The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication - TOJDAC November 2016 Special Edition Submit Date: 12.09.2016, Acceptance Date: 05.10.2016, DOI NO: 10.7456/1060NVSE/035 Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication 2397 THE DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION OF AN IMAGE OF A HISTORICAL CHARACTER: DUCHESSE DE POLIGNAC IN FICTION AND BIOPIC Maria Kozyreva Kazan Federal University, Russia kozyr2m@mail.ru Kamilya Ayupova Kazan Federal University, Russia lacroquant@yandex.ru ABSTRACT This research studies the transformation of a historical personality into an art image in biopic and historical novel, and the peculiarities and interrelation of these genres. The possibilities of creating plausible images of historical figures in biographical films (biopics) are contemplated. The object of study is 18th century French aristocrat Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac. Historically, her depictions in various arts were either obscure or stereotypic. Comparing and analysing the latest works of written and visual art featuring this historical figure (the 2002 novel Farewell, My Queen by Chantal Thomas and the 2012 film based on it) we discover that owing to (rather than in spite of) the authors’ use of imagination we get a better understanding of the character. A historical figure invariably goes through the author’s perception before turning into a fictional character bearing a new image of the person it stands for. There are no ultimately “true” images neither in fiction, nor in cinema. Nevertheless, creating believable characters can be achieved. The special devices used in the novel and the film are juxtaposed and analysed. Keywords: Polignac, Marie Antoinette, biopic, historical novel INTRODUCTION Nowadays, intermedial studies are becoming ever more popular. Many research works are dedicated to the relations between visual arts and fiction (Giddings & Sheen 2000, Conway 2001, Fay 2010, Golikova & Pomortseva 2014). However, studies of historical / biographical genres in different art forms remain few (Seger 1992, Rosenstone 1995, 2007; Bingham 2010). In this research we aim to trace the transformation of a historical personality into an art image in biopic and historical novel, and the peculiarities and interrelation of these genres. Using the method of comparative analysis we study the possibilities of historical fiction and biopic in establishing the historical truth. The materials for our research are the 2012 biopic Farewell, My Queen and the novel of the same name by French historian Chantal Thomas. The choice of the object, Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac, Queen Marie Antoinette’s notorious favourite, is prompted by contradictions and obscurity that becloud her name, even more than that of Marie Antoinette’s . Yolande Gabrielle de Polignac is one of the most ambiguous and mysterious figures in European history. Today after two hundred odd years there’s no unanimity regarding her character and disposition. Her background was common enough for her times: coming from an old noble but impoverished family, she married a similarly noble and poor count Jules de Polignac. Her fortune changed dramatically when in 1775 she was introduced to Queen Marie Antoinette and immediately won her friendship. Gabrielle de Polignac became famous for her unprecedented role in French monarchy: she was not the king’s, as was customary, but the queen’s favourite. In history and fiction there came to be two opposing views on the