Burroughs / Foucault, a dialogue

GPT-3 imagines a dialogue between Michel Foucault and William.S.Burroughs in the style of a 1930's screwball comedy. Sunday 26th February 2023.

Michel Foucault: Say, William, I've been reading your stuff on language and power. Boy, you sure know how to spin a yarn.

William Burroughs: Aw, shucks, Michel. Language is a virus, you know.

Michel Foucault: (smirking) You don't say. I've been studying the ways in which language is embedded in power structures. The way we talk can shape how we see the world.

William Burroughs: (winking) You're preaching to the choir, Michel. The way language is used in mass media and advertising is enough to make anyone's head spin.

Michel Foucault: (laughing) You're telling me! The mass media is one of the primary mechanisms through which power operates in modern societies.

William Burroughs: (grinning) And that's why we need to develop new forms of language and discourse that challenge those power structures.

Michel Foucault: (nodding) Absolutely. We need to create new viruses to infect the system.

William Burroughs: (slyly) Now you're talking my language.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) And what a language it is, William.

(Both men burst out laughing)

Burroughs and Foucault comedy routine continues, discussing Bergson's theory of time and Delueze's crystal of cinematic time in relation to the impact of Surrealism on 20th century French cinema...

William Burroughs: Say Michel, have you ever read Bergson's work on time?

Michel Foucault: Of course, I have. Bergson's theory of duration and his critique of the spatialization of time were groundbreaking.

William Burroughs: (nodding) That's right. And his ideas on time have had a significant impact on French cinema, particularly through the work of Deleuze and his crystal of cinematic time.

Michel Foucault: Yes, Deleuze's theory of the crystal of time is fascinating. It suggests that time in cinema is not linear, but is made up of multiple layers that are constantly shifting and changing.

William Burroughs: (smiling) It's like a crystal that refracts and reflects light in different directions.

Michel Foucault: (laughing) Exactly! And the influence of Surrealism on French cinema has only served to further challenge our perceptions of time and reality.

William Burroughs: (nodding) Surrealism was all about subverting our expectations and disrupting the status quo. It's no wonder it had such a significant impact on French cinema.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) And it's no wonder that you were drawn to it, William.

William Burroughs: (laughing) You got me there, Michel. Surrealism is like a virus that infects the mind.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) And we wouldn't want it any other way, would we, William?

William Burroughs: (laughing) No, we wouldn't, Michel. We wouldn't.

Burroughs and Foucault continue to yuck it up, rapping about Alfred Jarry, Georges Bataille and Antonin Artaud.

William Burroughs: (grinning) Say, Michel, what do you think of Alfred Jarry's work on pataphysics?

Michel Foucault: (smiling) Oh, I love Jarry's absurdist take on reality. His idea of pataphysics, the science of imaginary solutions, is a perfect reflection of his desire to subvert conventional notions of reality.

William Burroughs: (nodding) And the same could be said for Georges Bataille's work on transgression and excess.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) Absolutely. Bataille's work on the limits of experience and his exploration of the darker aspects of human nature had a profound impact on French thought and culture.

William Burroughs: (nodding) And let's not forget about Antonin Artaud's work on the Theatre of Cruelty.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) Ah yes, Artaud's vision of a theatre that would assault the senses and challenge our perceptions of reality. His work was truly revolutionary.

William Burroughs: (smiling) It's no wonder these guys were all part of the Surrealist movement. They were all about shaking up the status quo.

Michel Foucault: (laughing) That's right, William. And their work had a profound impact on 20th century French thought and culture.

William Burroughs: (grinning) And let's not forget about their impact on our own thinking, Michel.

Michel Foucault: (smiling) Indeed, William. Their ideas continue to inspire us to this day.

Images, NightCafe/Met(a)wurst. Text, GPT-3.