Thais

Thais by Anatole France (1890)

Anatole France's *Thaïs* opens in the Egyptian Thebaid, where hermits and cenobites practice extreme asceticism among visions of angels and demons. Paphnutius, Abbot of Antinoe, a former Alexandrian sophisticate converted to Christianity, is haunted by memories of Thaïs, a celebrated actress and courtesan he once desired but never possessed. Believing himself called by God to save her soul, he ignores the caution of the hermit Palemon and journeys toward Alexandria, blessing a pagan sphinx at Silsile along the way and debating the skeptic philosopher Timocles of Cos, who has renounced all belief and desire. In Alexandria, Paphnutius visits his old schoolfellow Nicias, a wealthy Epicurean philosopher and former lover of Thaïs, who lends him fine clothing and money so he can approach her. Paphnutius watches Thaïs perform as Polyxena in a theatrical spectacle, then goes to her house. Her backstory is revealed: born to poor innkeeper parents, she was raised partly by the gentle Nubian slave Ahmes (baptized Theodore), who taught her Christian stories and had her secretly baptized by the exiled Bishop Vivantius before being crucified on a false theft charge. Sold into a dancing troupe by the procuress Moeroe, Thaïs became a celebrated courtesan in Antioch and Alexandria, loved many men including Lollius and Nicias, but remained restless and terrified of death and old age. Paphnutius confronts Thaïs in her Grotto of Nymphs, preaching salvation and eternal life. Moved by memories of Ahmes's martyrdom, she agrees to renounce her life. Reluctantly she first takes Paphnutius to a decadent supper at the house of Cotta, Prefect of the Fleet, where philosophers, an Arian named Marcus, and libertines argue about God, gnostic myth, and virtue; the stoic Eucrites stabs himself to death mid-debate. Disgusted, Paphnutius leads Thaïs away. Back home, Thaïs orders her slaves to build a bonfire in the public square and burns her rich possessions, garments, and an ivory Eros, despite objections from merchants, young admirers like Cerons, and beggars who depended on her charity; a mob nearly stones Paphnutius until Nicias distracts them by scattering coins. Paphnutius then leads Thaïs on foot toward the desert convent of Albina, a former imperial princess turned abbess. There he seals Thaïs alone in the cell of a dead nun, Laeta, telling her she must wait in penitence until Christ Himself breaks the seal. Paphnutius returns to his monastery, welcomed joyfully by his disciples, but finds himself unable to escape visions and dreams of Thaïs—sometimes chaste, sometimes voluptuous—accompanied by swarms of small jackals he takes as demons. Tormented and uncertain whether these visions are divine or diabolical, he seeks advice from Palemon, who counsels moderation, copying religious texts, and visiting other monasteries rather than extreme new penances. Instead, following a dream of a stone pillar, Paphnutius has a ladder built against an ancient temple column topped with a carved woman's head, climbs it, and resolves to live atop it as a stylite, watched over and fed by pilgrims. His extraordinary penance draws crowds, fellow monks, and eventually merchants, innkeepers, and vendors, who build stalls, a caravanserai, and wine-shops around the ruined temple, transforming the once-silent site into a bustling market bearing his name and image. The account breaks off as the old rats that once inhabited the ruins are mentioned amid this new commotion, leaving Thaïs still confined in her penitential cell and Paphnutius atop his column, his inner struggle unresolved.

By Anatole France · First published 1890 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Philosophical Fiction · 4 chapters · 73,747 words

First lines

In those days there were many hermits living in the desert. On both banks of the Nile numerous huts, built by these solitary dwellers, of branches held together by clay, were scattered at a little distance from each other, so that the inhabitants could live alone, and yet help one another in case of need. Churches, each surmounted by a cross, stood here and there amongst the huts, and the monks flocked to them at each festival to celebrate the services or to partake of the Communion. There were also, here and there on the banks of the river, monasteries, where the cenobites lived in separate cells, and only met together that they might the better enjoy their solitude.

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French literature · Nineteenth century literature · Symbolism · Decadence · Love triangle · Social commentary · Moral philosophy · Existentialism · Hedonism · Sensuality · Religion · Spirituality

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