If we consider that rituals are like drama or theater, it may be possible to compare the structure of festive rituals and the structure of literary works. The article studies how the motives (characters, styles, codes) taken from a nineteenth century novel, Tartarin de Tarascon, are used in the contemporary rituals of a small town in Provence. How do these motives transform the rituals and how do they help their revitalization? This ethnography enlightens the influence of literature on the local festive life and opens onto a comparative study of literary works and of the rituals that use them.