Abstract EN:

This work gathers 136 of François Coppée's texts published in Le Gaulois beetween 1898 and 1902. They are either articles written for publication or speeches which were actually delivered but remained unpublished to this day. They are presented here with footnotes and a reminder of the main political background events of the time. These texts shed a light on the unreesearched history of the ligue de la patrie française, which Coppée co-founded and which he presided over during that period. They supplement what was common knowledge about the life of a writer who had his heydays, and who believed ha had a vocation for polities inspired by an exacting conception of patriotism. The introduction is a retrospective of the poet's life, stressing the episodes likely to account for his later political stand. It also provides a sketch of the main historic events of the time together with the league's activities, its involvement in Paul Déroulède's failet attempt at a coup, and in the main election campaigns which took place between 1900 and 1902. The conclusion tries to assess Coppée's skills as an orator and polemist in his new capacity, but also points out how badly damaged his reputation and talent as a writer and a poet were bound to be.