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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I accidentally spoiled the big twist for myself when browsing the website "better book titles", but it didn't deter me from reading this mammoth of a book. Dear Lord Eliot could've used a better editor. Parts seemed to drag on forever (as a non-religious person I found Mordecai and his sections so very boring). But! There were interesting characters. Henleigh Grandcourt was one-I don't know that I've come across someone like him in a book before. Gwendolen was interesting too, but I disliked her and her spoiled bitchy attitude for about 3/4 of the book, then felt embarassed for her. She kept insisting Deronda would know the right thing for her to do, and I felt disgusted that she wouldn't pull her head out of her own ass and grow up on her own. Perhaps I'm too harsh. The thing is, I just don't believ she married Grandcourt to help her mother. I think she just didn't want to be a governess.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This could have been so much shorter, the middle part dragged endlessly and some characters felt like cardboard cutouts but the overall story was interesting enough.
Part of - 1001 books to read before you die - challenge!
Part of - 1001 books to read before you die - challenge!
rip George Eliot you would’ve loved Yentl 😞
rip Gwendolen you would’ve really benefited from watching He’s Just not that Into You
On a serious note, this is really a groundbreaking book for Judaism in western literature. I mean how many popular authors in the 1870s are writing books with Jewish main characters and are discussing Jewish ideologies???? And with genuine curiosity and not prejudice??? Crazy work Mary Ann.
Also there was an especially interesting part of the book where debates about Zionism were brought up. How interesting is it to have a viewpoint from pre-WWII/creation of the state of Israel society wherein Palestine is recognized (politicians today could never). With that, I’m gonna choose to believe that Deronda’s travels to the east don’t mean he’s settling in Palestine 😬😬 he’s just a traveling lad y’all. please.
rip Gwendolen you would’ve really benefited from watching He’s Just not that Into You
On a serious note, this is really a groundbreaking book for Judaism in western literature. I mean how many popular authors in the 1870s are writing books with Jewish main characters and are discussing Jewish ideologies???? And with genuine curiosity and not prejudice??? Crazy work Mary Ann.
Also there was an especially interesting part of the book where debates about Zionism were brought up. How interesting is it to have a viewpoint from pre-WWII/creation of the state of Israel society wherein Palestine is recognized (politicians today could never). With that, I’m gonna choose to believe that Deronda’s travels to the east don’t mean he’s settling in Palestine 😬😬 he’s just a traveling lad y’all. please.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i cannot even begin to comprehend what i experienced while reading this book. i’m usually more of a “short and sweet and kind of unserious” review gal but this novel dazzles. the agony of letting people pass through your life, startling realizations about emotions and the idea that if different choices had been made, everything could be different. i bleed sympathy for these characters, for their understandings of empathy, sensitivity, and an ongoing conflict of moral spirit. it’s all so familiar to me and, i’m sure, countless others. such a raw and gaping portrayal of human complexity - so much nurturing and attention to detail. eliot carves these characters open and displays their every facet and for that, i hold her in the highest regard.
I’m so glad my great Books book club decided to tackle the imposing “Daniel Deronda“ for our January 2025 book. Would I have read it otherwise? I certainly always intended to read the author’s “Middlemarch“ years ago, but only did it because of book club
Clocking in at almost 800 pages of very dense text, this book demands that you focus on it, and I found myself having to schedule time at the library to avoid distraction at home. Like other Victorian literature, there are times a modern reader might be forgiven for skimming (for me it was parts of chapter 42).
It’s best to go into this book as blind as possible, and let George Elliott take you where she will, letting her weave us through the ebbs and flows of the intertwining stories of Gwendolyn Harleth and Daniel Deronda.
The intense power of a single look just a few pages into “Daniel Deronda” kicks off several deep character studies; crises of action, identity, and conscience; and the stories of the titular Daniel and Gwendolyn.
My initial impression of Gwendolyn was a young woman keen at riding and archery, being pretty, duplicitous wordplay, and breaking men’s hearts: in summary, a bit of a bratty twit. We learn that her father died many years before and that she detested her stepfather. Other than the intriguing Daniel Deronda, Gwendolyn treats men as playthings or annoyances. Gwendolyn dislikes being touched; one wonders whether she was spoiled or disliked men because the stepfather abused her in some way. By the end of the novel, I couldn’t figure out whether Gwendolyn was intended to be a satire of the characters that the author complains about in her 1856 essay “Silly Novels by Lady Novelists” or not. Perhaps, she ends up living with her mother the rest of her life on the reasonable money Grandcourt leaves her.
Women in middle and upper class England had few choices open to them. Even women who had money or property did and could not mange it themselves. The caste system often kept women segregated from each other, as well. There were so few choices open to women at that time: without a fortune or advantageous marriage, being a governess or a singing teacher were the only somewhat acceptable means of making a living.
Enter Grandcourt, “that remnant of a human being,” who is menacing from early on; Grandcourt’s cruel treatment of the good dog Fetch let's us know who he is. By chapter 30, the reader witnesses absolute cruelty and dismissal of the people he claims to love (nevermind his blood relatives). He is bored by everything except winning what he shouldn’t or can't have (for now). And once he has made his acquisition, he carelessly tosses his loves in a type of imprisonment, encasing them in “an empire of fear. “ (p. 384). The high-spirited Gwendolyn did not deserve this man. George Eliot is masterful in the cruel sections of the book. She’s uses direct language that is almost modern and accurately depicts what horrible things humans can do to each other. Her portrayal of psychological abuse was unusual for the time (compared to contemporary books I have read). Ultimately, grand Court is one of the best villains I have read in a long time.
People of unknown or partially-known parentage lived on the edges of society, allowed to view or take minor roles, but never to be fully integrated. And this is how we meet Daniel Deronda at the beginning of the book: a bit of a shadow who becomes more fleshed out as we proceeded through the story. So, too, was life for people of minority religions. In fact, this is the first book in my memory that takes a more sympathetic picture of what it was like to be Jewish in 1865 and to show a kind, generous Jewish family in the Cohens.
And this is George Eliot’s thesis. The book predicts the decline of the English aristocracy because of a belief in supreme power and ability to conquer without being open to other religions and cultures. The English aristocracy also undervalued the middle and lower classes upon whom they relied and it was those classes that should be valued, which is very clear in the book; the scenes in the middle and lower-class homes are the most charming and realistic. The most successful characters are the ones who look to help others not just focus on themselves.
Many of the characters in this book truly shine and are a clear reflection of George Eliot’s genius. The delightfully honest and stern Klesmer; Hans Meyrick and his open-minded mother and sisters; Ezra Cohen‘s warm and welcoming family, especially little Jacob; and Mr. Lush are very well-drawn. Many of these characters, steal the show from the two main character characters.
A few other random thoughts.
Set in 1865, there are references to the US Civil War’s impact on England’s economy and availability (or lack) of goods.
I couldn’t find any information on a possible theme of used/stale books. P. 347 Dermda observes “second-hand bookseller may belong to that unhappy class of men who have no belief in the good of what they get their living by…,” and on p. 389 “It had been Gwendolyn’s habit to think if the persons around her as stale books, too familiar to be interesting.”
There was quite a bit of talk at the meeting today about whether Danield Deronda was circumcised or not; his mother gave him away around the age of 2 and, of course, we don't find out.
The 2002 BBC adaptation by Andrew Davies is very well done with excellent casting across the board. They did a nice job of taking very dense material and creating a digestible miniseries.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM 01/25/25 GREAT BOOKS MEETING
1. George Eliot’s first epigraph begins, “Let thy chief terror be of thine own soul.” Why do you think the author began the novel with this poetic warning? What is the purpose of the epigraphs that begin each chapter? Are they distracting or do they broaden your understanding of each chapter?
2. What sense do you get of the narrator of this book? How does she gain your trust, stir your interest?
3. What effect do you think the names of the eight separate "books" of the novel have on the way we read and think about Daniel Deronda and the characters in it? (For example, the first book is called "The Spoiled Child." How does this affect the way you look at Gwendolen?)
4. Consider how the principal characters in the novel (the Mallingers, the Meyricks, Gwendolen, Grandcourt, Mirah, and Mordecai) view Daniel Deronda. Do their views contrast with the way he views himself? How do his self-image and his aspirations change over the course of the novel?
5. Henry James wrote an 1876 piece for The Atlantic Monthly using 3 fictional characters to criticize and praise “Daniel Deronda.” One character argued: “Gwendolen Harleth is a masterpiece. She is known, felt, and presented, psychologically, altogether in the grand manner. Beside her and beside her husband – a consummate picture of English brutality refined and distilled (for Grandcourt is before all things brutal) – Deronda, Mordecai, and Mirah are hardly more than shadows.” Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?
6. The Princess Halm-Eberstein, tells her son, Daniel Deronda: “You are not a woman. You may try—but you can never imagine what it is to have a man’s force of genius in you, and yet to suffer the slavery of being a girl.” The book teems with strong female characters of different backgrounds, temperaments, talents, and ruling passions. What are the female characters’ place in Victorian society and how do they deal with their limited options? Can you compare and contrast Gwendolen’s and Mirah’s feelings about family and roots? How do the portrayals of these women, as well as the focus on matrilineal descent in Judaism, work with terms like motherland and mother tongue?
7. Eliot emphasized the idea of "separateness with communication" in support of multiculturalism. How does the theme of maintaining an individual’s ethnic identity weave throughout “Daniel Deronda?” Is there room for minorities in a society organized or guided by nationalism? More specifically, how would you characterize Eliot’s depiction of Jewish people and their cultural and religious heritage? Was the viewpoint typical of the Victorian era? How do the individual romantic plots relate to the book’s focus on nationalism?
8. Some critics view The Philosophers Club scene in Chapter 42 is like “a play within a play.” What is this scene’s impact on the story? Why did Eliot choose so many (at-the-time) British minorities are to debate with Mordecai?
9. George Eliot remarked that everything in the book is related to everything else. Consider the attempted and actual drownings, the pawned-then-returned necklace and the gifted-then-regifted diamonds, as well as the various singers (Gwendolyn, Mirah, Princess Halm-Eberstein). How do these connections affect your view of the book?
10. Gwendolen sends Daniel a letter on his wedding day claiming that: “It is better—it shall be better with me because I have known you.” Do you think this is true? How would you describe the complex relationship between Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda? Who do you think is the real protagonist of the novel, Daniel or Gwendolen or (someone else) and why?
11. How does Eliot explore the themes of social class, power, and respectability in the novel? Specifically, what do we learn about Grandcourt’s character from the way he treats his dogs, Mr. Lush, Mrs. Glasher, and Gwendolyn? Is his character meant to represent the British aristocracy of his time?
12. How do the characters in Eliot’s novel achieve a meaningful life (specifically in relation to one’s calling)? What does the novel say about people who choose selfish actions over selfless actions?
EXTRA CREDIT: Silly Novels by Lady Novelists
PDF: https://georgeeliotarchive.org/files/original/df6ffa5059cc345b11f58a03d8e04341.pdf
Audiobook on Hoopla (1 hour, 8 minutes): https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/silly-novels-by-lady-novelists-george-eliot/15620451
This essay, originally published anonymously in The Westminster Review (1856), examines the state of women's fiction. Eliot laments that absurd and banal novels, written by well-to-do women of her time, do great disservice for the overall appreciation of women's intellectual capacities within society.
What would the George Eliot of 1856 think of Gwendoyn Harleth and the of the 1876 “Daniel Deronda?”
LINKS & RESOURCES
Reader’s Guide from Penguin edition: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/45821/daniel-deronda-by-george-eliot-introduction-by-edmund-white/9780307430878/readers-guide/
Themes: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Daniel-Deronda/themes/
Ruth Wisse’s Study Guide: https://tikvah.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tikvah_DerondaStudyGuide_v5.pdf
https://georgeeliotarchive.org/ including several reviews from contemporaries
Clocking in at almost 800 pages of very dense text, this book demands that you focus on it, and I found myself having to schedule time at the library to avoid distraction at home. Like other Victorian literature, there are times a modern reader might be forgiven for skimming (for me it was parts of chapter 42).
It’s best to go into this book as blind as possible, and let George Elliott take you where she will, letting her weave us through the ebbs and flows of the intertwining stories of Gwendolyn Harleth and Daniel Deronda.
The intense power of a single look just a few pages into “Daniel Deronda” kicks off several deep character studies; crises of action, identity, and conscience; and the stories of the titular Daniel and Gwendolyn.
My initial impression of Gwendolyn was a young woman keen at riding and archery, being pretty, duplicitous wordplay, and breaking men’s hearts: in summary, a bit of a bratty twit. We learn that her father died many years before and that she detested her stepfather. Other than the intriguing Daniel Deronda, Gwendolyn treats men as playthings or annoyances. Gwendolyn dislikes being touched; one wonders whether she was spoiled or disliked men because the stepfather abused her in some way. By the end of the novel, I couldn’t figure out whether Gwendolyn was intended to be a satire of the characters that the author complains about in her 1856 essay “Silly Novels by Lady Novelists” or not. Perhaps, she ends up living with her mother the rest of her life on the reasonable money Grandcourt leaves her.
Women in middle and upper class England had few choices open to them. Even women who had money or property did and could not mange it themselves. The caste system often kept women segregated from each other, as well. There were so few choices open to women at that time: without a fortune or advantageous marriage, being a governess or a singing teacher were the only somewhat acceptable means of making a living.
Enter Grandcourt, “that remnant of a human being,” who is menacing from early on; Grandcourt’s cruel treatment of the good dog Fetch let's us know who he is. By chapter 30, the reader witnesses absolute cruelty and dismissal of the people he claims to love (nevermind his blood relatives). He is bored by everything except winning what he shouldn’t or can't have (for now). And once he has made his acquisition, he carelessly tosses his loves in a type of imprisonment, encasing them in “an empire of fear. “ (p. 384). The high-spirited Gwendolyn did not deserve this man. George Eliot is masterful in the cruel sections of the book. She’s uses direct language that is almost modern and accurately depicts what horrible things humans can do to each other. Her portrayal of psychological abuse was unusual for the time (compared to contemporary books I have read). Ultimately, grand Court is one of the best villains I have read in a long time.
People of unknown or partially-known parentage lived on the edges of society, allowed to view or take minor roles, but never to be fully integrated. And this is how we meet Daniel Deronda at the beginning of the book: a bit of a shadow who becomes more fleshed out as we proceeded through the story. So, too, was life for people of minority religions. In fact, this is the first book in my memory that takes a more sympathetic picture of what it was like to be Jewish in 1865 and to show a kind, generous Jewish family in the Cohens.
And this is George Eliot’s thesis. The book predicts the decline of the English aristocracy because of a belief in supreme power and ability to conquer without being open to other religions and cultures. The English aristocracy also undervalued the middle and lower classes upon whom they relied and it was those classes that should be valued, which is very clear in the book; the scenes in the middle and lower-class homes are the most charming and realistic. The most successful characters are the ones who look to help others not just focus on themselves.
Many of the characters in this book truly shine and are a clear reflection of George Eliot’s genius. The delightfully honest and stern Klesmer; Hans Meyrick and his open-minded mother and sisters; Ezra Cohen‘s warm and welcoming family, especially little Jacob; and Mr. Lush are very well-drawn. Many of these characters, steal the show from the two main character characters.
A few other random thoughts.
Set in 1865, there are references to the US Civil War’s impact on England’s economy and availability (or lack) of goods.
I couldn’t find any information on a possible theme of used/stale books. P. 347 Dermda observes “second-hand bookseller may belong to that unhappy class of men who have no belief in the good of what they get their living by…,” and on p. 389 “It had been Gwendolyn’s habit to think if the persons around her as stale books, too familiar to be interesting.”
There was quite a bit of talk at the meeting today about whether Danield Deronda was circumcised or not; his mother gave him away around the age of 2 and, of course, we don't find out.
The 2002 BBC adaptation by Andrew Davies is very well done with excellent casting across the board. They did a nice job of taking very dense material and creating a digestible miniseries.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM 01/25/25 GREAT BOOKS MEETING
1. George Eliot’s first epigraph begins, “Let thy chief terror be of thine own soul.” Why do you think the author began the novel with this poetic warning? What is the purpose of the epigraphs that begin each chapter? Are they distracting or do they broaden your understanding of each chapter?
2. What sense do you get of the narrator of this book? How does she gain your trust, stir your interest?
3. What effect do you think the names of the eight separate "books" of the novel have on the way we read and think about Daniel Deronda and the characters in it? (For example, the first book is called "The Spoiled Child." How does this affect the way you look at Gwendolen?)
4. Consider how the principal characters in the novel (the Mallingers, the Meyricks, Gwendolen, Grandcourt, Mirah, and Mordecai) view Daniel Deronda. Do their views contrast with the way he views himself? How do his self-image and his aspirations change over the course of the novel?
5. Henry James wrote an 1876 piece for The Atlantic Monthly using 3 fictional characters to criticize and praise “Daniel Deronda.” One character argued: “Gwendolen Harleth is a masterpiece. She is known, felt, and presented, psychologically, altogether in the grand manner. Beside her and beside her husband – a consummate picture of English brutality refined and distilled (for Grandcourt is before all things brutal) – Deronda, Mordecai, and Mirah are hardly more than shadows.” Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?
6. The Princess Halm-Eberstein, tells her son, Daniel Deronda: “You are not a woman. You may try—but you can never imagine what it is to have a man’s force of genius in you, and yet to suffer the slavery of being a girl.” The book teems with strong female characters of different backgrounds, temperaments, talents, and ruling passions. What are the female characters’ place in Victorian society and how do they deal with their limited options? Can you compare and contrast Gwendolen’s and Mirah’s feelings about family and roots? How do the portrayals of these women, as well as the focus on matrilineal descent in Judaism, work with terms like motherland and mother tongue?
7. Eliot emphasized the idea of "separateness with communication" in support of multiculturalism. How does the theme of maintaining an individual’s ethnic identity weave throughout “Daniel Deronda?” Is there room for minorities in a society organized or guided by nationalism? More specifically, how would you characterize Eliot’s depiction of Jewish people and their cultural and religious heritage? Was the viewpoint typical of the Victorian era? How do the individual romantic plots relate to the book’s focus on nationalism?
8. Some critics view The Philosophers Club scene in Chapter 42 is like “a play within a play.” What is this scene’s impact on the story? Why did Eliot choose so many (at-the-time) British minorities are to debate with Mordecai?
9. George Eliot remarked that everything in the book is related to everything else. Consider the attempted and actual drownings, the pawned-then-returned necklace and the gifted-then-regifted diamonds, as well as the various singers (Gwendolyn, Mirah, Princess Halm-Eberstein). How do these connections affect your view of the book?
10. Gwendolen sends Daniel a letter on his wedding day claiming that: “It is better—it shall be better with me because I have known you.” Do you think this is true? How would you describe the complex relationship between Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda? Who do you think is the real protagonist of the novel, Daniel or Gwendolen or (someone else) and why?
11. How does Eliot explore the themes of social class, power, and respectability in the novel? Specifically, what do we learn about Grandcourt’s character from the way he treats his dogs, Mr. Lush, Mrs. Glasher, and Gwendolyn? Is his character meant to represent the British aristocracy of his time?
12. How do the characters in Eliot’s novel achieve a meaningful life (specifically in relation to one’s calling)? What does the novel say about people who choose selfish actions over selfless actions?
EXTRA CREDIT: Silly Novels by Lady Novelists
PDF: https://georgeeliotarchive.org/files/original/df6ffa5059cc345b11f58a03d8e04341.pdf
Audiobook on Hoopla (1 hour, 8 minutes): https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/silly-novels-by-lady-novelists-george-eliot/15620451
This essay, originally published anonymously in The Westminster Review (1856), examines the state of women's fiction. Eliot laments that absurd and banal novels, written by well-to-do women of her time, do great disservice for the overall appreciation of women's intellectual capacities within society.
What would the George Eliot of 1856 think of Gwendoyn Harleth and the of the 1876 “Daniel Deronda?”
LINKS & RESOURCES
Reader’s Guide from Penguin edition: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/45821/daniel-deronda-by-george-eliot-introduction-by-edmund-white/9780307430878/readers-guide/
Themes: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Daniel-Deronda/themes/
Ruth Wisse’s Study Guide: https://tikvah.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tikvah_DerondaStudyGuide_v5.pdf
https://georgeeliotarchive.org/ including several reviews from contemporaries
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was mostly skimming for 60% of this book or more. When it was good, it was great. When it was bad, it was verging unreadable. I don't understand how this book can be so long and so little can happen.
Well that was weird. Would flighty, beautiful Gwendolyn Harleth repent of her marriage to the cruel Mr. Grandcourt? Also - Jews should move to Palestine.
The two protagonists in this novel: Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda, could hardly be more different characters, yet this very difference serves to deepen and add meaning to their interactions. Gwendolen is very much 'The Spoiled Child', subject of the first section of the novel. The eldest and beloved daughter of a weak woman, who made a couple of unfortunate marraiges, Gwendolen reigns over the household composed of her mother and three step-sisters. She is bright and articulate but selfish and self-absorbed. Only the severe scrutiny of the mysterious Deronda disturbs her reckless gambling. He is reserved, where she is flamboyant, dark in contrast to her fairness. They are not even introduced on the occasion at the start of the novel yet, from that moment, a connection between them is established.
Gwendolen is called back to England as her family has been ruined through unfortunate investments. She faces poverty and the unpleasant option of becoming a governess. Here there is a flash back to an earlier occasion when Gwendolen flirted with the supercilious Mr Grandcourt, heir to Sir Hugo Mallinger, the guardian of Deronda, who only has three daughters from his own marriage. Gwendolen's brilliance has attracted the hard and haughty Grandcourt but initially she plays with him. Just when she is thinking of accepting an offer from him, his assistant, the loathsome Lush, arranges for her to meet the woman with whom Grandcourt had an earlier clandestine relationship resulting in three daughters and a son. Lydia Glasher presses her claim to marry Grandcourt and for his son to be recognized as his heir and the shocked Gwendolen commits to never marry him. This was the reason why she was travelling on the Continent when she first met Deronda.
Although she is initially resolute in her intention to continue to refuse Grandcourt who, perhaps surprisingly, continues to press his suit even when the altered circumstances of the Harleths become known, Gwendolen’s resolve is worn away by the thought of poverty. Grandcourt also agrees to provide her mother with support and this, together with an intention (and confident expectation) of ruling over Grandcourt, and ensuring that he recognizes Glasher’s son as his heir, induces her to accept his offer. As Eliot remarks: “Gwendolen had about as accurate a conception of marriage – that is to say of the mutual influences, demands, duties of man and woman in the state of matrimony – as she had of magnetic currents and the law of storms.” Unsurprisingly she is swiftly disillusioned. Although she remains proud in public, Grandcourt dominates her and she has to submit to his will. The only person she feels she can turn to for moral support is Deronda although, even to him, she does not initially reveal her awareness of Glasher’s claim when she married Grandcourt. However, he senses her deep unease and is able to offer some comfort.
Deronda has issues of his own, resulting from a lack of knowledge about his parents. He suspects he is the illegitimate son of Sir Hugo Mallinger, but from delicacy can never bring himself to discuss the matter with him. Then he rescues the beautiful Mirah, a Jewess, from drowning and takes her to the house of the mother of his friend Hans Meyrick. After hearing her story he searches for her mother and brother and discovers the latter in the person of a sick, emaciated Jew, Mordecai, to whom he had been inexplicably drawn when he first met him by chance in a bookshop. He begins to study Hebrew and Jewish history with Mordecai, intoxicated by the latter’s fervour about the history of his race and hopes for its future. Deronda also falls in love with Mirah but is too principled to let her know while she remains under his protection.
Grandcourt, while not exactly jealous of Deronda, resents his meetings and obvious influence over his wife and, in an exercise of control, takes her away sailing in the Mediterranean. Coincidentally, Deronda receives through Sir Hugo, summons from the mother he had never known to meet her in Genoa. The dying Princess Halm-Eberstein turns out to be a Jewess who had rebelled against her family to make a career as a singer, which was when Sir Hugo fell in love with her. Although she had married her cousin, she was determined that her child should not be shackled by his race but be brought up as a gentleman. Sir Hugo was pleased to accept the charge of bringing him up. Deronda, already imbued with Mordecai’s studies, welcomes the knowledge of his background and heritage, especially that of his grandfather who was a leader of his people.
By chance Grandcourt and Gwendolen are at the same hotel in Genoa and meet Deronda on the staircase. Grandcourt wants to go out sailing in a small boat and Gwendolen hopes this will give her the opportunity to talk with Deronda, but Grandcourt spoils this plan by insisting she accompany him. There is some bad weather, Grandcourt is knocked overboard and drowns while Gwendolen is rescued. She confesses to Deronda that she could have flung him a rope which might have saved him, but she wished him dead. He tries to comfort her by saying that he is sure she could not have saved him.
Back in England, Gwendolen continues to rely on visits from Deronda and he has difficulty in resolving to tell her of his Jewish heritage, his projected marriage to Mirah and plans to travel to the East. When he finally does, Gwendolen is devastated: “I said I should be forsaken. I have been a cruel woman. And I am forsaken.” Yet in resolving to live on, she demonstrates how her character has developed over the course of the novel and she has become a sadder but better woman.
The above summary presents the bare bones of the story. It is an intriguing plot, especially in the way the stories of the two main characters interweave. Yet the plot itself is of less interest than the ways in which moral dilemmas are faced and how that helps to build character. The self-absorbed, Gwendolen, despite her imperviousness to the suffering of her first suitor, Rex, is, at heart, well-intentioned, as shown by her initial reaction to Lydia Glasher’s story. But she is weak and, her very enjoyment of her privileged life-style pushes her to accept Grandcourt’s offer. Disillusionment is rapid, her only relief coming from Deronda, the one person that she feels truly understands and sympathizes with her.
The mystery surrounding Deronda’s identity is intriguing and most satisfactorily resolved. His insecurity about his identity helps to explain some of his special sympathy with those in trouble, Gwendolen being an obvious case, but also Hans Meyrick, whom he guides through his scholarship while sacrificing his own academic career, and Mirah herself. Despite, or maybe because of his sensitivity, he is a less satisfactory character than Gwendolen as he is almost too good to be true. Although his initial distaste at the family of Ezra Cohen, might be criticized, it was a very natural reaction for one brought up as he was. His subsequent appreciation of their generosity and, above all, his association with Mordecai before he is aware of his own heritage, more than make up for his original prejudice.
Daniel Deronda was Eliot’s last work, written at a time when she suffered from the excruciating pain of kidney stones and other ailments. Tackling Judaism involved lengthy research taking her far from her literary comfort zone. Unlike her other novels, the period in Daniel Deronda was contemporary. It is a novel where the author’s voice is omnipresent and much that she has to say invites serious reflection. With respect to the difficulty of describing a human being she says: “We recognize the alphabet; we are not sure of the language.” In talking of the poverty of words: “The word of all work Love will no more express the myriad modes of mutual attraction, than the word Thought can inform you what is passing through your neighbour’s mind.”
Daniel Deronda is an absorbing story but much more than that. I look forward to re-reading it to reflect on some of the gems I skipped over in my interest in the plot.
Gwendolen is called back to England as her family has been ruined through unfortunate investments. She faces poverty and the unpleasant option of becoming a governess. Here there is a flash back to an earlier occasion when Gwendolen flirted with the supercilious Mr Grandcourt, heir to Sir Hugo Mallinger, the guardian of Deronda, who only has three daughters from his own marriage. Gwendolen's brilliance has attracted the hard and haughty Grandcourt but initially she plays with him. Just when she is thinking of accepting an offer from him, his assistant, the loathsome Lush, arranges for her to meet the woman with whom Grandcourt had an earlier clandestine relationship resulting in three daughters and a son. Lydia Glasher presses her claim to marry Grandcourt and for his son to be recognized as his heir and the shocked Gwendolen commits to never marry him. This was the reason why she was travelling on the Continent when she first met Deronda.
Although she is initially resolute in her intention to continue to refuse Grandcourt who, perhaps surprisingly, continues to press his suit even when the altered circumstances of the Harleths become known, Gwendolen’s resolve is worn away by the thought of poverty. Grandcourt also agrees to provide her mother with support and this, together with an intention (and confident expectation) of ruling over Grandcourt, and ensuring that he recognizes Glasher’s son as his heir, induces her to accept his offer. As Eliot remarks: “Gwendolen had about as accurate a conception of marriage – that is to say of the mutual influences, demands, duties of man and woman in the state of matrimony – as she had of magnetic currents and the law of storms.” Unsurprisingly she is swiftly disillusioned. Although she remains proud in public, Grandcourt dominates her and she has to submit to his will. The only person she feels she can turn to for moral support is Deronda although, even to him, she does not initially reveal her awareness of Glasher’s claim when she married Grandcourt. However, he senses her deep unease and is able to offer some comfort.
Deronda has issues of his own, resulting from a lack of knowledge about his parents. He suspects he is the illegitimate son of Sir Hugo Mallinger, but from delicacy can never bring himself to discuss the matter with him. Then he rescues the beautiful Mirah, a Jewess, from drowning and takes her to the house of the mother of his friend Hans Meyrick. After hearing her story he searches for her mother and brother and discovers the latter in the person of a sick, emaciated Jew, Mordecai, to whom he had been inexplicably drawn when he first met him by chance in a bookshop. He begins to study Hebrew and Jewish history with Mordecai, intoxicated by the latter’s fervour about the history of his race and hopes for its future. Deronda also falls in love with Mirah but is too principled to let her know while she remains under his protection.
Grandcourt, while not exactly jealous of Deronda, resents his meetings and obvious influence over his wife and, in an exercise of control, takes her away sailing in the Mediterranean. Coincidentally, Deronda receives through Sir Hugo, summons from the mother he had never known to meet her in Genoa. The dying Princess Halm-Eberstein turns out to be a Jewess who had rebelled against her family to make a career as a singer, which was when Sir Hugo fell in love with her. Although she had married her cousin, she was determined that her child should not be shackled by his race but be brought up as a gentleman. Sir Hugo was pleased to accept the charge of bringing him up. Deronda, already imbued with Mordecai’s studies, welcomes the knowledge of his background and heritage, especially that of his grandfather who was a leader of his people.
By chance Grandcourt and Gwendolen are at the same hotel in Genoa and meet Deronda on the staircase. Grandcourt wants to go out sailing in a small boat and Gwendolen hopes this will give her the opportunity to talk with Deronda, but Grandcourt spoils this plan by insisting she accompany him. There is some bad weather, Grandcourt is knocked overboard and drowns while Gwendolen is rescued. She confesses to Deronda that she could have flung him a rope which might have saved him, but she wished him dead. He tries to comfort her by saying that he is sure she could not have saved him.
Back in England, Gwendolen continues to rely on visits from Deronda and he has difficulty in resolving to tell her of his Jewish heritage, his projected marriage to Mirah and plans to travel to the East. When he finally does, Gwendolen is devastated: “I said I should be forsaken. I have been a cruel woman. And I am forsaken.” Yet in resolving to live on, she demonstrates how her character has developed over the course of the novel and she has become a sadder but better woman.
The above summary presents the bare bones of the story. It is an intriguing plot, especially in the way the stories of the two main characters interweave. Yet the plot itself is of less interest than the ways in which moral dilemmas are faced and how that helps to build character. The self-absorbed, Gwendolen, despite her imperviousness to the suffering of her first suitor, Rex, is, at heart, well-intentioned, as shown by her initial reaction to Lydia Glasher’s story. But she is weak and, her very enjoyment of her privileged life-style pushes her to accept Grandcourt’s offer. Disillusionment is rapid, her only relief coming from Deronda, the one person that she feels truly understands and sympathizes with her.
The mystery surrounding Deronda’s identity is intriguing and most satisfactorily resolved. His insecurity about his identity helps to explain some of his special sympathy with those in trouble, Gwendolen being an obvious case, but also Hans Meyrick, whom he guides through his scholarship while sacrificing his own academic career, and Mirah herself. Despite, or maybe because of his sensitivity, he is a less satisfactory character than Gwendolen as he is almost too good to be true. Although his initial distaste at the family of Ezra Cohen, might be criticized, it was a very natural reaction for one brought up as he was. His subsequent appreciation of their generosity and, above all, his association with Mordecai before he is aware of his own heritage, more than make up for his original prejudice.
Daniel Deronda was Eliot’s last work, written at a time when she suffered from the excruciating pain of kidney stones and other ailments. Tackling Judaism involved lengthy research taking her far from her literary comfort zone. Unlike her other novels, the period in Daniel Deronda was contemporary. It is a novel where the author’s voice is omnipresent and much that she has to say invites serious reflection. With respect to the difficulty of describing a human being she says: “We recognize the alphabet; we are not sure of the language.” In talking of the poverty of words: “The word of all work Love will no more express the myriad modes of mutual attraction, than the word Thought can inform you what is passing through your neighbour’s mind.”
Daniel Deronda is an absorbing story but much more than that. I look forward to re-reading it to reflect on some of the gems I skipped over in my interest in the plot.