From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Lemma.
A hotte is a basket carried on the back, not an ordinary handbasket. The cabbage seller’s burden and cracked loud voice make her a working street presence. Her response to the meat-rationing notice is a coarse bodily joke about empty guts, anchoring public regulation in the vendor’s everyday experience.
Places to read
- Chapter VI, paragraph 5Frenchsa hotte sur le dos: Her basket on her back. The cabbage seller is passing the posted notice.