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A review by danelleeb
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
4.0
Daniel Deronda, George Eliot's last complete work is probably her most ambitious.
Unlike her previous works, which were set in quaint little country villages, Daniel Deronda is set in high society London. And instead of the small-town politics and gossip, Eliot seems to have taken on global politics of the time - her time, as it's the only novel set during the Victorian Age. Eliot takes stabs at British Imperialism, common prejudices, identity issues, religion (especially the emergence of Zionism), the inheritance customs/laws, and the limitations of being a woman.
The novel has two main storylines that, of course, intersect. We have the story of Gwendolen Harleth, a vain beauty who is used to getting anything and everything she wants. When the unthinkable happens, she marries Henleigh Grandcourt .
Henleigh Grandcourt is set to inherit Daniel Deronda's home, as Daniel's legal guardian, Sir Hugo, has no sons of his own. Grandcourt, being his nephew, is the only male heir able to inherit. Henleigh is an unsavory character and weds the beautiful Gwendolen only because he wants to break her will and master her.
Daniel, being an almost-cousin of Henleigh's and a neighbor and aquaintance of Gwendolen's is involved with their story.
The other storyline is that of Mirah, a "Jewess" who is distraught and rescued by Deronda. She is searching for her lost brother and mother while trying to stay away from the father who stole her away. Daniel begins searching for her family and meets Mordecai, a Jew who is a visionary and faithful to the Kaballistic philosophy.
And in all of this is Daniel. The main character who is unsure of his parentage and his true identity. He doesn't seem to fit into anywhere at all, which is perfect as he has a foot in both of the worlds Eliot is focusing on.
Hefty, even by Eliot standards, Daniel Deronda is Tolstoy-like in its complexity with shades of Dickens in the characters and the social issues Eliot addresses.
To be very much sued or hopelessly sighed for as a bride was indeed an indispensible and agreeable guarantee of womanly power; but to become a wife and wear all the domestic fetters of that condition, was on the whole a vexatious necessity. (p.68)
The beginning of an aquaintace whether with persons or things is to get a definite outline for our own ignorance. (p.145)
Some feelings are like our hearing: they come as sounds do, before we know their reason. (p.259)
Unlike her previous works, which were set in quaint little country villages, Daniel Deronda is set in high society London. And instead of the small-town politics and gossip, Eliot seems to have taken on global politics of the time - her time, as it's the only novel set during the Victorian Age. Eliot takes stabs at British Imperialism, common prejudices, identity issues, religion (especially the emergence of Zionism), the inheritance customs/laws, and the limitations of being a woman.
The novel has two main storylines that, of course, intersect. We have the story of Gwendolen Harleth, a vain beauty who is used to getting anything and everything she wants. When the unthinkable happens
Spoiler
(she, her mother, and her sisters lose all their wealth and are left destitute)Spoiler
(so she doesn't have to go away and be a governess and her family doesn't have to be (gasp!) poor)Henleigh Grandcourt is set to inherit Daniel Deronda's home, as Daniel's legal guardian, Sir Hugo, has no sons of his own. Grandcourt, being his nephew, is the only male heir able to inherit. Henleigh is an unsavory character and weds the beautiful Gwendolen only because he wants to break her will and master her.
Spoiler
He has some skeletons in his closet as well - namely that he has three children by another woman he once promised to wed.Daniel, being an almost-cousin of Henleigh's and a neighbor and aquaintance of Gwendolen's is involved with their story.
The other storyline is that of Mirah, a "Jewess" who is distraught and rescued by Deronda. She is searching for her lost brother and mother while trying to stay away from the father who stole her away. Daniel begins searching for her family and meets Mordecai, a Jew who is a visionary and faithful to the Kaballistic philosophy.
And in all of this is Daniel. The main character who is unsure of his parentage and his true identity. He doesn't seem to fit into anywhere at all, which is perfect as he has a foot in both of the worlds Eliot is focusing on.
Hefty, even by Eliot standards, Daniel Deronda is Tolstoy-like in its complexity with shades of Dickens in the characters and the social issues Eliot addresses.
To be very much sued or hopelessly sighed for as a bride was indeed an indispensible and agreeable guarantee of womanly power; but to become a wife and wear all the domestic fetters of that condition, was on the whole a vexatious necessity. (p.68)
The beginning of an aquaintace whether with persons or things is to get a definite outline for our own ignorance. (p.145)
Some feelings are like our hearing: they come as sounds do, before we know their reason. (p.259)