Date: Sun, 2 Oct 1994 00:23:14 -0600 (MDT) From: steven meinking <steven.meinking-AT-m.cc.utah.edu> To: Foucault List <foucault-AT-world.std.com> Subject: RE: Macey Bio I recommended the Macey biography to someone on this list as an excellent secondary source for an introduction to Foucault. Now I have been requested to justify this recommendation. When I make the recommendation for reading Macey it primarily rests on the grounds that knowledge concerning the occurrences of Foucault's life provide very valuable insights into his philosophy. Primarily, the recommendation is made in relation to the Eribon biography, the Miller biography, and other secondary source material that is available. It is rare to find, in any secondary source, the synthesis of Foucault's works, personal relationships and historical caveats that one finds in Macey. I think the provision of a perspective of this sort is vital for someone approaching Foucault on the introductory level. The Eribon biography, while informative and chronologically correct, never explored the depth of Foucault's philosophy and its themes in the erudite manner I applaud Macey for. In Eribon, Foucault is treated in some what of a "great man" mode where we are informed of his actions and the events surrounding his life, but the thoughtful expansion of relations between personal relationships, events and works, like that in Macey, is lacking. Compare the treatment of the _Madness and Civilization_ period (what I consider to be Eribon's best portion of text) between Eribon and Macey to measure the difference between the two bios. Miller's bibliographical problems were elucidated in a previous discussion, and I don't feel like mentioning them here.
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