From the Bookshelf of Sir Walter Scott Appreciation…

Daniel Deronda

George Eliot,

Edmund White (Introduction)

Start date: September 1, 2018

Finish date: October 31, 2018

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Mar 22, 2024 Brian E Reynolds rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is George Eliot’s last novel and is a lengthy 800-page epic similar in framework to Eliot’s previous novel Middlemarch. Both involve Eliot’s integration of two separate storylines resulting in a lengthy epic with both a male and female protagonist. In Middlemarch, the two protagonists were Dr. Lydgate and Dorothea Brooke, both residents of the town of Middlemarch. In this novel we have the title character Daniel Deronda, a young English gentleman of independent means whose parentage is a my This is George Eliot’s last novel and is a lengthy 800-page epic similar in framework to Eliot’s previous novel Middlemarch. Both involve Eliot’s integration of two separate storylines resulting in a lengthy epic with both a male and female protagonist. In Middlemarch, the two protagonists were Dr. Lydgate and Dorothea Brooke, both residents of the town of Middlemarch. In this novel we have the title character Daniel Deronda, a young English gentleman of independent means whose parentage is a mystery and Gwendolen Harleth, a young very attractive woman in the same community as Daniel.

The novel pursues both Daniel and Gwendolen’s romantic and general life stories. For Gwendolyn, the story is about her personal growth as a haughty young beauty and through the travails of her marriage to the even haughtier landowner Mr. Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt, who will inherit the estate of his uncle Sir Hugo Mallinger the man who, in the absence of Daniel’s parents, has raised Daniel to be the well-mannered English gentleman he is.

For Daniel, the story is his search for his self-identity by looking for his parentage along with his self-education in Judaism that is sparked by his rescue of a young, talented and attractive Jewish woman named Mirah Lapidoth. Along with their separate storylines, circumstances bring Daniel and Gwendolen together in situations where Daniel acts as an advisor with an undercurrent of possible returned romantic interests.

I did not enjoy this story nearly as much as Middlemarch for several reasons. First, while I liked and empathized with both Dr. Lydgate and Dorothea in Middlemarch and with Gwendolen here, I never could identify with Daniel as a person or character. His patronizing approach to bettering the lives of others, while seemingly a positive trait to Eliot, came off as an annoying savior complex to me and inhibited my ability to empathize with him. It also was one of the traits that made the character of Daniel feel like a less than realistic character to me. I felt that the Jewish characters of Mirah and her brother Mordecai also felt more like portrayals of traits than complete persons. Gwendolen, though, was a much better formed and realistic character and, despite her less attractive traits, I empathized with her in her life’s journey.

Second, one of my pleasures in Middlemarch was observing the operation of the title town and how various characters acted in the interest of bettering, or not bettering, the conditions of life in the town. This is a subject that I find very interesting and was a reason I enjoyed the novel South Riding so much. Here, there is no such town to bring the characters together, as the community consists of estates, residences and overseas travels that serve to separate the characters.

Finally, while I respect Eliot for addressing Judaism and Jewishness in a positive manner, in trying to avoid the negative stereotypes then prevalent in Victorian literature, she created Jewish characters that, while more positive creations, seemed just as stereotypical and unreal. Additionally, many passages, discussions and events involving Daniel’s investigation of Judaism were tedious or unrealistic. I found the more political and theological and philosophical discussions neither interesting nor enlightening. While I did try to look at this theme from a 19th Century rather than 21st Century eye, it’s deficiencies prevented my enjoyment of this storyline.

As I do like Eliot’s writing and the Gwendolen character and storyline, this book warrants a 3-star rather than a 2-star rating. I respect Eliot’s efforts in this book but her approach to the title character and the Jewish theme were less than satisfying for me. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2019 Tracey rated it really liked it

First off let me say that whilst this was not my favourite book by Eliot, it is still a good read.

The characterization was excellent with the two main ones being Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth. Deronda I found a little unbelievable. Gwendolen Harleth was a much more realistic character and I went from not liking her much at the beginning of the book to being really impressed with the growth she made and how she dealt with her experiences and their consequence.

The book I felt could have b ...more

2 likes · Like · see review