The Revolt of the Angels · Chapter
XXXI explained
Monsieur Sariette visits Père Guinardon to reclaim a stolen Lucretius from the d'Esparvieu library.
What happens
Monsieur Sariette visits Père Guinardon to reclaim a stolen Lucretius from the d'Esparvieu library. Guinardon refuses, claiming he bought it, and a violent struggle ensues. Sariette strangles Guinardon, takes the book, and flees. Guinardon's body is discovered, and his death is initially attributed to apoplexy. Zéphyrine, his former lover, mourns him through the night and dies of grief.
Themes in this chapter
Human Nature and Folly
Sariette, a gentle and timid man, commits murder over a book, illustrating the irrational and violent depths of human nature.
Class and Hierarchy
The conflict over the book highlights class tensions: Sariette's loyalty to the wealthy d'Esparvieu family versus Guinardon's resentment of their stinginess.
Characters to notice
- Monsieur Julien Sariette
Visits Guinardon to reclaim the stolen Lucretius, becomes violent, and strangles him.
- Père Guinardon
Antiquary who refuses to return the book and is killed by Sariette.
- Zéphyrine
Guinardon's former lover; mourns him through the night and dies of grief.
- Octavie
Young Octavie, Guinardon's current mistress, is absent from the shop and unaware of the murder.
- Monsieur Blancmesnil
Mentioned as meeting Octavie three times a week; not present in the chapter.
Key passages
“Catch me relying on the generosity of that old curmudgeon of a d'Esparvieu. Why, he'd skin a flea to get its coat.”
Guinardon refuses to trust d'Esparvieu's generosity, calling him a miser who would exploit anyone for money.
Guinardon's bitterness toward the d'Esparvieu family's stinginess.
“My dear Sariette, you remind me of the Chevalier des Grieux when he learns that his darling mistress is to be transported to the Mississippi.”
Guinardon mocks Sariette's distress over the book going to America by comparing him to a lover losing his mistress to exile.
Guinardon's mocking tone and literary reference.
“Some unknown force made them hold fast to their prey. Guinardon's throat began to rattle, saliva was oozing from one corner of his mouth.”
Sariette's hands, driven by an inexplicable compulsion, tighten around Guinardon's throat as he chokes to death.
The moment of murder, emphasizing Sariette's involuntary violence.