Easier than some of his earlier stuff, but still a bit difficult at times. Definitely a deep and meaningful historical meditation though on human historical roots of philosophy, sex, self, love, marriage and pleasure.

I would prefer to think that dreams about screwing my mother are not a sign of good fortune around the bend. But then again, I'm not living in Ancient Greek, which means I have internalized the incest taboo passed down by Christian Dogmas for centuries. Whew! I thought I was weird for having those dreams! Turns out I may have a great harvest this season! Yippee!

He sure places a great emphasis on pederasty and its influence on the conjugal relationship but he places too much emphasis upon it when conjugal straight relationships were the norm because they were natural, not because of some external factor. He projects his values through his summation of Roman - Greco pederasty. Truly a sick, demented man that had the ability to write eloquently.

Really interesting writeup of the pre / proto Christian turn in styles of sexuality throughout roman civ.

While in the second volume of The History of Sexuality Foucault's historical work in parts seemed a bit uninspired to me, here he is again delivering a well constructed argument and concise analysis of a wide range of texts. Like in the previous volumes, he is concerned with the historical construction of the concept of sexuality, especially in relation to what he calls "techniques of the self" and an "art of existence." Especially interesting in the third volume is his discourse on individualism, which he sees clearly differentiated from the knowledge and "care" of the self. A very thorough, nuanced, and interesting historical read.

Both Parts 2 and 3 lack the importance of History of Sexuality Part 1 because of their failure to thoroughly consider Roman and Greek sexuality as separate and the failure to consider female sexuality. History of Sexuality Part 1, though, is one of the important books I have ever read and complete pervades how I conceive of sex, power, and discourse.

El amor a los muchachos, di. Foucault inventando el BL.

—

"Como si Aquiles en llanto no hubiese evocado los muslos de Patroclo...".

Insieme ai testi di Hadot, lettura fondamentale per recuperare quella filosofia che può curare i mali dell'animo.

This last volume in the three part series is quite different from the first two. Foucault writes very clearly and makes detailed references. This is perhaps because the complicated epistemological and methodological issues are already developed and discussed in the first two volumes and Foucault is freer to apply his framework. It reads more like a straightforward historical work rather than the more ground-breaking philosophy of Vol. 1 and 2. However, we can see certain unique aspects of Foucault's methodological apparatus at work in Vol. 3 that we see less of in Vol. 1 and 2. I think that the notion of discursive "rarefaction" (meaning "to thin, or reduce density") is more clearly displayed in Vol. 3 than anywhere else. In Vol. 2 discourse on sexuality is diverse in the number of potential relationships that a free man can legitimately partake in. The only regulative principle is that of moderation in quantity rather an attempt at prescribing proper kinds of sexual conduct (with one notable exception). Given the discursive silence on sexual relationships between free Greeks and slaves, servants, unmarried women, men, etc, one can assume that these were not considered worthy of much moral reflection and conduct that took place within them relatively unregulated. This changes in the era that Foucault studies in Vol. 3.

The choice of Artemidorus' manual on the interpretation of dreams as the first chapter in Vol. 3 is puzzling as it seems tangential to the rest of the book. However, there is a method to his madness. Artemidorus' manual is the first example we have an objective and external reference point beyond human control that prescribes and regulates the propriety of sexual relationship and forms of sexual conduct. In other words, it is a precursor to a form of "positivity" with regard to sexuality that we see later in the text when conformity to nature becomes the standard by which sexual conduct is judged legitimate or not. This comes to a final point at the end of the book when the monogamous marriage between a man and a woman enters discourse as the ideal context for sexual activity and ultimately prevails over others in the West (further elaboration of this theme would have ensued had Foucault lived to write a 4th volume). In the middle of the book, Foucault describes how the development of medical perception influenced discourse on sexuality and elevated temporary abstinence as a healthy restriction on a potentially dangerous activity. Sexual behaviour is increasingly influenced by scientific knowledge and restricted according more objective and universal standards. This is the rarefaction of sexuality, the thinning of legitimate forms of sexuality that Vol. 3 is primarily discussing.

It is good to consider entire three volumes in context along with Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. The purpose of discourse for the ancient Greeks is to achieve self-mastery and code of conduct that would allow one to rule over others. In modernity, the institutions of power achieve such a fine-grained discipline of the subject that the active adoption of a moral code for self-mastery was no longer even necessary. Discursive rarefaction was sustained by the punishment of deviancy. This is why, in Vol. 1, the proliferation of discourses in certain sites (like psychoanalysis) during the Victorian Era became a key inflection point that held the potential for a less austere sexuality.

The disturbingly proud tone amidst some sexist narration (a warning: not to the feminists' liking), and the uncannily sarcastic mocking towards Christianity, both employed by Foucault in the series, has balanced out my reading experience into a rather tolerable one. In any case, looking forward to volume 4, finally to be published next month.

tym razem w starożytnym Rzymie, o kształtowaniu się norm dotyczących powściągliwości w seksie i wierności małżeńskiej.

I learned quite a bit from this one.
Much better than Volume 2, for sure.
I'm not feeling like writing a review.
SO I'm not going to.