Village in the Vaucluse, Third Edition [Paperback]

Laurence William Wylie (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A moving, funny, acid and unforgettable scrutiny of the French seen up close.
--Nan Robertson (New York Times )

A first-rate book. It is a sociological study--written, however, with grace and humor. (New Yorker )

Both because of the range and soundness of its description of the culture of the village, and also because of the vividness and insight with which its people are portrayed, the book is a substantial addition to the literature on European rural communities.
--Ernestine Friedl (American Anthropology )

A superlatively well-organized and well-and-entertainingly written work that probably will be something of a classic in anthropological analysis. (Publishers Weekly )

A sociological study of life in provincial France, but vividly detailed, full of charming characters and funny anecdotes, and with prose as humane as the author's photographs.
--Robert Eisner (Washington Post )

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; 3 edition (January 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674939360
• ISBN-13: 978-0674939363
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #734,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truely refreshing, October 24, 1999

By 

grant taylor ([e-mail]) (Pittsburgh PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Village in the Vaucluse, Third Edition (Paperback)

Laurence Wiley,a former professor of sociology at Harvard,wrote this wonderful little book in the 1950's. This charming examination of life in the town of Rousillon(which he calls Peyrane to protect it's privacy)captures the the character of French life in the postwar recovery period.As a reader you will be transported back in time to a simpler life among the hill towns of Provence.Laurence gives us the facts about the history of the town,and from where the people came (surprisingly it was a transient population).He tells us about how they are brought up,educated,their adolescent times,their whole lives.There are many delightful personalities in this book-you will enjoy it.I just hope someone will use it for a movie one day.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest look at rural Provence in the mid-20th century, January 5, 2001

By 

Steven "A reader from California" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Village in the Vaucluse, Third Edition (Paperback)

For those interested in a thoughtful, genuine look at day-to-day life in rural France in the post-World War II 1950's era, this is a delightful book. It is the story and reflections of a noted Harvard sociologist whose family spent a year in the small village of Rousillon in Provence (in the book, he gives it another name to protect the locals' privacy), observing and commenting on village life. It is not a glib, quick laugh -- rather the lively reflection of a thoughtful participant and talented writer. It may be an eye opener to realize just how rural life was not all that long ago in this part of France. There are delightful pictures as well, with scenes that can be recognized by the modern visitor to Rousillon. The end of the book includes the author's reflections on subsequent visits in later years.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sociology as it should be written - and lived..., September 15, 2008

By 

John P. Jones III (Albuquerque, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Village in the Vaucluse, Third Edition (Paperback)

Laurence Wylie took his wife, and two small children to live in the small Provencal village of Roussillon (which he calls Peyrane) in 1950. It was a world so far removed from the modern romantic perception of Provence as an idyll. It was a world slowly trying to shake off the defeat of the Second World War, which had so closely followed the awful bleeding of the First. Psychologically, many of the citizens were still defeated; they refused to plant fruit trees, which would take 5-6 years to yield a crop, fearing they would be destroyed in the interim by Russia and the United States who would use their country as a battleground in the Third. It was still a time of poverty and want, and the peasants would shoot sparrows for food.

Wylie includes only one statistical chart in the entire book- three "snap shots" of the town's population, by age group, over a hundred year period. In that period, 1851 to 1946, the population declined by almost 50%. There were numerous contributing factors: the rise of industrialization, improved transportation, silkworm diseases, phylloxera, which destroyed the vineyards, decline in the use of ochre in paint and, of course, the First World War. Each had a significant impact on village life that an outsider tends to view as "static."

There is a scene in the movie "Dr. Zhivago" in which the Field Commander Strinlikov asked Zhivago why he traveled with his wife and children - was it to reduce suspicion on him, who might be engaged in "counter revolutionary" activities? Likewise, the presence of Wylie's family was significant in overcoming the prejudice and suspicion of even the most doctrinaire communists - of no small importance in this strongly anti-clerical region. By becoming part of village life, he was able to complete a most effective sociological portrait, covering the major aspects of life, in a charmingly anecdotal manner. First, he locates the village in time and space (I've wondered why he insisted on the "ruse" of naming Roussillon Peyrane when he identifies it so clearly anyhow, including a map! of the town). Then in following chapters he discusses the phases of a human's life, starting in infancy through schooling, adolescences, marriage, setting up a household, making a living, and concluding with old age. He also focuses on communal activities in "getting along with others," the community's relationship with the outside world, the life of the café, community celebrations and organizations.

Even with his very best intentions, Wylie is still of the American culture. That is pointedly brought home in an anecdote about the meter reader. First Wylie describes how very little electricity they use - and how low they keep the heat - only to have the meter reader chuckle, shake his head, and proclaim that only the school and the café used more electricity. When I rented a gite in nearby Cabannes in 1989 I thought I was the ultimate conserver of electricity; the gite's owner read the meter, and went "oye"... yes, it was a case of the Americans who "gaspiller" - waste - a topical subject now that gas is at $4 a gal in the USA, and China and India see no reason why they cannot have a Western living standard.

In the epilogue section Wylie discusses his return visits to "Peyrane" after ten and twenty-five year periods. Conditions in the village improved far beyond the wildest hopes of the inhabitants of 1950. Perhaps the most stunning revelation to Wylie was realizing that Samuel Beckett had lived quietly in the village as a refuge during the Second World War. During his two years of residence there, no one had told him - it was only when he returned to the USA, and was reading "Waiting for Godot" and there was a passage about Bonnelly's farm in Roussillon... Later, he was able to confirm this with the residents. Supposedly Beckett was inspired to write the play as he waited for a ride on the N-100, to travel the 3 km up to the village. I too have been visiting Roussillon, frequently, over an almost 20 year period, and have seen the village transformed into a chic holiday destination - they even have installed railings along the top of the ochre cliffs!

For the first time visitor, or the "recidivist," this is the first book I would recommend for a thorough reading, for the much deeper insights it will give of the life of Provence.