From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Related words and phrases.
In Rochemaure’s toilet, mouchetée means adorned with small artificial beauty patches, not simply speckled by nature. The participle belongs to an accumulation of applied cosmetics and scent. This is distinct from literal mouches settling on the inn grandmother’s eyelids, which she does not drive away.
Places to read
- Chapter VII, paragraph 3Frenchfardée, mouchetée, musquée: Rouged, patched and musked. These are deliberate preparations of appearance.
- Chapter X, paragraph 50FrenchDes mouches se posaient: Flies settled. The literal insects are part of the grandmother’s bodily stillness.