Customer Reviews

Thais

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Easy-to-read yet artful novel in the traditions of Thomas Love Peacock, Dr. Johnson (Rasselas, especially) and Francois Rabelais. The story is about religious follies in the early days of Christendom, but has plenty of relevancy to our time. France was witty and relentless when it came to superstition, hypocrisy and religious megalomania but he had tremendous sympathy for humanity's spiritual yearning and the plight of the characters. I found an old copy printed in the 20's. Somebody needs to bring this fine book, and other works of Anatole France, back in print. Updated translations will help as well.

This book tells the tragic story of Paphnutius, a self-righteous monk who temporarily abandons his isolated desert life to save a famous courtesan and actress, Thais, from a life of sin. As the rescue of Thais unfolds it becomes clear that the main drive of Paphnutius is not virtue but, greatest sin of all, his own vanity. Thais is his trophy for God. A witness to his own spiritual breakdown, he tries more and more extravagant acts of penitence that, to his despair, deepen his moral crisis. Ultimately his efforts are condemned by Paul, the saintly fool, as nothing more than Pride, Lust and Doubt.

The moral message, about the dangers of self-righteousness, is clear and well delivered. Some consider the book anti-religious or anti-christian. It obviously isn't either. What it criticizes is the danger to have one's common sense blinded by religious zeal in a way which ends up being ultimately self-defeating.

The spiritually confused Paphnutius is portraid kindly by Anatole France, which makes his tragedy even more poignant. One cannot but sympathise with his intense, yet misguided, efforts.

Anatole France is best known as a satirist, including such pointed goofiness as his "Penguin Island." This story lacks the overt humor of PI, but lacks none of its thrust.

The story itself is simple enough. Paphnutius, an ascetic hermit, lives a desert life of fasting, flagellation, and isolation in the name of his God of Love. He recalls the dissipations of his mundane life before donning the sack-cloth, most especially his dissipations with seductress Thaïs. In a twisted infatuation, he determines to become the pander who will deliver her body and spirit to the exclusive service of that god, "for her own good" of course. France's story allows Thaïs a relatively gentle passing from this plane. Paphnutius, however suffers the agonies in himself of all the contradiction that he imposed onto those around him, without ever discovering the source of his self-inflicted injury.

As with a dinner of many courses, France's writing delivers its substance in the main dishes but its piquancy in the little bits on the sides. He introduces a minor character to baffle the self-righteous Paphnutius, an anchorite who practices austerities like his own but not for a god like his own - a neat jab at religious extremists who can't understand that they don't have a monopoly on morality. He also introduces the effete philosopher who reads about morality, when no other entertainment presents itself. Then he offers us Thaïs herself. She beguiles men's minds on stage, and amasses a fortune of love-offerings in her harlotry. But she returns good value for value given, and those who have lost the most to her seem to think it a fair trade. France may not propose any clear code of upright behavior, but he's energetic in tweaking the bluenoses who claim to have all the answers.

Despite being a century old or more, this has a lot to say about today's religious loudmouths, the ones who live in the black-and-white world of obedience or opposition. France doesn't single them out, though. He also sees and describes lots of others, both the elevated and the debased. Without providing any clear answers or even clear questions, he offers an interesting and contrasting set of case studies. The interaction of those characters is their comparison, and France leaves any conclusion to the reader. Which, of course, is where it belongs.

//wiredweird

PS: I'm reviewing a different edition of this book than the ISBN on this page would indicate. This is a 1920s or 1930s volume from the "Illustrated Editions Company" with no attribution for the translator. It's a beautiful object, though, with rough-cut and un-cut pages, archaic illustration, and paper so thick and soft that it makes me think of flannel sheets. If I find a product listing for this specific edition, I'll move my review there.

This is about a hypocritical Christian monk who lives in late ancient Egypt, and who finally is overwhelmed by his lust for the title character. Massenet made an opera out of this novel. It is intended as an attack on Christianity, but if one can look at the monk as an individual and not as a representative of Christianity, even Christian readers can appreciate this study of human weakness.

Thais, by Anatole France (born Jacques Anatole Thibault) written in the latter years of the 19th century, is indicative of the wry, powerful voice of a passionate author.

Borne from a knowledge of the processes of religion in the heart; the tale of Thais unfolds with the remembrances of the monk Paphnutius. Reflecting upon his time 'far from God', Paphnutius remembers his initial meeting, at age 15, with the beautiful Alexandrian actress Thais. Daring to seek out her door, as many other suitors did, the young Paphnutius flees in fear of rejection by the beautiful courtesan.

Years later Paphnutius sets out on a quest to save Thais from her life of 'depravity' by persuading her to join a convent and save her soul by marrying it to God.

Paphnutius finds his Alexandrian beauty; still bewitching theater patrons young and old; and entices her to burn all of her possessions and leave the city (and her less than virtuous life) behind. But the men under her spell, as well as the numerous merchants who have enjoyed a generous spending from Thais for years, decide that it is in their best interest for her to remain in their city, and attempt to block her departure.

Once they are safely away from Alexandria, with the help of fellow monks and friends; Paphnutius delivers Thais safely to the convent where she is to spend the rest of her days, and he begins a quest of his own, which helps to spread his name and fame far and wide.

Throughout the book there are numerous references to the history of Classical Greece, though it is written with a decidedly Christian theme, at a time when men had abandoned the Gods of old for the conventional diety that is worshipped today.

I enjoyed this 154 page novel, largely due to the abiltiy of the author to create a tale about a man of dedicated service to God, when France had little faith himself, and his underlying theme that men and women are simply that; nothing more, nothing less. I particularly enjoyed the ending, in the sense that it showed a 'man of God' as having flawed 'human' traits that he cannot overcome.

I hope to enjoy other works of Anatole France, and encourage other readers to indulge in this one in particular. Anatole France's prose is engaging, his literary style easily accessable 113 years after the initial publication, and his story-telling capabilities easily rank with more contemporary authors. Definitely worth a visit.

Easy-to-read yet artful novel in the traditions of Thomas Love Peacock, Dr. Johnson (Rasselas, especially) and Francois Rabelais. The story is about religious follies in the early days of Christendom, but has plenty of relevancy to our time. France was witty and relentless when it came to superstition, hypocrisy and religious megalomania but he had tremendous sympathy for humanity's spiritual yearning and the plight of the characters. I found an old copy printed in the 20's. Somebody needs to bring this fine book, and other works of Anatole France, back in print. Updated translations will help as well.

I loved how characters are colorfully and lively portrayed. I can almost see their parallel today in the Coptic Church. Humor is mingled with philosphy in the character of Paphnutius, Paul the Simple is seen as a man with supernatural feats and his slowness of mind is taken for "sacred" in a praiseworthy sense. Palemon is so colorful and amusing in his prayers as he has unique relationships to lettuces and sweet peas and talks to them as a true monk is in full communion with nature. So hilarious!

Although written in 1890, Thais is quite topical in 2006 insofar as it uses irony to explore the hypocrisy inherent in religious zealotry. Paphnutius is the ascetic monk (who might also be described as ignorant, arrogant, and intolerant) who breaks his long desert hermitage to return to the city to "save" the courtesan, Thais, reputedly the most beautiful woman in the world, as well as a woman with a generous heart and, we ultimately learn, a pure spirit. Paphnutius's fanaticism is both a source of humor and censure, and it thinly veils his own sinfulness and false motives. Paphnutius is the most fully drawn character in the novel,the other characters are largely broad archetypes. Nevertheless, the exploration of the consequences of shutting oneself off from society, from new ideas and worldviews, even from oneself is powerful and relevant today.

Anatole France won the 1921 Nobel Prize for his body of work.

This is the first book I've ever read of Anatole France and I was expecting some sort of laugh out loud satire but this book is quite serious.

The basic plot of the story is as follows. It is set in the early centuries after the death of Christ, in Egypt. The hero is Phaphnutuis a fanatical ascetic monk living in a desert monastary, who pleasures himself by subjecting his person to as much bodily deprivaiton as possibly, which he thinks is pleasing to god. He gets a vision that tells him to go to Alexandria and Cairo to seek out the actress Thais, a lady of incomporable beauty and sensuality who lives a life of extreme luxury and gets favors from powerful men by fornicating with them. Phaphnutius with single minded zeal hopes to rescue Thais from this life of sin and bring her to Jesus.

In a way this story is one of awesome power, not just for the stretches of excellent writing it contains, but for the staggering tragedy of how Phaphnutius's life turns out, how he is overwhelmed by demons. But the story itself suffers I think, by how France's structures his dialogue. In the Dostoyevsky style, he has his characters talking to each other in the form of lengthy speeches. Unlike Dostoyevsky's dialogue, the prose of the dialogue in this book is in ornate style. However this prose is still beautiful. Nonetheless, these long speeches interrupt the power of the narration. This is particularly the case where about two thirds of the way through, France afflicts the reader with 15 or so pages of tedious rambling philosophical discourses from the mouths of the politicians and generals at the drunken party to which Phaphnutius accompanies Thais. There is a certain sloppiness in the narration in this part but following it, is the best writing of the book. This writing indeed is really first rate.

I get the feeling that the book could have been better if it had had more editing to it, but I really don't know anything.

The other reviewers have spoken so eloquently and intelligently on the value of this book that I can do its genius no further justice.

Instead, I challenge myself to slip this quote into a casual conversation:

"The lily of thy virtues has flowered upon the dunghill of thy corruption."

(Let's bring this into idiomatic usage, you guys!)