Alfred and Lucie Dreyfus in the Phantasmagoria

Alfred Dreyfus saw himself caught in a phantasmagoria, a great complex enigma that needed to be solved, but all the clues seemed to be an hallucination, a will-o’-th’-wisp, or what George Sand called “orblutes”. This book examines how Dreyfus and his wife found a powerful new kind of love through Jewish themes at the same time as they were forced to conceal their true identities. To see how Jewish Dreyfus was, the book explores his background in Alsatian culture, in the cosmopolitan Judaism of Paris, and in the customs of Mediterranean Jewry. A close reading of the Court Martial in Rennes shows Dreyfus as more than the “zinc puppet” he was called; the scenario emerging as a variation of horror fantasies popular in the fin de siècle. The book asks two questions: why did Dreyfus prefer Meissonier’s paintings to the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists we admire so much; and, why, although he appreciated Zola’s efforts on his behalf, did he not refer to his novels?

About the Author :
American-born Norman Simms taught for more than forty years at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand and was editor of Mentalities/Mentalités. He has written scores of books, articles and reviews, often about the phenomenon of Crypto-Judaism, and, most recently, two books on Alfred Dreyfus.

Review :
“Professor Simms teaches us how to understand that which is hidden – especially that which has taken place, presumably in public. He also brings us close to major historical figures and they become real people, as if for the first time. But Simms also teaches us about so much else: peril, survival, love, tradition, morality. He is a Master Teacher on this subject and he is also a playful and witty writer as well as an interdisciplinary thinker. Just as well. His thinking is deep and his reading is wide. I recommend his work happily, and without hesitation.” – Phyllis Chesler, writer, psychotherapist, and professor emerita of psychology and women’s studies at the College of Staten Island“I cannot think of anyone more perfectly suited to untangle the phantasmagoria of Dreyfus. Professor Simms is eminently qualified because of his knowledge and expertise, particularly on Marranism and psychoanalysis. This third volume is sure to be gripping and filled with surprising innovative thoughts about what Dreyfus was experiencing and its meaning and relevance for us.” – Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin, PhD, Psychoanalyst; author of The Banality of Suicide Terrorism“The book is challenging, leading to unsuspected remote places along the way, and certainly highly rewarding to the unbiased reader.” – Iakov Levi, Archaeologist-Psychohistorian, and Independent Researcher