English Caricature as a Means of Forming and Reflection of the “Image Of The Enemy” in the Epoch of the Napoleonic Wars

Abstract

The article is devoted to the topical problem in the scientific and socio-political space associated with the formation of the image of the “enemy”. This issue is considered on the example of the English caricature in the era of the Napoleonic wars. Caricature is still actively used in the information space, which makes it an important part of political discourse. From its inception to the present day, caricature has been an effective mechanism for reflecting the image of the “other” and the image of the “enemy”. English cartoonists managed to create a certain idea about the most popular episodes and personalities of the Napoleonic wars and about the images and stereotypes that existed at that time. The most striking of them were the images of “bloodthirsty sans-culottes” led by the “Corsican monster” in the person of Napoleon. Foreign events were perceived by cartoonists through the prism of British interests. That is why the main attention in these images was given to France, as one of the main opponents. The author of the article, based on the caricatures of one of the most famous cartoonists of the “golden age” J. Gillray and his students, comes to the conclusion that the legacy of English satirical graphics of the mid-18th – early 19th centuries. – a vivid example of the formation of the image of the “enemy”. Thanks to the analysis of the cartoons, the main components of the image of not only the French emperor, but also his Great Army were identified. It was concluded that these components were firmly entrenched in the form of stereotypes not only in the British consciousness, but also in the European one, and continue to exist to this day.