From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Related words and phrases.
Froid can describe temperature, but Gamelin’s froide sagesse and status as an artiste froid concern restraint, austerity and emotional distance. Julie reads the same quality in his canvases, calling his soul cold and dark. Her accusation is an interested sister’s judgement; the narrator’s more precise description distinguishes his classical respect for beauty from either aesthetic incapacity or erotic indifference in all circumstances.
Places to read
- Chapter XIII, paragraph 18Frenchartiste froid et savant: a cold and learned artist. The narrator defines Gamelin’s classical taste and limits the erotic-sadist explanation.
- Chapter XVIII, paragraph 39Frenchfroide et sombre: cold and dark. Julie judges the soul she believes her brother has placed in his paintings.