The Mistral: A Windswept History of Modern France (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780226827544)

An in-depth look at the hidden power of the mistral wind and its effect on modern French history.

Every year, the chilly mistral wind blows through the Rh?ne valley of southern France, across the Camargue wetlands, and into the Mediterranean Sea. Most forceful when winter turns to spring, the wind knocks over trees, sweeps trains off their tracks, and destroys crops. Yet the mistral turns the sky clear and blue, as it often appears in depictions of Provence. The legendary wind is central to the area's regional identity and has inspired artists and writers near and far for centuries.

This force of nature is the focus of Catherine Dunlop's The Mistral, a wonderfully written examination of the power of the mistral wind, and in particular, the ways it challenged central tenets of nineteenth-century European society: order, mastery, and predictability. As Dunlop shows, while the modernizing state sought liberation from environmental realities through scientific advances, land modification, and other technological solutions, the wind blew on, literally crushing attempts at control, and becoming increasingly integral to regional feelings of place and community.


Author: Catherine Tatiana Dunlop
ISBN-10: 0226827542
ISBN-13: 9780226827544
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Language: English
Published: 10/14/2024
Pages: 192
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs