Da barbaro traditore a eroe nazionale: l’affaire Vercingetorige

Abstract

This paper analyses the tradition of the character of Vercingetorix from Caesar to contemporary rewritings in textbooks, theatre and cinematography. We will mainly concentrate on the dynamics of intersemiotic translations that have turned ethical judgment about the Gallic chief upside down, making the barbarian traitor become a national hero. A particular attention will be paid to the processes of transposition, transvalorisation and transcodification (conforming to Genette’s definitions) of the Cesarean text till the 2000s.