La Brière

La Brière (translated as Passion and Peat) is a 1923 novel by Alphonse de Chateaubriant that won the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française for that year.

The novel is set in the rustic fenland landscape west of Nantes, known as Brière, in which the traditional occupation of peat-cutting is becoming increasingly unsustainable as the peat runs out. The independence of the local population is threatened by outsiders, who have plans for modernisation.

Synopsis

Aoustin, a rough peat-cutter and "ranger" employed to protect the traditional rights of the people of Brière, comes into conflict with his wife and daughter. Having returned home to the ile de Fédrun after a long trip, he discovers that his wife, Nathalie, has sold the family linen to fund their estranged son who lives in Nantes. The domineering Aoustin had cursed his son for marrying a Nantes girl, rather than a local Brièronne. His daughter Théotiste now also wants to marry a lad from outside the region, from a despised village of basket weavers, who are traditionally looked down upon by the independent-minded fenlanders. Aoustin utterly refuses to give her hand in marriage to the youth, Jeanin. He leaves his wife and daughter, moving into his childhood cottage, rejoicing in his independence and the traditional ways of fenland life.

Brière

Brière (Breton: Ar Briwer) is the marsh area to the north of the Loire estuary in France at its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The residents of Brière are called Brièrons. The Brière marsh area includes a vast area of humid zones stretching from the Gulf of Morbihan and the estuary of the Vilaine to the north, to the salt marshes of Guérande to the west to the estuary of the Loire River and the Lac de Grand-Lieu in the south. Peat used to be harvested here.

The Brière territory extends over 490 km² (190 sq mi), including 170 km² (66 sq mi) of humid zone, at the heart of which lies the Grande Brière Mottière which encompasses 70 km² (27 sq mi) and 21 communes.

It is rich in flora and fauna, and navigation is possible with boats called chalands.

Cottages are a common sight in the area, with around 3000 thatched roof cottages dotted throughout the area.

Alphonse de Chateaubriant's prize-winning novel La Brière (translated as Passion and Peat), 1923, is set in the area and describes its traditions and culture.