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The History of Sexuality: 2

The History of Sexuality: 2

The Use of Pleasure

Summary

'No brief survey can do justice to the richness, complexity and detail of Foucault's discussion' New York Review of Books

The second volume of Michel Foucault's pioneering analysis of the changing nature of desire explores how sexuality was perceived in classical Greek culture.

From the stranger byways of Greek medicine (with its advice on the healthiest season for sex, as well as exercise and diet) to the role of women, The Use of Pleasure is full of extraordinary insights into the differences - and the continuities - between the Ancient, Christian and Modern worlds, showing how sex became a moral issue in the west.

'Required reading for those who cling to stereotyped ideas about our difference from the Greeks in terms of pagan license versus Christian austerity' Los Angeles Times Book Review

Reviews

  • No brief survey can do justice to the richness, complexity, and detail of Foucault's discussion ... subtle and penetrating
    New York Review of Books

About the author

Michel Foucault

Michel Foucalt (1926-1984) was one of the leading intellectuals of the twentieth century and the most prominent thinker in postwar France. Foucault's work influenced disciplines as diverse as history, sociology, philosophy, sociology and literary criticism.
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