Self-Writing and Correspondence

In Foucault’s piece “Self-Writing,” he explores the importance and the mental and emotional significance of journaling, writing, and the physical act of writing and how it relates to expression and reflection. In his chapter “Correspondence,” he discusses letters, in particular, Seneca’s letters and also personal writing and notebooks. Foucault describes letters, and the act of both writing and reading those letters is a type of training. Foucault also describes this sort of “soul service” that occurs in this process, and writes of this giving and receiving act of writing and giving opinions, comforting words, and exhortations that later are resent back to the writer.