The French Revolution and Freedom of Spectacles: From Complete Liberalisation to Strict Control (1789-1793)
Tomasz Wysłobocki
tomasz.wyslobocki@uwr.edu.plUniversity of Wrocław (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5452-0675
Abstract
Neither the storming of the Bastille nor the subsequent Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ushered in a significant liberalisation of France’s theatrical institutions. For months afterwards, the royal theatres clung tenaciously to their privileges and monopolies, stifling the growth of private scenes. Meanwhile, they were unlikely to join the public effort for the moral regeneration of the nation. Under mounting public pressure, the National Assembly finally enacted a decree on freedom of spectacles in January 1791. Henceforth, any citizen could establish a theatre to stage productions of their choice, including the works of classical authors. The power to determine what was seen on stage shifted from royal censors and privileged troupes to the discerning eye of the audience. Yet, as the Republic faced escalating radicalisation, war, and civil unrest, it became imperative to reassert control over theatrical institutions, which had become battlegrounds for supporters and detractors of the Revolution. The young Republic’s survival hinged on its citizens’ identification with its new values and virtues, and the stage emerged as a potent vehicle for shaping this allegiance. The paper aims to trace some elements of this evolution within its historical, social and political context.
Keywords:
French theatre, French Revolution, patriotism, censorship, education, regenerationReferences
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Authors
Tomasz Wysłobockitomasz.wyslobocki@uwr.edu.pl
University of Wrocław Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5452-0675
Tomasz Wysłobocki - Romanist, literary scholar, theatre historian, assistant professor at the Department of French Literature and Culture at the Institute of Romance Philology, University of Wrocław. He specialises in French literature and culture and the social history of the Enlightenment and Revolution, focusing primarily on women's history and theatre as a mirror of social, political and ideological change.
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