J’Accuse- Emile Zola

Following on from last week’s post on The Dreyfus affair; the most famous case of miscarriage of justice, this post deals with J’Accuse by Emile Zola; the open letter published in the national press, causing unrest among the French people about the treatment of an innocent man.   

Emile Zola was born in 1840, and became a French writer and journalist, most famous for being a major figure in the outcome of the Dreyfus affair, but also for risking his career and freedom by defaming the guilty men involved with the affair.

J’Accuse was published in 1898 in the newspaper L’Aurore addressing the president of France Felix Faure. Zola is respectful in his letter, explaining the situation to the president, using flattery but also warning that the affair could become a ‘stain’ on the reign of the president, inferring that the wrongdoing could easily be undone.

Zola structures the letter by pointing out the facts of the case in his letter, pointing out the judicial errors and lack of evidence that convicted Dreyfus to life on ‘Devils island’. Zola then gives his version of events, and explains individually each person involved, their role and what they are guilty of.  By doing this Zola risk libel, as he defames every person that he mentions in the letter. I think that it is important that Zola states that he does not know the men that he defames and that he is writing the letter only for justice to be done, rather than in malice.

Despite this he was sentenced to prison and had to escape to London to avoid his punishment. Zola continues to use phrases such as ‘a spot of mud on your name’ trying to play on the guilt of the president. 

Zola mentions anti-Semitism which was ripe in France at the time of the letter as a result of the fall of France. The Jews were used as a scapegoat and a way of explain the defeat in the war against France.  Zola however cannot be a part of this, or the ‘denial of justice’ that Dreyfus has received, despite knowing his letter would cause controversy.

 Zola also states that because of the ‘spectre of innocence’ there was no way that he would be able to ignore the wrongdoing of Dreyfus, therefore giving his reasons for writing the letter which founded the journalist’s role to ensure justice.

The letter ends with the naming of every person involved in the affair who has in some way been part of the wrongdoing, facing the wrath of the French government, but making sure that an innocent man would not be punished for something that he had not done.