| Paris, october 1894. Alfred Dreyfus, captain in the French Army, is asked to come to the war ministry. The military hierarchy wants to compare his handwriting with the one appearing on a note found in the wastebasket of the German military attaché in Paris and discreetly carried to the French authorities by a zealous cleaning lady. Dreyfus will be arrested for treason, judged by a military court, degraded in public and sent to a stranded island in the French West Indies for life.
Bredin's book describes the efforts of Dreyfus's advocates to find new evidences in favour of him. It also shows the violent media campaigns against Dreyfus, against the French Jews (Dreyfus was Jewish) and against those who dared to speak up for him. The book also tells in detail how Dreyfus's conviction helped matters for almost everybody. Alfred Dreyfus will finally be found innocent in july 1906 after numerous civil and military trials. The material pieces of evidence of the case will all be declared false, inauthentic or counterfeited. | ||
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Plot & Themes Political/social rights fight Yes Plotlet: Period of greatest activity? - 1600-1899 Subject of Biography Gender - Male Profession/status: Ethnicity - Jew Nationality - French Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 () Europe Yes European country: - France The Americas (not US): Yes The Americas: - The Caribbean Island? Yes City? Yes Misc setting - prison Century: - 19th century Writing Style Book makes you feel? - thoughtful Pictures/Illustrations? - A few 1-5 B&W How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 76%-100% of book |
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