The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France
"The Revolt of the Angels" is a novel that explores the themes of rebellion, spirituality, and the nature of the divine through the lens of an unconventional narrative. Set within the context of a neglected library owned by a baron, the story follows Julien Sariette, the eccentric custodian who becomes alarmed when books mysteriously disappear. The plot thickens as Sariette discovers that the culprit is Maurice's guardian angel, Arcade, who has undergone a profound transformation in his understanding of God. Arcade learns that his creator, Ialdabaoth, is not the omnipotent deity he once believed, but rather a flawed and self-absorbed being. Motivated by this revelation, Arcade seeks to unite fallen angels and lapsed guardian angels to initiate a revolution against Ialdabaoth's tyranny.
In an intriguing twist, Arcade’s efforts to instigate change are contrasted with the human characters' mundane pursuits of love and self-interest. As Arcade rallies support from figures like the Cherub Prince Istar and the archangel Ithuriel, he faces unexpected resistance. Notably, when Arcade approaches Satan to lead their cause, Satan advises against the revolt, suggesting that true change lies in transforming human hearts rather than overthrowing a flawed deity. The novel ultimately weaves together themes of love, beauty, and the complexities of divine authority, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of good and evil within both celestial and earthly realms.
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The Revolt of the Angels
First published:La Révolte des anges, 1914 (English translation, 1914)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—theological romance
Time of work: The early twentieth century
Locale: Paris, France
The Plot
The library established by the first Baron d’Esparvieu, who was raised to the nobility in Napoleonic times, has fallen into neglect because the baron’s descendants have lapsed into political conservatism and religious orthodoxy. It has been consigned by the uncaring René d’Esparvieu to the care of the eccentric Julien Sariette, who regards the books as objects to be guarded jealously rather than as repositories of wisdom.
When Sariette discovers that books are disappearing or being moved about without any sign of human agency, he becomes anxious. His anxiety persists when the missing volumes turn up in the apartment of René’s son Maurice. Maurice has no idea how they got there, his own interests being confined to the pursuit of love, but on further investigation he discovers that the thief is his neglectful guardian angel, Arcade.
Arcade’s studies in natural philosophy and the history of religion have revealed to him that his maker is not quite the God Arcade previously had assumed Him to be, but a vain and ignorant “demiurge” named Ialdabaoth, whose sphere of influence is but a tiny corner of a much vaster universe. Arcade also has concluded that the microcosm in question is in a rather sorry state thanks to Ialdabaoth’s intolerance and petty tyranny. He informs Maurice that there are many lapsed guardian angels living quietly among humans, alongside the fallen angels cast out of Heaven by Ialdabaoth, and that it is high time that they rally to the cause of revolution.
Arcade begins to make contacts among the fallen angels, most of whom are working as teachers and artists, but he finds them distinctly lacking in revolutionary zeal. Like Maurice, most of them prefer the pursuit of love. Arcade experiments along these lines with Maurice’s current mistress but decides to continue his political activities. He finds allies in the rebel Cherub Prince Istar and the archangel once called Ithuriel, and he hears an eyewitness account of the War in Heaven from an old gardener named Nectaire.
The would-be revolutionaries—who plan to open their campaign with a socialist revolution in France—gather recruits and acquire arms, confident that the armies of the Heavenly Hierarchy must be disorganized and ill-equipped for modern warfare. When they believe that the time is nigh, they seek out Satan in order to offer him command of their army and to ask him to accept the Celestial Throne once Ialdabaoth has been defeated. The human characters, meanwhile, remain caught up in their petty affairs, unable to perceive the grand scheme in the process of formulation all around them.
When Satan is found, however, he declines the offer and advises that the revolt be called off. He no longer has any desire to rule in Heaven, believing that his true place is on Earth, doing good by stealth. He argues that Ial-dabaoth need not be cast down from His throne, but that the echoes of His nature in the minds and hearts of humans—His jealousy, His greed, His quarrelsomeness, and His violence—should be subdued and ultimately erased by the arts and a love of beauty.