The image of Napoleon in France

Abstract

This article summarises the perception of Napoleon’s image in France in the 19th—21th centuries and describes the dynamics of attitudes towards Napoleon in connection with the changing political situation. Historical studies and belles-lettres help demonstrate that today the image of Napoleon is more popular in other European countries than in France and that the life of the emperor gave rise to a myth about a hero and great conqueror who faces defeat at the peak of his power and loses its empire.

Keywords

• napoleon
• biographical myth
• historiography
• public policy