Paris---Under the glittering dome of the Invalides military hospital in Paris, where Napoleon lies buried, France's great general continues to divide opinion, 200 years after his historic defeat at Waterloo.
The few French tourists who come to pay their respects bicker among themselves: for Jean-Marie, Napoleon was a "dictator" but his wife Claudine reminds him that he "accomplished great things, including France's legal system".
And while another French tourist, Mika, criticises Napoleon's "excesses of power", his girlfriend retorts that he "exported the values of the French revolution".
Napoleon generally has his fans around the world -- even in the "enemy" Britain. In South Korea, a self-made chicken mogul recently bought a hat worn by the emperor for $2.2 million (2.0 million euros).
But in his homeland, public opinion is more nuanced, although the emperor continues to fascinate.
"For me, Napoleon represents good and evil all at once," said history student Alaume Houdry, showing off the tomb to a visiting Palestinian friend.
"Napoleon carried out some very important reforms. He gave glory back to France. But many lives were sacrificed for his desire for glory," he added.
David Chanteranne, editor of a magazine devoted to Napoleon, said France was split between "fascination and repulsion" but stressed there was "huge popular interest in his character, profile and stature as a self-made man".
People remain fascinated by several aspects of his life -- his rise from obscurity to conqueror of Europe, his death in exile, his women (especially Josephine, his unfaithful empress).
Throughout France, fans stage reconstructions of famous Napoleonic battles, collect manuscripts and Napoleon paraphernalia -- even down to a chamber pot bearing the great man's image.
His influence on popular culture in France is also enormous, said historian Jean Tulard, who held the Napoleon chair at the Sorbonne University in Paris from 1967 to 2002.
"Since his death, a book or article has been written about him every year," said Tulard.
In addition, Napoleon has appeared in more than 1,000 films and there are currently four exhibitions devoted to him running in France on the 200th anniversary of his most famous defeat.
AFP
