People have often debated where the divide between man and nature begins (or even if there is one). The French landscape of the late 1600s was going through changes that would not only bring that question into further scrutiny, but also reflect the shifting cultural and social dynamics of France. In her book, Impossible Engineering: Technology and Territoriality on the Canal du Midi, Chandra Mukerji details a blow by blow iteration of what France, and specifically one French person (Pierre-Paul Riquet), went through on the campaign to bring the Canal du Midi into reality. Certainly, there were many practical and economical benefits for linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. However, Mukerji examines the many social and cultural nuances of accomplishing such a feat. The symbolism of the Canal du Midi was an attractive motivator for the French Monarchy to support its construction, expensive as it was. Though it officially represented Louis XIV, to many it “seem[ed] evidence of God’s work,” and a show of humans conquering the natural world (page 2). In fact, it was this kind of thinking
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This depiction was another way for France to assert itself as the “rightful center of a new European empire,” (page 60). The canal’s advanced hydraulic engineering had deep Roman roots and was inspired by classical imagery (page 11). Engineers and the state alike were careful to ensure a plethora of classical symbolism was present in all ongoing engineering projects. But the vision of “New Rome” did not only apply to hydraulics and engineering, but many other schools of thought describing the relationship between man and nature. These references to Roman outlooks are present not only in Evelyn’s works, but with other pieces of the time as
This depiction was another way for France to assert itself as the “rightful center of a new European empire,” (page 60). The canal’s advanced hydraulic engineering had deep Roman roots and was inspired by classical imagery (page 11). Engineers and the state alike were careful to ensure a plethora of classical symbolism was present in all ongoing engineering projects. But the vision of “New Rome” did not only apply to hydraulics and engineering, but many other schools of thought describing the relationship between man and nature. These references to Roman outlooks are present not only in Evelyn’s works, but with other pieces of the time as