This Is Not a Pipe: 25th Anniversary Edition (Quantum Books) [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Michel Foucault (Author), James Harkness (Editor), René Magritte (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0520236947 | ISBN-13: 978-0520236943 | Edition: 2

What does it mean to write "This is not a pipe" across a bluntly literal painting of a pipe? René Magritte's famous canvas provides the starting point for a delightful homage by French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault. Much better known for his incisive and mordant explorations of power and social exclusion, Foucault here assumes a more playful stance. By exploring the nuances and ambiguities of Magritte's visual critique of language, he finds the painter less removed than previously thought from the pioneers of modern abstraction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This essay not only proposes a new understanding of Magritte; it also constitutes a perfect illustration and introduction to the thought of the philosopher himself, France's great wizard of paradox."--"New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 2 edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520236947
• ISBN-13: 978-0520236943
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > European

More About the Author

One of the leading intellectuals of the twentieth century and the most prominent thinker in post-war France, Foucault's work influenced disciplines as diverse as history, sociology, philosophy, sociology and literary criticism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quick introduction to Foucault, July 9, 2000

By 

"pierce_inverarity" - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Is Not a Pipe (Art Quantum S.) (Paperback)

No, Foucault is never easy. He sometimes even writes in Foucault-ese. But the intellectual payoffs are well worth it. Seeing him approach a single painting -- which you can look at while reading the book -- is much less taxing than seeing him dissect huge topics such as the history of prisons or the history of sex. Sure, those bigger Foucault tomes carry immense rewards all their own... but for a good, stimulating, and challenging (but not TOO challenging!) introduction to Foucault's philosophy of seeing and of naming, this is a great read.

Perhaps this book is a better choice for philosophy or lit-crit fams than art / art history fans. The "artistic" value of the painting is really of not much importance to Foucault; he is more concerned with its self-referentiality, its use of meaning and names, and so on.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Language is a Prison, December 25, 2000

By 

Seth A. Doolin "Seth A. Doolin, aka Seth Hexx... (Boston MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is Not a Pipe (Art Quantum S.) (Paperback)

I read this in college while studying semiotics and surrealism, yet the message of Foucault should not be relegated to the exotic and extreme "isms" of academia. I found "Pipe" to be a marvelous and playful illustration of the tryanny of language and the Orwellian control of thought which follows. Readers of Postmodern thought, Zen, Marxism, Film Theory, Psychoanlysis, and Modern Art will find moments of illumination throughout.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art theory + semiotics + Foucault = you will like it!, January 4, 2009

By 

Orysya Hachko (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is Not a Pipe: 25th Anniversary Edition (Quantum Books) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed the book. It is art theory, semiotics and Foucault in the same plate. Based on the analysis of Margitte's "This is not a pipe", he argues that modern art became autonomous from the language that lied buried in representational realism. While Klee and Kandinsky used abstraction to destroy syntax of the traditional (XV-XIX c.) visual art, Margitte used literalism to undermine itself.

It is not an easy reading but since you have picked the book (for whatever reason you did so), I believe you will enjoy it. Take your time, don't swallow it all at once, consume the words along with the images in the back of the book and I bet you won't regret it.

My favorite quote: "A day will come when, by means of similitude relayed indefinitely along the length of a series, the image itself, along with the name it bears, will lose its identity. Campbell, Campbell, Campbell, Campbell."