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From: David Shumway <shumway@xxxxxxx>
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Date: Fri, 08 May 2009 09:33:00 -0400
The English translation is DISCIPLINE AND PUNISH, not "punishment."
Both terms are verbs, but not infinitives as are those in the French
title. There is no exact equivalent to "Surveiller" in English; it does
not mean surveillance in the usual sense of that word in English.
Moreover a title that used the exact cognates, "To survey and to
punish," would neither be clear nor catchy. Thus the choice of present
tense verbs, for which again, "survey" does not work. Finally, one could
argue that the English title actually better reflects the focus of the
book because "discipline" is a more important concept there than is
surveillance.
David
Tamir Sorek wrote:
Hello,
Does anyone can help me to solve the following puzzle: Why did Michel
Foucault ask to translate the title of his book "Surveiller Et Punir" to
"Discipline and Punishment" in English, instead of "Surveillance and
Punishment"? Did he think that his French title was misunderstood?
Thank you in advance for your help,
Tamir Sorek
--
David R. Shumway
Professor of English, and Literary and Cultural Studies
Director, the Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon
Department of English
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-268-7176
412-268-7989 (fax)