Transcribing the Sexual Fable

A Dialogue between 'Indiscreet Jewels' and the 'Will to Knowledge'

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the intersection of the importance of sexual discourse between Foucault's The Will to Knowledge and Diderot's The Indiscreet Jewels. While Foucault's work proposes the genealogical method to investigate the apparatus of sexuality, aiming to subvert historical knowledge and empower it to resist the impositions of dominant theoretical discourses, Diderot approaches sexuality provocatively, criticizing both religion and scientific power-knowledge. By pointing to the Diderot’s fable as an allegory of his genealogical method, Foucault demonstrates that both works explore the interplay between power, knowledge, and sexuality, revealing the complexities and contradictions present in narratives about sex in their respective time, just as a possible dialogue between both social analyses.