The History of Sexuality: 2: The Use of Pleasure

The second volume of Foucault’s pioneering analysis of sexuality and power relations, now reissued in Penguin Modern Classics

The second volume of Michel Foucault’s pioneering analysis of the changing nature of desire explores how sexuality was perceived in classical Greek culture. From the stranger byways of Greek medicine (with its advice on the healthiest season for sex, as well as exercise and diet) to the role of women, The Use of Pleasure is full of extraordinary insights into the differences - and the continuities - between the Ancient, Christian and Modern worlds, showing how sex became a moral issue in the west.