[Foucault's] name carried a deepening, though esoteric, resonance throughout the early sixties. But it was with "Les Mots et les Choses," published in Paris in 1966 and now published here as "The Order of Things," that Foucault assumed his current eminence.
[An] honest first reading produces an almost intolerable sense of verbosity, arrogance and obscure platitude. Page after page could be the rhetoric of a somewhat weary sybil indulging in free association. Recourse to the French text shows that this is not a matter of awkward translation. The following is a crucial but also entirely representative example:
This is a free excerpt of 96 words. There are 2,341 words (approx.
8 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Foucault, Michel 1926–1984: Critical Essay by George Steiner Access Pass.
