From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordAnathème denotes a curse or someone devoted to condemnation.
- In the novelGamelin’s farewell in chapter XXV gives him the identity of an accursed benefactor.
- In this edition“I have made myself anathema” preserves the reflexive construction and its unsettling self-consecration.
- A place to readun sacrifice inutile: a useless sacrifice.
Meaning
Related words and phrases.
Anathème denotes a curse or someone devoted to condemnation. Sacrifice can be the surrender of something valued or the offering of a victim; immoler gives the latter action a strongly sacrificial colouring. These words must be distinguished by their agents and objects: a person who sacrifices his own honour is not, in the same act, entitled to sacrifice another person’s life.
Use in the book
Gamelin’s farewell in chapter XXV gives him the identity of an accursed benefactor. He claims to have sacrificed life and honour to his country, then says he has made himself anathema for it. He accepts future disgrace without admitting the wrongness of the acts that produce that disgrace. The apparently self-accusing language is thus compatible with his explicit declaration that he reproaches himself with nothing and would do the same again.
His exchange with the child turns this identity outward. He presents his own cruelty as the condition of the child’s future goodness and happiness. The child instead runs terrified to his mother, whom Gamelin then imagines possibly sending to the guillotine. The distinction between an imagined universal beneficiary and an actual frightened person tests the claim of sacrifice more severely than an abstract argument would.
The chapter also gives Élodie a tone of sacrifice when she insists on keeping him. Her bodily attachment is neither a policy statement nor simply the same renunciation as his. The final maenad-like movement and the plea to be sent to the guillotine entangle desire with the violence he embodies. Earlier, Julie’s sacrifice to Renaudin is called useless. The shared noun therefore covers unequal positions: the juror’s chosen self-image, a lover’s resolve, and a vulnerable petitioner’s exploitation.
Places to read
- Chapter XXI, paragraph 26Frenchun sacrifice inutile: a useless sacrifice. Julie recognises that Renaudin’s sexual exploitation has not bought help for Chassagne.
- Chapter XXV, paragraph 20Frenchle sacrifice de ma vie et de mon honneur: the sacrifice of life and honour. Gamelin announces the price he claims to have paid for his country.
- Chapter XXV, paragraph 23FrenchJe me suis fait anathème pour la patrie: I have made myself anathema for my country. The speaker casts anticipated condemnation as a sacrificial vocation.
- Chapter XXV, paragraph 23FrenchJe ne me reproche rien: I reproach myself with nothing. This denial of guilt governs the following language of curse.
- Chapter XXV, paragraph 27Frenchl’accent du sacrifice: the tone of sacrifice. Narration describes Élodie’s promise, noticed by both lovers.
- Chapter XXV, paragraph 31FrenchJe suis cruel pour que tu sois bon: I am cruel so that you may be good. A promised future benefit is made dependent on present cruelty.
Translation in this edition
“I have made myself anathema” preserves the reflexive construction and its unsettling self-consecration. It should not be paraphrased as “I have confessed my crimes.” The edition’s “sacrificed” for immolés elsewhere makes the religious register audible, but the objects remain particular human victims. The chapter’s biblical-sounding bitter cup is a comparison supplied by the narration, not an actual sacramental act.