Index of study notes

Historical background to the novel

Summary and commentary of Les Dieux ont Soif

 

Anatole France (1844- 1924) wrote his novel "Les Dieux ont Soif" in 1912. It is a masterpiece by virtue of the skill with which the writer intertwines his account of the lives of his characters with the historical events of the period of terror during the French revolution. The story covers the period from April 1793 until August 1794 and the young man, Evariste Gamelin, who is one of the central characters of the book is a follower of and a reflection of Maximilien de Robespierre who was the dominant political figure during these months when it seemed that the Gods had an endless thirst for human blood.

Other notes to follow

Picture below - Marie Antoinette is taken from her prison to public execution on the guillotine