De′raison

摘要

MMichel Foucault’s famous book on madness first appeared in 1961 as Folie et De′raison. When it was reissued in 1972, ‘De′raison’ had dropped from the title, but it remained dense in the text, often capitalized or italicized. No two texts, abridgements, or translations of the madness book are identical with respect to the word. It is translated as ‘unreason’, but what does it mean?Howdid Foucault use it?Whydid he come to downplay it? The relationships between de′raison and painting and writing are explored. It is noted that the idea of ‘archaeology of knowledge’ is introduced in connection with a discussion of folie and de′raison as displayed in Racine’s Andromaque.