The Revolt of the Angels · Character

Abbé Patouille

The d'Esparvieu family's plump, sighing priest, who tutors Maurice in catechism while quietly counting the Church's growing victories and its need for money.

supporting

Also known as the Abbé Patouille, Meanwhile Abbé Patouille, Abbé, The Abbé Patouille, The Abbé

First appearance: I

As a supporting figure in The Revolt of the Angels, Abbé Patouille is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A family friend and confessor who reproaches Maurice for his lukewarmness.

In the storyIOpen this moment free

Abbé Patouille serves as confessor and spiritual counselor to the d'Esparvieu household, exhorting the wounded Maurice to prayer against the Devil while cheerfully noting that public opinion has turned back toward the Church. His fat cheeks droop at Maurice's blasphemous talk of guardian angels, then plump up again at the thought of Christian schools multiplying and the Cross gaining the day — but money is always wanted. He embodies the comfortable, calculating piety against which the novel's angelic rebellion quietly measures itself.

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Character Web

18 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Family, Society, and Authority
Protagonist
Rebellious Angels and Mortals
Mythological and Divine Figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story’s dramatic climax because Arcade, the angel who rebelled to bring enlightenment, abandons hi…

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In the story

Abbé Patouille appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
A family friend and confessor who reproaches Maurice for his lukewarmness.
III
Briefly considered by Sariette as a potential culprit due to his habit of dog-earing books.
IV
The abbé shares Sariette's suspicions about Freemasons and Jews, and later comments that Sariette's brain is failing.
V
Examines Delacroix's frescoes, criticizes the lack of guardian angels, and discusses Christian iconography with the group.
VII
An intimate of the household who makes himself scarce due to the surveillance.
The Angel's Confession
Mentioned by Maurice as someone to whom Arcade should not speak of his heresies.
Chapter XV
Dismisses Maurice's account as a dream or hallucination, insisting that good angels cannot revolt and that Maurice's troubles stem from dissipation and Delacroix's paintings.
XXXII
Visits Maurice to offer counsel and exhort him to return to his family; is met with mockery.

Chapter companion notes

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