Language, Madness, and Desire: On Literature

Michel Foucault's relationship with literature is explored in this book, which includes previously unpublished transcripts of oral presentations where he discusses themes such as madness, language, and criticism. Foucault examines the connections between madness and language, as well as madness and silence, in two 1963 radio broadcasts. He also discusses Joyce, Proust, Chateaubriand, Racine, and Corneille, as well as the linguist Roman Jakobson, in his lectures on the relations among language, the literary work, and literature. Foucault argues that literature begins with the Marquis de Sade and that his writing, particularly La Nouvelle Justine and Juliette, is important to his thought and intellectual development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 07 December 2021
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Michel Foucault, a visionary thinker of the 20th century, whose work encompassed all fields of the humanities, had a complex and profound relationship with literature. However, this critical aspect of his thought, largely expressed in speeches and interviews, remains largely unknown to even his most devoted readers. This book presents previously unpublished transcripts of oral presentations in which Foucault delves extensively into literature and its connections to his central themes: madness, language, and criticism, as well as truth and desire.

In two 1963 radio broadcasts, presented here, Foucault explores the intricate connections between madness and language, as well as madness and silence. He traverses a range of literary examples, from Cervantes and Shakespeare to Diderot, before delving into questions about Artaud's literary correspondence, lettres de cachet, and the materiality of language. In his lectures on the relations among language, literary work, and literature, Foucault discusses Joyce, Proust, Chateaubriand, Racine, and Corneille, as well as the linguist Roman Jakobson.

According to Foucault, what we recognize as literature originated with the Marquis de Sade, whose writing, particularly La Nouvelle Justine and Juliette, received a comprehensive two-part lecture series dedicated to notions of literary self-consciousness. This current volume, following his meditations on history in the recently published Speech Begins after Death, underscores the significance of literature to Foucault's thought and intellectual development.

Weight: 206g
Dimension: 127 x 204 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517912772