From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Phrase.
La générale is the drum call summoning troops to assemble. It is not a female general or an abbreviated reference to a general principle. The phrase battre la générale makes the percussion explicit. In the crisis it presses for public action while Élodie offers Gamelin domestic safety and peace, so a small technical noun helps structure his choice of what to heed.
Places to read
- Chapter XXVII, paragraph 9Frenchbattre la générale: beat the assembly signal. A military drum call is distinguished from the ringing tocsin.