{"product_id":"the-mistral-a-windswept-history-of-modern-france-9780226827544","title":"The Mistral: A Windswept History of Modern France","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn in-depth look at the hidden power of the mistral wind and its effect on modern French history.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatherine Tatiana Dunlop\u003c\/b\u003e is an associate professor of modern European history at Montana State University, Bozeman. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eCartophilia\u003c\/i\u003e, published by the University of Chicago Press, and serves as an associate editor for the journal \u003ci\u003eEnvironmental History\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50919411384594,"sku":"9780226827544","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b750fd29-2e44-4f54-b8f9-7cc224cf82d0.jpg?v=1738893317","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mistral-a-windswept-history-of-modern-france-9780226827544","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}