# Gaétan d'Esparvieu — The Revolt of the Angels character guide

> Gaétan d'Esparvieu in The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Monsieur Gaétan, Monsieur Gaétan d'Esparvieu, Uncle Gaétan

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

Maurice's worldly uncle, a cynical man of the boulevards whose easy skepticism and appetite for pleasure shadow his nephew's tangled affairs of heart and heaven.

## Who they are

Gaétan d'Esparvieu moves through the d'Esparvieu family as its urbane, unillusioned elder, treating religion, love, and respectability as matters of convenience rather than conviction. Where Maurice flails between mistress, angel, and conscience, his uncle observes with the detached amusement of a man who has long since stopped expecting much from either heaven or earth. His presence sharpens the novel's portrait of a bourgeois world whose real faith is comfort, and against which the angels' revolt takes on its peculiar edge.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/i)

The second son, a country gentleman, agnostic, and amateur artist and musician.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/ii)

Enriched the library with modern works, showing good judgment, though his brothers doubted his taste.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/iii)

Mentioned as a possible suspect but is traveling in Italy.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/v)

Defends Delacroix's work, later denounces Guinardon's aesthetic theories and praises classical art and the nude.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/vii)

René's brother, who identifies the footprint as that of a god or ancient athlete.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/xxii)

Visits Guinardon's shop out of curiosity and discusses El Greco's astigmatism.

### [The Wounded Angel and the Skeptical World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/chapters/xxx)

Skeptical of Arcade's claims, discusses philosophy and pragmatism.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/characters/gaetan_desparvieu
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolt_of_the_angels_se/characters