1. Literature and History (3): Michel Foucault: His Views on History & New Historicism

2. Q & A (Discourse  Power and Subjectivity) What do you know about Foucault so far? (Discourse  history) What does it mean to say that Foucault “ historicize discourse ” and “ textualize history ” (textbook: 116) Why is history not ‘ linear ’ for Foucault?

3. Foucault: traditional historicism vs. Archaelogy Traditional Historicism – the ‘ past ’ as a unified entity, with coherent development and organized by fixed categories such as ‘ author, ’ ‘ spirit, ’ ‘ period ’ and ‘ nation. ’ History as Archive: intersections of multiple discourses, with gaps and discontinuity, like book stacks in a library.  archeology: a painstaking rediscovery of struggles

4. Foucault: “ historicize discourse ” Every sentiment is in a certain discourse, and thus historically conditioned. Textbook 117 effective history: 1. knowledge as perspective, with slant and limitations; 2. working ‘ without constants; 3. Working not to discover ‘ ourselves, ’ but to introduce discontinuity in histories as well as in us.

5. Thick Description To “ sort out the structures [discourses] of signification ” Cultures, people and texts, all as ‘ ensemble of texts. ’ (121)

6. Context as Con-texts Traditional view Work: symbols, Characters, Allegory, etc. World

7. Context as Con-texts N-H view A Literary Text Episteme