The Revolt of the Angels · Chapter
VII explained
The mysterious disappearances of books from the d'Esparvieu library continue despite new locks and security measures.
What happens
The mysterious disappearances of books from the d'Esparvieu library continue despite new locks and security measures. Monsieur René d'Esparvieu, reluctant to create a scandal, consults his friend Monsieur des Aubels, who suspects the librarian Sariette and hires a detective named Mignon. Mignon's intense surveillance disrupts the household, but he finds nothing. A trap using talc reveals only faint bare footprints of extraordinary beauty, which Gaétan identifies as divine or antique. Maurice hears a voice sighing about knowledge and thought.
Themes in this chapter
Knowledge and Enlightenment
The mysterious voice lamenting 'Knowledge, whither dost thou lead me? Thought, whither dost thou lure me?' underscores the peril and allure of intellectual pursuit.
Human Nature and Folly
The household's overreaction to the book thefts—installing elaborate locks, hiring a detective, and disrupting daily life—highlights human folly and irrationality.
Characters to notice
- Monsieur Julien Sariette
The librarian who reports the ongoing book thefts and is suspected by Monsieur des Aubels.
- René d'Esparvieu
The master of the house, who refuses to make a scandal and agrees to install new locks and hire a detective.
- Gaétan d'Esparvieu
René's brother, who identifies the footprint as that of a god or ancient athlete.
- Maurice d'Esparvieu
Young Maurice, who threatens to leave home due to the surveillance and later hears a mysterious voice in the summerhouse.
- Monsieur Mignon
The detective hired to watch the house, whose intense surveillance disrupts the household.
- Abbé Patouille
An intimate of the household who makes himself scarce due to the surveillance.
Key passages
“Thought, whither dost thou lead me?”
Where does thinking take me?
The mysterious voice heard by Maurice in the summerhouse, expressing doubt about the value of intellectual inquiry.
“It is the foot of a god or of an athlete of antiquity.”
This footprint belongs to a divine being or an ancient athlete.
Gaétan's poetic interpretation of the bare footprint found in the library.