George Eliot was neither Jewish, nor religious, but her 1876 novel Daniel Deronda influenced many Jewish leaders to become Zionists and seek the repatriation of the Jews to the Land of Israel. Learn about Eliot’s relationship to Emanuel Deutsch, the Jewish scholar who taught her Hebrew and about the reaction of Victorian-era England to the celebrated writer’s unusual subject matter for the time. Included are sound bytes from rare adaptations of the novel.
Will Gwendolen escape her abusive husband and marry Daniel? Or will Daniel marry Mirah, who is also being courted by his best friend Hans? Will Daniel ever find his real mother? Will Mirah ever find her lost brother? And did any of this parallel George Eliot’s real-life relationships? Find out in this podcast.
NOTES:
* The Deronda Review: a journal of poetry and thought
* Interview with Esther Cameron of the Deronda Review
* Himmelfarb, George Eliot, and the Jews By Ruth R. Wisse
* How George Eliot Became a Social Outcast at the Height of Her Fame
On Her Final novel, Daniel Deronda
* George Eliot and Judaism: An Attempt to Appreciate "Daniel Deronda" by David Kaufmann, 1878
* George Eliot Archive - Emanuel Deutsch bio entry
* Daniel Deronda - full text
