From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Lemma.
Literally furred cats, the satirical term evokes legal dignitaries in fur-trimmed robes. Gamelin opposes their leisurely weighing of arguments to the sans-culotte juror’s instant patriotic perception. The contrast gives haste an egalitarian appearance and makes caution look antiquated. “Fur-gowned lawyers” supplies the occupational sense, but the French animal word preserves the contempt behind the description.
Places to read
- Chapter XXII, paragraph 7Frenchdes chats-fourrés pesant à loisir le pour et le contre: fur-gowned dignitaries leisurely weighing pros and cons. The contemptuous description belongs to Gamelin’s newly accepted model of justice.