> >With apologies for the utterly trivial nature of the question, but
>anyway:> >does anyone know what Foucault's best-selling book in English
>(apart from
> >the recent selections from Dits et Ecrits) is at the moment? I would've>
> >sworn it was HS1, but I have a friend in psychology who says that
> >Power/Knowledge is the one she sees everywhere.
I reckon it would have to be Discipline and Punish followed by HS1. The
number of times these books appear in footnotes is the basis for my guess
here!! One could also look up Amazon co. and look at the statistics of how
well these respective books are selling through amazon
Sean adds >Most
>people I know prefer D&P and think that it is his best work.
I would have to disagree with this, most influential perhaps, but not
necessarily the best. Maybe they only think it is his best because it is the
only one they have read. I have recently been systematically reading Dits et
Ecrits and there is some absolutely wonderful stuff in that (as well as some
not so good stuff). As for best book - any votes for The History of Madness?
and I have a serious weakness for The Archeology of Knowledge. My current
favourite piece of Foucault's however is the series of lectures he gave in
Brazil in 1973. I am also currently reading 'Two lectures' in the
Power/knowledge collection in English - very nice stuff - A couple of days
ago I read an article 'Medecine et antimedecine' (not translated as far as I
know) which I really liked as well, and... and... :-) My latest theory with
regards to Foucault is that his books are only the icing on the cake of an
enormous amount of empirical research and thought which one can see being
constructed in articles, lectures and interviews. After having read the
latter, the material that appears in Foucault's books becomes far easier to
grasp. -But ploughing through 4 volumes of 800 pages each in French or
several books in English which collect his works in scattered fashion is
something only the most hardened fan would want to do!!!
Clare
Clare O'Farrell
email:c_ofarrell@xxxxxxxxxxx
web page: http://www.qut.edu.au/edu/cpol/foucault/
______________________________________________________
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>anyway:> >does anyone know what Foucault's best-selling book in English
>(apart from
> >the recent selections from Dits et Ecrits) is at the moment? I would've>
> >sworn it was HS1, but I have a friend in psychology who says that
> >Power/Knowledge is the one she sees everywhere.
I reckon it would have to be Discipline and Punish followed by HS1. The
number of times these books appear in footnotes is the basis for my guess
here!! One could also look up Amazon co. and look at the statistics of how
well these respective books are selling through amazon
Sean adds >Most
>people I know prefer D&P and think that it is his best work.
I would have to disagree with this, most influential perhaps, but not
necessarily the best. Maybe they only think it is his best because it is the
only one they have read. I have recently been systematically reading Dits et
Ecrits and there is some absolutely wonderful stuff in that (as well as some
not so good stuff). As for best book - any votes for The History of Madness?
and I have a serious weakness for The Archeology of Knowledge. My current
favourite piece of Foucault's however is the series of lectures he gave in
Brazil in 1973. I am also currently reading 'Two lectures' in the
Power/knowledge collection in English - very nice stuff - A couple of days
ago I read an article 'Medecine et antimedecine' (not translated as far as I
know) which I really liked as well, and... and... :-) My latest theory with
regards to Foucault is that his books are only the icing on the cake of an
enormous amount of empirical research and thought which one can see being
constructed in articles, lectures and interviews. After having read the
latter, the material that appears in Foucault's books becomes far easier to
grasp. -But ploughing through 4 volumes of 800 pages each in French or
several books in English which collect his works in scattered fashion is
something only the most hardened fan would want to do!!!
Clare
Clare O'Farrell
email:c_ofarrell@xxxxxxxxxxx
web page: http://www.qut.edu.au/edu/cpol/foucault/
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com