Aug 12 2007
One Down and Many to Go
Finally done with Foucault’s Discipline and Punish. I don’t think I can take on another heavyweight this summer. Maybe some contemporary stuff before school starts.
I thought I had the whole book figured out until I hit the last chapter (Prison). The slew of concepts like delinquency vs. illegality–all in pretty plain terms but are given vastly different interpretations–are pretty overwhelming. There, M.F. veers off a methodical and articulate style that marked the earlier chapters, and becomes somewhat rhetorical and self-indulging (IMHO).
After I put down the book, trying to think of a theme for a review, I got so tired and almost fell in sleep in the bathtub. The challenges are:
1. I don’t know which dialogue (metaphorically speaking) this book is written for
2. I can’t identify a central “why” question of the book (related to 1)
3. I have read too many interpretations prior to reading the original text
I am not sure this is a giant’s shoulder I am able to stand on or just look up to …
That is indeed a heavy read, and quite dark at times. When I read it a few years ago, I recall struggling with the same questions you list. I found his discussion of the panopticon interesting, though.
Careful with falling asleep in the bathtub!