From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Lemma.
The quinquets are oil lamps extinguished during the café brawl. Their going out is one of a rapid series of physical disturbances, with broken glasses, overturned tables and cries. The English “oil lamps” prioritises the object’s immediate function rather than retaining a period technical name. Here the loss of light contributes to disorder and Julie’s escape, not to a stated allegory of enlightenment.
Places to read
- Chapter XXI, paragraph 15Frenchles quinquets s’éteignirent: the oil lamps went out. The lamps are among the objects displaced or damaged during the fight.