Pollan's Style of Writing

After reading The Botany of Desire, I believe Michael Pollan is historian. I believe Pollan to be a historian because he tells these fascinating stories about these plants, and the role they played in human history. For example, he tells the story of how the British did not accept the potato, but the Irish were quite willing. Pollan states, “The debate was kicked off by the potato’s advocates, who argued that introducing a second staple would be a boon to England, a way to feed the poor when bread was dear and keep wages- which tended to track the price of bread- from rising,” (Pollan, 202). This is quote was taken half way into his story about the potato history. He also talks of history with the tulip, telling how people would spend ridiculous amounts of money in the hopes of getting a tulip. Michael Pollan states, “One crucial element of the beauty of the tulip that intoxicated the Dutch, the Turks, the French and the English has been lost to us. To them the tulip was a magic flower because it was prone to spontaneous and brilliant eruptions of color,” (Pollan, 87). This quote shows how many people held the tulip at high standards. Also, Pollan has a sense of humor when he talks about nature. During this tulip worshipping, he calls it “tulipomania”. Words such as this one make his writing sort of cenacle. He realizes the ridiculousness of these people’s actions, and makes it apparent in his writing. While he respects nature, he is not ridiculous or extreme in anyway. His writings are enjoyable to read.