Anatole France

The Revolt of the Angels Anatole France

The Revolt of the Angels by French poet, journalist, and novelist Anatole France, was originally published in 1914 as translated by Mrs. Wilfrid Jackson. The work tells the story of Arcade, the guardian angel of Maurice d'Esparvieu, who becomes an atheist due to reading books on theology. He decides to move to Paris to join a revolutionary movement of fallen angels, and after meeting the Devil becomes embroiled in an affair to overthrow God. The novel is a retelling of the classic Christian story of the war in heaven between the angels. On one side angels led by the Archangel Michael and the other side led by Satan. The war finishes with the defeat of Satan and his banishment to earth. The plot emphasises the protagonists at war with a ruling hierarchy, and the attempt to escape it, as well as a literary exploration of delusion, revolution, and self-realisation, when faced with choices within an apocalyptic context. The work also emphasises the mutual antagonism within the hierarchy of God and his angels, which leads to discontent and finally rebellion by the latter. It is generally thought of as Anatole France's most profound and ironic novel.