From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Related words and phrases.
Livre, sou and the spelling sol are historical monetary terms whose practical significance depends on the transaction. In the ordinary unit relation a livre contains twenty sous; this is not an exchange rate into present-day money. A five-livre assignat buys the volunteer image in II.48, while Gamelin’s projected mass sale prices each pack at twenty sols. The latter is an imagined revenue calculation, not realised income. Preserve the distinction between a denomination printed on paper and stable purchasing power.
Places to read
- Chapter II, paragraph 48Frenchcinq livres: denomination of the note actually paid. The girl’s transaction occurs in the scene.
- Chapter III, paragraph 56Frenchvingt sols chaque: projected selling price per pack. Gamelin imagines selling ten thousand packs in one month.