La défense de l’identité provençaie dans I’oeuvre de Frédéric Mistral (<i>premieré partie</i>)

The Provençaie poet Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) is remembered for his attempt at revitalizing the Provençal language. He was one of the main founders of the literary academy named Félibrige, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904. Although his poetical works have been extensively studied, the political inspiration which pervades a great part of his writings has not so far received the attention it deserves. This article shows how profoundly Mistral was influenced by the ideal of independence and liberty which was a distinctive feature of the European XIXth century, and how his patriotic enthusiasm is reflected in his poetry