Review by Choice Review
Foucault could be an innovative thinker, but he was also often obscure and contradictory. Shumway deserves considerable credit for presenting the ideas of Foucault in a brief and lucid work. Foucault has attracted considerable attention in the US from literary scholars who have been drawn to the richness and utility of post-structuralist theory. Historians have not read Foucault as thoroughly, and this may be a misfortune. Foucault broke new ground in his studies of madness, imprisonment and social discipline, and finally, in a work that death cut short, sexuality. In dealing with these matters, Foucault argued with great force that European thought underwent two dramatic shifts, first from the Renaissance to the Classical Age (roughly from 1650 to 1800), and second from the Classical Age to the 19th and 20th centuries. Stated differently, Foucault invited his readers to consider how the whole idea of rationality has undergone breathtaking redefinition in modern history. Shumway presents these matters with vigor and clarity. College, university, and public libraries. -S. Bailey, Knox College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
