the following two volumes look at sciences, and power relations. A split by
Foucault?s dictum? The credentials for the English edition could scarce be
bettered, it is edited by Paul Rabinow ? co-author of one of the most
respected secondary works on Foucault, and editor of The Foucault Reader ?
and translated predominantly by Robert Hurley, who is responsible for the
English version of The History of Sexuality.
This first volume begins with Foucault?s course summaries from the Collège
de France, published annually from 1971, and originally collected in Resumé
des Cours. These texts are invaluable in understanding Foucault?s work after
The Archaeology of Knowledge, as we see that his published works were
situated in a much larger field of research questions. Some of the early
courses greatly enhance the work of Discipline and Punish, courses from the
mid 1970s look at issues of bio-politics, policing and governmentality ? an
area in which Foucault never published the promised book on, and the last
courses help to fill in some of the gaps in The History of Sexuality series.
The publication of the entire courses ? already begun in unauthorised
Italian versions ? will further transform our understanding of Foucault.
The second half of this volume deals with ethics proper. Of these texts most
are interviews, clarifying points in more formal works, or providing
interesting biographical material. Two, however, are especially interesting
in that they are drafts of sections from the second and fourth volumes of
The History of Sexuality. As is well known, the second and third volumes
were revised many times before publication, the fourth, Les Aveux de la
Chair, is extant but unpublished. These texts therefore provide a valuable
insight into modified or abandoned projects.
The major problem with this first volume is that the majority of the 27
texts collected here have already been published in English, 13 in a major
collection such as Foucault Live, Politics, Philosophy, Culture or The
Foucault Reader. Only eight have never before appeared in English. This is
part due to the fact that the later Foucault is already well translated, but
it is to be hoped that the other volumes will have a greater deal of
untranslated material and do not merely ? as could easily be the case for
the volume on power relations ? reprint already well known articles. Rabinow
suggests that the editorial policy was to eliminate ?overlapping or
repetition of different versions of similar materials?. It remains to be
seen how sensible a decision this is. One of the delights of Dits et écrits,
as those familiar with, for example, Foucault?s numerous interviews on power
will know, is that his continual recasting and reformulation of similar
material affords valuable insights. This is an edition designed for Foucault
?s many readers, not a proper critical edition.
Readers of Foucault will know how important his repeated use of certain key
words is. The translator?s note here suggests various words that cause
problems ? épistémè, savoir and connaissance, and assujettissement ? and
makes sensible suggestions as to how they should be rendered. On occasion
notes are appended to make clear certain points; sometimes words are
inserted in square brackets. These are certainly useful, but could have been
used more often. It can tend to make the text somewhat ugly, but is
invaluable in removing confusion. There are a few instances where a note
would have cleared up a potential misunderstanding ? such as the translation
of archive by ?record?. Foucault?s understanding of archaeology as the study
of the archive makes this an important slip. Strangely, on this same page
there is the omission of an entire paragraph of the course summary ?The
Punitive Society?. This paragraph is missing from Dits et écrits also, but
is found complete in Resumé des Cours: it is one of the central paragraphs
in the piece, and clarifies much of the project of Discipline and Punish.
So, you're not alone!
Best wishes
Stuart
(By the way, Dits et ecrits is not without its problems either, but overall
it's exceptionally useful).
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Robert Douglas <Ian_Robert_Douglas@xxxxxxxxx>
To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, September 02, 1998 05:56
Subject: minor question
>am I alone in thinking that the translations of Foucault in the volumes of
>_Essential Works_ are really at times awful?
> I'd be interested in anyone else's impressions ..
>
>_____________________________________
>Ian Robert Douglas,
>Watson Institute of International Studies,
>Brown University, Box 1831,
>130 Hope Street,
>Providence, RI 02912
>
>tel: 401 863-2420
>fax: 401 863-2192
>
>"The world does not grow better by force
> or by the policeman's club."
> - William Jay Gaynor
> 94th Mayor of NYC
>
>
>
problems of the Essential Works before.
Clare talked of:-
the excellent collection _Dits
et Ecrits_... What a time saver these volumes are especially when I
think of all the effort I went to originally, tracking down Foucault's
pieces in the early 80s!! BTW, I think it is a great pity that the whole 4
volumes are not being translated in their sequential entirety as opposed to
just bits and pieces of them - bits and pieces which mostly seem to have
already appeared elsewhere in English.
And when I was talking of Foucault's lecture courses I said:-
I know of no plans for English translations, but given the mess they have
made over translating Dits et Ecrits - which is truly appalling - I wouldn't
hold your breath
I also wrote a review of the first volume, when I never actually finished.
Here are some bits from it:-
?With the publication of Michel Foucault?s Dits et écrits in 1994, we are in
a new position to begin to assess the significance of his work?. Arnold
Davidson?s words, found at the beginning of his useful introduction to the
collection Foucault and his Interlocutors, outline the situation into which
both of these works fall. Dits et écrits ?the French edition of the shorter
works ? runs to four volumes, has over 3,000 pages, and contains 364 pieces.
Such is the scope of these volumes that Foucault?s work has to be
reinterpreted in their wake, just as the publication of the Gesamtausgabe of
Heidegger has provided many new insights in recent years.
The Essential Works is billed as the English translation of these volumes,
but its title betrays from the outset its more limited scope. While the
French is a chronological collection, the arrangement of the English version
is thematic: this first volume is entitled Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth,
the following two volumes look at sciences, and power relations. A split by
Foucault?s dictum? The credentials for the English edition could scarce be
bettered, it is edited by Paul Rabinow ? co-author of one of the most
respected secondary works on Foucault, and editor of The Foucault Reader ?
and translated predominantly by Robert Hurley, who is responsible for the
English version of The History of Sexuality.
This first volume begins with Foucault?s course summaries from the Collège
de France, published annually from 1971, and originally collected in Resumé
des Cours. These texts are invaluable in understanding Foucault?s work after
The Archaeology of Knowledge, as we see that his published works were
situated in a much larger field of research questions. Some of the early
courses greatly enhance the work of Discipline and Punish, courses from the
mid 1970s look at issues of bio-politics, policing and governmentality ? an
area in which Foucault never published the promised book on, and the last
courses help to fill in some of the gaps in The History of Sexuality series.
The publication of the entire courses ? already begun in unauthorised
Italian versions ? will further transform our understanding of Foucault.
The second half of this volume deals with ethics proper. Of these texts most
are interviews, clarifying points in more formal works, or providing
interesting biographical material. Two, however, are especially interesting
in that they are drafts of sections from the second and fourth volumes of
The History of Sexuality. As is well known, the second and third volumes
were revised many times before publication, the fourth, Les Aveux de la
Chair, is extant but unpublished. These texts therefore provide a valuable
insight into modified or abandoned projects.
The major problem with this first volume is that the majority of the 27
texts collected here have already been published in English, 13 in a major
collection such as Foucault Live, Politics, Philosophy, Culture or The
Foucault Reader. Only eight have never before appeared in English. This is
part due to the fact that the later Foucault is already well translated, but
it is to be hoped that the other volumes will have a greater deal of
untranslated material and do not merely ? as could easily be the case for
the volume on power relations ? reprint already well known articles. Rabinow
suggests that the editorial policy was to eliminate ?overlapping or
repetition of different versions of similar materials?. It remains to be
seen how sensible a decision this is. One of the delights of Dits et écrits,
as those familiar with, for example, Foucault?s numerous interviews on power
will know, is that his continual recasting and reformulation of similar
material affords valuable insights. This is an edition designed for Foucault
?s many readers, not a proper critical edition.
Readers of Foucault will know how important his repeated use of certain key
words is. The translator?s note here suggests various words that cause
problems ? épistémè, savoir and connaissance, and assujettissement ? and
makes sensible suggestions as to how they should be rendered. On occasion
notes are appended to make clear certain points; sometimes words are
inserted in square brackets. These are certainly useful, but could have been
used more often. It can tend to make the text somewhat ugly, but is
invaluable in removing confusion. There are a few instances where a note
would have cleared up a potential misunderstanding ? such as the translation
of archive by ?record?. Foucault?s understanding of archaeology as the study
of the archive makes this an important slip. Strangely, on this same page
there is the omission of an entire paragraph of the course summary ?The
Punitive Society?. This paragraph is missing from Dits et écrits also, but
is found complete in Resumé des Cours: it is one of the central paragraphs
in the piece, and clarifies much of the project of Discipline and Punish.
So, you're not alone!
Best wishes
Stuart
(By the way, Dits et ecrits is not without its problems either, but overall
it's exceptionally useful).
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Robert Douglas <Ian_Robert_Douglas@xxxxxxxxx>
To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, September 02, 1998 05:56
Subject: minor question
>am I alone in thinking that the translations of Foucault in the volumes of
>_Essential Works_ are really at times awful?
> I'd be interested in anyone else's impressions ..
>
>_____________________________________
>Ian Robert Douglas,
>Watson Institute of International Studies,
>Brown University, Box 1831,
>130 Hope Street,
>Providence, RI 02912
>
>tel: 401 863-2420
>fax: 401 863-2192
>
>"The world does not grow better by force
> or by the policeman's club."
> - William Jay Gaynor
> 94th Mayor of NYC
>
>
>