Customer Reviews

Foucault / Blanchot: Maurice Blanchot: The Thought from Outside and Michel Foucault as I Imagine Him

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Any fan of Foucault or Blanchot should greatly appreciate these two short homages. Maurice Blanchot was originaly a literary critic who later wrote fictions, philosophical essays, and unusual hybrids of the two. A contemporary and friend of Levinas, his work has had a huge impact on post WWII literature and continental philosophy. With astonishingly articulate language (as translated by Massumi), Foucault offers both a insightful commentary on Blanchot and an idea of what means to exit in the space of writing fiction. It is difficult to categorize Foucaults writing;perphaps he is best known as a writer who encouraged a modified (archealogical) method of examining history, and using this method prolifically wrote social/cultural/philosophical commentary. Blanchot writes on Foucaults writing with clarity and appreciation. If you are unfamiliar with these authors, this book makes for a good introduction; these writers may change the way you think, and you should read more. If you know these authors then you should definitely sympathize with the homage aspect: it's a great quick read (though you will probably need to read the layered language five times, and again late in life.)