A dream of Anaïs Nin as a child

In early 1915, in New York, why did young Anaïs Nin dream that Joan of Arc was exhorting her to save France? Worshipped as a folk heroine for centuries, Joan’s popularity suddenly surged at the outbreak of World War One. Although she was not canonized until 1920, the native of Lorraine quickly became a symbol of the French Republic, a French saint disgraced by German barbarians. Anaïs Nin’s dream weaves together elements of propaganda that had taken deep root in the French consciousness, in a variety of forms, conveyed by pictures, patriotic events, postcards, and the press in particular. News reports presented here feature a gallery of eccentric women claiming to save France: women in the grips of mystical dementia, and pseudo-miracles attributed to Joan. War is men’s business. The women-youg Anaïs foremost - compensate for their helplessness to combat the enemy with a Joan-inspired delusion.