The History of Sexuality: The Care of the Self, Vol. 3
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The Care of the Self is the third and possibly final volume of Michel Foucault's widely acclaimed examination of "the experience of sexuality in Western society." Foucault takes us into the first two centuries of our own era, into the Golden Age of Rome, to reveal a subtle but decisive break from the classical Greek vision of sexual pleasure. He skillfully explores the whole corpus of moral reflection among philosophers (Plutarch, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca) and physicians of the era, and uncovers an increasing mistrust of pleasure and growing anxiety over sexual activity and its consequences. Library Journal In this absorbing study, Foucault discusses the attitudes toward sexuality prevalent in Hellenistic Greece and Rome. Classical Greece's view of sex as a means of obtaining individual pleasure faced increasing challenge in Hellenistic times. The love of boys now assumed more muted tones, often finding itself at odds with the highly valued ideals of marital fidelity and virginity. The Stoic approach, as Foucault demonstrates in a nuanced discussion, both resembled and differed from the asceticism of Christianity. This volume, perhaps the last that will appear of the author's posthumous History of Sexuality ( LJ 10/15/78; 12/1/85) manifests Foucault's powerful analytic ability. Though at times it draws very broad conclusions from the discussion of relatively few texts, it is still highly recommended. David Gordon, Social Philosophy & Policy Ctr., Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
Translator's AcknowledgmentsviiPart 1Dreaming of One's Pleasures1Chapter 1The Method of Artemidorus4Chapter 2The Analysis17Chapter 3Dream and Act26Part 2The Cultivation of the Self37Part 3Self and Others69Chapter 1The Marital Role72Chapter 2The Political Game81Part 4The Body97Chapter 1Galen105Chapter 2Are They Good? Are They Bad?112Chapter 3The Regimen of Pleasures124Chapter 4The Work of the Soul133Part 5The Wife145Chapter 1The Marriage Tie150Chapter 2The Question of Monopoly165Chapter 3The Pleasures of Marriage176Part 6Boys187Chapter 1Plutarch193Chapter 2Pseudo-Lucian211Chapter 3A New Erotics228Conclusion233Notes241Bibliography257Index267
