I agree with just about everything Glen has said. Context. So the context of
F's work was the time he lived in and the context of his own life.
Therefore; if F. (who was concerned about ethics and the care of the self
esp. towards the end of his own life) led a scandalous life then how does
that play out in own work? I was not suggesting that his work be reduced to
such facts, but that if F. was passive masochist, then how would the rules
of enunciation of that behaviour be available to readers of his work? Was F.
for instance a woman hater? A charge that critics have already brought
forth... I think the resistance to examing any of these ideas in F. is a
very (surprisinly) unFoucauldian strategy by the way. If the sentences which
I wrote were unintelligble I do apologize. Having said that one can only
state that reading F. is also an exercise in learning and gain. Reading
between the lines is a level art. I find his work passionate, engaging, and
very neglectful of women.
Regards,
C.Driscoll
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