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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that analyses two primary documents from the Dreyfus affair, Emile Zola's letter "J'Accuse" and Comtesse de Martel de Janville's account of Zola's defamation trial. Based on these documents, the writer argues that that there were two contradictory definitions of French nationalism opposing each other over the volatile Dreyfus affair: a republican nationalism that emphasized honor and justice and an ethnic nationalism that sought to fanatically defend the "purity" of France through whatever means possible. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmbda.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was arrested in September of 1984 and tried on trumped-up charges of espionage. After Dreyfus was convicted and sentenced to Devils Island, notable French intellectuals
came to his defense. The most famous of these efforts is the open letter by novelist Emile Zola to the French president, which was published in the LArore newspaper entitled
"JAccuse." Zola was subsequently accused of defamation and faced his own trial, which was reported for La Libre Parole by the Comtesse de Martel de Janville, writing under the
unusual and short nom de plume of "Gyp." Examination of these primary documents demonstrates that there were two contradictory definitions of French nationalism opposing each other over the volatile
Dreyfus affair: a republican nationalism that emphasized honor and justice and an ethnic nationalism that sought to fanatically defend the "purity" of France through whatever means possible. In "JAccuse,"
Zolas emphasis on justice is quite apparent. He contrasts the "spotless" conduct of Dreyfus against the disreputable behavior of his accusers and argues that "When a society comes to
that (i.e., dragging the reputation of an honest man through the mud) it begins to rot away" (Burns 99). This contrasts sharply with the attitude of the anti- Dreyfusards,
which is epitomized by the extreme anti-Semitism of Madame de Janville (Gyp), who comments on Zolas supporters as men who are not and "can never be French, no matter what
is done. They come, in this case, to prove once again that they are born and sworn enemies of our race, that they want to lessen and defile in order
to raise themselves up and seek revenge" (Burns, 115). What this demonstrates are two opposing ideas as to what constitutes being "French." The civic nationalism, which is espoused
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