Les gratis de Napoléon: gloire et spectacles à Paris en temps de fête

Résumé En

The Consulate and the Empire's cultural policy for the theatres was torn between a republican heritage of revolutionary festivals and the progressive restoration of Ancien Régime practices, as all the while Napoleon's personal grip on power tightened. The commemorations of the storming of the Bastille and of the proclamation of the Republic were eventually put aside and replaced at the end of the Consulate by Napoleon's birthday celebrations (August 15) and the anniversary of his coronation (December 2). During the French Empire, the number of festivals increased with the major victories, campaigns, and other events for the dynasty, such as the Austrian wedding and the birth of Napoleon's heir. This paper examines the organization of these festivities in Paris for the forty free performances (gratis) during the years 1800-1813 and reconstructs the theatrical programme of the eight official playhouses authorized by the 1806 and 1807 decrees. Each institution mainly chose plays from the major plays of its repertoire, but opportune flattery was still a possibility: we see the theatres mixing the political stakes of patriotic propaganda, self-promotion, and branding. When looking at these programmes, three main trends appear: propaganda plays (pièces de circonstance), national and historical dramas, and plays (both new and old) which were supposed to illustrate the French cultural patrimony and glory. As a part of the political ritual, the "gratis" performances shed light on Napoleon's plans for the concepts of power, the people and contemporary culture.