Enthousiasme, méfiance ou rejet ? L’influence de la révolution française sur le répertoire lyrique de la scène britannique

Abstract

This article aims at demonstrating how certain episodes of the French revolution affected the perception and representation of France on the English operatic stage. The first two parts are therefore devoted to two operas staging specific revolutionary events. The third part, mainly focusing on plays staging characters having a special link with France, attempts to show how the perplexity generated by historical data also resulted in the redefinition of certain stereotypes. The article eventually shows how the years of the Terror put an end to the slightly envious glance temporarily cast on France and the French by the English public.