Daniel Deronda discussion.

[victorianfan]

I read "Daniel Deronda" few months ago after I watched BBC mini-serie. The most compelling character, for me, was Mr. Grandcourt, Gwendolen's cold, manipulative and cruel husband. In the movie, he was greatly potraited by actor Hugh Bonneville (I was surprised by his interpration of such a character because I used to see him playing roles of silly, good-natured men). Although, I don't know if I'd be so impressed if I had read the novel first. Hm.

Personally, I would finish the novel quite differently: Gwendolen would marry Daniel, the Saint and after a period of recovery from her unhappy marriage (unhappy because she couldn't dominate), she would miraculously start acting as her first husband did. After all, they were similar in character. At least from my point of view. In previous marriage Gwendolen just learned a few more tricks to torture someone.

[FranzS]

Personally, I would finish the novel quite differently: Gwendolen would marry Daniel, the Saint and after a period of recovery from her unhappy marriage (unhappy because she couldn't dominate), she would miraculously start acting as her first husband did. After all, they were similar in character. At least from my point of view. In previous marriage Gwendolen just learned a few more tricks to torture someone.

Hmm... with respect, I think you've missed the point. There is a seed of goodness in Gwendolyn that, to begin with, is buried under an inheritance of privilege and complacency. Grandcourt's cruelty towards her teaches her that being adored for one's beauty is not enough: one needs to give and receive love to be happy.

Suffering makes Gwendolyn less selfish. I think she is a great character and her story rings absolutely true to me. (Deronda, and most of the Jewish characters, I found two-dimensional: one feels that Eliot is trying to write about a culture she knows too little of from the inside. As for the original poster, who suggested the book is anti-semitic: I don't know how one could take this away from the novel. Yes, anti-Jewish prejudice is portrayed, but that is how the world was in the 19th Century. Eliot was actually trying to redress the balance by creating sympathetic Jewish characters: as it happens, I don't think she succeeded, and she comes across as fawning over Jewish culture rather than really engaging with it.)

Your alternative ending would destroy the point of the novel, which is that Gwendolyn grows as a person. Your grim twist might be appropriate in a thriller, but not in a work of psychological realism.

[kev67]

Ive been reading this for over a week now , while Ive had a chance ( slow reading for me ) but I have a few thoughts I wanted to share as I go along.
( oh and this is another ccount for the litnet challenge!!)
1) Gewdoline in MAlory Towers resembles this Gwendoline very much in charcheter and looks - Did enid blyton base her on Eliots charcater?
2) The anti sematisim is quite stong from the beging ( I know that is a poin sopmewhere bu its kind of shcocing in away)-- somewhat remindis me of certain attitudes found in Ivanhoe.
3) What is it with vicorians and dogs? They demostrate how heartless aperson is with how they realte to dogs. Grandcourt in this case
and whats his facce in Oliver Twist. for two examoles. There were other exmples I ave come across.

Anyway anyone who wants to discuss this here is a place.

Ivanhoe is mentioned several times. I watched part of the film of Ivanhoe on television a long time ago, but I iirc it has a beautiful Jewess called Rebecca who Ivanhoe falls in love with, or at least defends. Mirah is a beautiful Jewess, so the comparison would be obvious to GE's readers.

George Elliot is the only author I have read (the only C19th author anyway) who occasionally writes a sentence or two from a dog's perspective. She did so in Middlemarch and Silas Marner.