Abstract:
The front cover of the 1979 Penguin paperback edition of Michel Foucault's
renowned book Discipline and Punish' displays Vincent Van Gogh's painting
'La Ronde de Prisonniers'. On the cover can be seen 15 men - prisoners walking
in a circular route in what appears to be a prison yard. Surrounded
by a brick wall that extends to the top of the picture, the arms of these
inmates hang aimlessly by their sides, or rest in their pockets. Their mouths
are turned down, their shoulders slumped, and their eyes hollow. In the
stillness of the picture one can see a circular motion as they walk around
this prison yard, just as they did yesterday and will do tomorrow. This is the
'ronde' - the regular course - that they follow with no thoughts to propel
them. No one is strolling, but everyone is moving. Not visible on the Penguin
cover, but very clear in the original work; is that there is actually a circle
of prisoners, apparently going around, and around and around the brick
wall-cloistered yard. There are too, just to the right of them, three rather
indistinguishable looking men, all wearing brimmed hats, sternly looking on.
