Re: Bad Writing?

Colin

Many thanks for the reference, which I have left along with the text in
English at the bottom of this post. Here is the sentence in French from
p. 182 (1969, Paris: Gallimard)

L'archeologie ne cherche pas a retrouver la transition continue et
insensible qui relie, en pente douce, les discours a ce qui les precede,
les entoure ou les suit. Elle ne guette pas le moment ou, a partir de ce
qu'ils n'etaient pas encore, ils sont devenus ce qu'ils sont; ni non
plus le moment ou denouant la solidite de leur figure ils vont perdre
peu a peu leur identite.

My translation:

Archaeology does not try to rediscover the continuous and imperceptible
transition which seamlessly links discourses to those that went before,
surround or follow them. It does not wait for the moment when discourses
became what they are, going from what they were not yet, neither for the
moment when they little by little lose their identity as the solidity of
their form dissolves.

I'm not entirely sure whether this makes anything clearer, but I think
it sounds a lot better (not that I'm biased)!!! It is however clearly a
critique of methods in the history of ideas. Quibbles anyone???

The quote comes from pg. 139 of 'Archaeology', Routlege edition,
>Part IV, Chapter 1, 5th page.
>
> "Archaeology does not seek to rediscover the continuous,
insensible
> transition that relates discourses, on a gentle slope, to what
precedes
> them, surrounds them, or follows them. It does not await the
>moment when, on the basis of what they were not yet, they
became
>what they are;
> nor the moment when, the solidity of their figure crumbling
away, they
> will gradually lose their identity." (Foucault, 1972, p139)

Clare

Clare O'Farrell
email:c_ofarrell@xxxxxxxxxxx
web page: http://www.qut.edu.au/edu/cpol/foucault/




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