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Daniel Deronda (Penguin Classics)
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Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: George Eliot
Publisher: Penguin Classics
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Our Price: $9.95
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Author: George Eliot
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Average Customer Rating:
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Daniel Deronda (Penguin Classics) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780140434279
ISBN: 0140434275
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 896
Publication Date: 1996-02-01
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780140434279
ISBN: 0140434275
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 896
Publication Date: 1996-02-01
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Editorial Review of Daniel Deronda (Penguin Classics)
2 Cassettes, 3 hours
Dramatization
A BBC Radio full-cast dramatization of George Eliot's final controversial novel. From the moment he sees her at the roulette table, the young and idealistic Daniel Deronda is drawn to Gwendolyn Harleth, as she is to him. But Gwendolyn -- outwardly alluring and vivacious, inwardly complex and unsettled -- is forced by circumstance into an oppressive marriage with the harsh aristocratic Henleigh Grandcourt.
Daniel becomes torn between her and Mirah Lapidoth, a young Jewish woman he saves from suicide, and, uncertain of his parentage, becomes increasingly driven to discover who and what is.
Dramatization
A BBC Radio full-cast dramatization of George Eliot's final controversial novel. From the moment he sees her at the roulette table, the young and idealistic Daniel Deronda is drawn to Gwendolyn Harleth, as she is to him. But Gwendolyn -- outwardly alluring and vivacious, inwardly complex and unsettled -- is forced by circumstance into an oppressive marriage with the harsh aristocratic Henleigh Grandcourt.
Daniel becomes torn between her and Mirah Lapidoth, a young Jewish woman he saves from suicide, and, uncertain of his parentage, becomes increasingly driven to discover who and what is.
Customer Reviews of Daniel Deronda (Penguin Classics)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: More a digression than a review.
Review: Am I the only person who really really really wished that this book had been about Catherine Arrowpoint?
Don't get me wrong, I loved Daniel Deronda, but I struggled for a long time with the fact that I did not actually like either of the two main characters. Gwendolen is insufferable, although I take the point that Eliot was making about the options open to high-spirited women. Daniel was worse-- as mealy-mouthed and moralizing as Gwendolen thought him to be in the casino at the beginning. And don't let me get started on the mincing wincing Mirah.
This isn't a very forgiving novel. There is not very much room for redemption.
I guess that is why I had hoped that it could be about Catherine Arrowpoint-- she seemingly the only character in the position to make healthy choices.
Miss Arrowpoint invents herself, Daniel discovers himself. Gwendolen, well, it's hard to talk about Gwendolen without giving away too much of the plot.
Difficult for me to imagine that some see the book as two separable halves and prefer the Gwendolen part. There's a thread of linked themes running through the novel. It all fits together, as a single whole.
A phenomenal book, really. Read it if you haven't already.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Terrific
Review: This is a classic novel by Mary Anne (Marian) Evans. Soon after writing the excellent article, "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists," Evans decided to write some novels herself. It seems to me that while she admired the works of great lady novelists such as Jane Austen, her style was in part a reaction not only to superb works but to awful ones. She adopted the pen name "George Eliot" for her first novel. Although her actual identity was made clear to everyone fairly quickly, she kept that pen name for her remaining novels, including this one.
This fine work gives us an interesting look at English society of the 1860s (the book appeared in 1876). And it includes an intriguing look at Zionism. While Theodor Herzl said he did not read her book, one key Zionist did, and he drew a real-life inspiration from it. That real-life person was Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (born in 1858), who was the individual most responsible for the revival of Hebrew as a language of everyday speech. Evans thus made a significant contribution to Zionism with this book.
Evans basically applauds a Jewish character in her book who argues for Zionism, saying that "there is store of wisdom among us to found a new Jewish polity, grand and simple, like the old - a republic where there is equality of protection." And the character continues by saying:
"Then our race shall have an organic centre, a heart and brain to watch and guide and execute; the outraged Jew shall have a defence in the court of nations, as the outraged Englishman or American. And the world will gain as Israel gains."
I think it is a clever plot element when Evans winds up having Deronda take up this challenge of trying to implement Zionism.
Daniel Deronda, who is raised by a Christian baronet and becomes an Etonian and Cantabrigian, is not sure that he is Jewish until he then gets to meet his actual mother (having last seen her at the age of two). That raises a couple of questions. Given that Daniel has no problems with his Jewish wedding, I think Marian Evans intends us to assume that Daniel was indeed circumcised soon after his birth, was not baptised (either as a Christian or a Jew), and that he eventually confirmed what his Hebrew name was (probably Daniyye'l, after his grandfather).
Daniel's classmates (and Daniel himself) would thus suspect that he might be Jewish. However, the issue might at least be in doubt, especially with Daniel participating in Christian activities at Eton.
Given that Daniel's Jewishness is a surprise to some of his acquaintances, I think it is also safe to assume that the author wants us to picture Deronda as not having what might be thought of as obviously Jewish facial features.
Henry James wrote a very amusing review of this book back when it first came out. In his review, three characters comment on the book, one of them liking it very much, another liking some parts better than others, and the last, "Pulcheria," declaring herself to be a Judeophobe and disliking the whole thing.
More recently, Ed Said, while not quite as silly as Pulcheria, still missed the opportunity to comment intelligently on the book because he was so averse to the idea of abiding human rights for Levantine Jews that he simply could not avoid substituting anti-Zionist propaganda for a serious discussion of the book. I mind the silliness of his comments even more than I do the ill will. To see what I mean, here are the first two lines of the book:
"Men can do nothing without the make-believe of a beginning. Even Science, the strict measurer, is obliged to start with a make-believe unit, and must fix on a point in the stars' unceasing journey when his sidereal clock shall pretend that time is at Nought."
Try to picture a silly astronomer writing about these two lines as if they were representing a critique of Big Bang cosmology.
At one point, Deronda gets some easy but excellent advice from the baronet who has raised him: "my dear boy - it is good to be unselfish and generous; but don't carry that too far. It will not do to give yourself to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow trade; you must know where to find yourself." Later, Deronda gives very similar easy but excellent advice to Gwendolen, telling her to accept some money that is rightfully hers and show her generosity only in the way she uses the money.
I think this is not merely good advice for us all, but especially good advice for Zionists: some of us are a little too inclined to refuse for ourselves what we might gladly award to anyone else.
The second paragraph of the novel begins with a question about Gwendolen: "Was she beautiful or not beautiful? and what was the secret of form or expression which gave the dynamic quality to her glance?"
Obviously, she was beautiful.
Was this novel excellent or not excellent? Oh, it was excellent in both form and expression, with a dynamic aspect no less, and, for what it is worth, I recommend it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A union of man and woman is most likely to last if they cherish the same virtues and despise the same evil.
Review: Imagine a crowd of men and women of various age, stature, and alibi assemble in a place where you the spectator are going to infer an observation as to their true sentiment. This task is difficult in a train packed with commuters, but easy in a casino where gamblers share one and only desire; to extract gain from someone's loss. This is where the two main characters of George Eliot's final novel "Daniel Deronda" first catch a glimpse of each other.
Gwendolen Harleth, young and vivacious, full of beauty but low on luck in a game of roulette resorts to gambling in order to help her destitute mother. With the last whirl of the disk comes the hope of big win amongst the sybarites vying for bestowal from the mindless wheel. The sight of the ill-fated creature bewitches Daniel. For is it not true that attraction is at its superb when mixed with sympathy?
In this classic, George Eliot creates an exemplar in the character of Daniel Deronda, a fine English man with chiseled look. His magnanimity is put to the test with the introduction of Mirah Lapidoth, a poor Jewish woman whose striking beauty emanates from the person who wishes to see it. Her magnificent feature is like the underwater world visible only to the diver.
Oh, if only our heart came in two like most parts of our body; so that we continue to live if we lose one. While our brain chooses as many objects to fill its contentment, our heart chooses singularly when it comes to truest love. Moreover, why is it when we lose this true love our head which houses our big brain does not hurt yet our heart feels inexplicable pain, what a power this organ as small as our fist has on our being.
Like Daniel, we face ultimate decision, which puts our susceptibility in check. Nevertheless, most of us are not as steadfast as he is. We continue to err because our values change with whoever we are with now akin to chameleon in search of prey and acceptance.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Fantastic Example of Fine Victorian Literature
Review: I read this book as part of a graduate class on the "study of the novel" and was absolutely blown away by it. This was my first attempt at George Eliot and though I had been wanting to read her for some time, the sheer girth of most of her works prevented me from adding them to my "leisure reading" list.
The character of Gwendolen Harleth is strong and commanding, Henleigh Grandcourt is perhaps one of the best villains ever written into literature, and Daniel Deronda is unequivocally the most inherently flawless character ever created who does not bore the reader with his goodness.
This is a big book to be sure, but it reads fast and there is much said about the appearances and prejudices of Victorian society. There are many recurring themes and parallels to be on the lookout for. This is an intensely "smart" read, and for that reason it is one of my favorite Victorian novels ever---next to Dickens' "Dombey and Son" and "David Copperfield," that is.
I look forward to reading more of Eliot's work in the future. She was a brilliant writer and observer.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: WOW!
Review: OHMYGOD- this book rocks! Quit work for a week and dive in- Every sentence will enrich your soul- She's THAT amazing.
Review Summary: More a digression than a review.
Review: Am I the only person who really really really wished that this book had been about Catherine Arrowpoint?
Don't get me wrong, I loved Daniel Deronda, but I struggled for a long time with the fact that I did not actually like either of the two main characters. Gwendolen is insufferable, although I take the point that Eliot was making about the options open to high-spirited women. Daniel was worse-- as mealy-mouthed and moralizing as Gwendolen thought him to be in the casino at the beginning. And don't let me get started on the mincing wincing Mirah.
This isn't a very forgiving novel. There is not very much room for redemption.
I guess that is why I had hoped that it could be about Catherine Arrowpoint-- she seemingly the only character in the position to make healthy choices.
Miss Arrowpoint invents herself, Daniel discovers himself. Gwendolen, well, it's hard to talk about Gwendolen without giving away too much of the plot.
Difficult for me to imagine that some see the book as two separable halves and prefer the Gwendolen part. There's a thread of linked themes running through the novel. It all fits together, as a single whole.
A phenomenal book, really. Read it if you haven't already.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Terrific
Review: This is a classic novel by Mary Anne (Marian) Evans. Soon after writing the excellent article, "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists," Evans decided to write some novels herself. It seems to me that while she admired the works of great lady novelists such as Jane Austen, her style was in part a reaction not only to superb works but to awful ones. She adopted the pen name "George Eliot" for her first novel. Although her actual identity was made clear to everyone fairly quickly, she kept that pen name for her remaining novels, including this one.
This fine work gives us an interesting look at English society of the 1860s (the book appeared in 1876). And it includes an intriguing look at Zionism. While Theodor Herzl said he did not read her book, one key Zionist did, and he drew a real-life inspiration from it. That real-life person was Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (born in 1858), who was the individual most responsible for the revival of Hebrew as a language of everyday speech. Evans thus made a significant contribution to Zionism with this book.
Evans basically applauds a Jewish character in her book who argues for Zionism, saying that "there is store of wisdom among us to found a new Jewish polity, grand and simple, like the old - a republic where there is equality of protection." And the character continues by saying:
"Then our race shall have an organic centre, a heart and brain to watch and guide and execute; the outraged Jew shall have a defence in the court of nations, as the outraged Englishman or American. And the world will gain as Israel gains."
I think it is a clever plot element when Evans winds up having Deronda take up this challenge of trying to implement Zionism.
Daniel Deronda, who is raised by a Christian baronet and becomes an Etonian and Cantabrigian, is not sure that he is Jewish until he then gets to meet his actual mother (having last seen her at the age of two). That raises a couple of questions. Given that Daniel has no problems with his Jewish wedding, I think Marian Evans intends us to assume that Daniel was indeed circumcised soon after his birth, was not baptised (either as a Christian or a Jew), and that he eventually confirmed what his Hebrew name was (probably Daniyye'l, after his grandfather).
Daniel's classmates (and Daniel himself) would thus suspect that he might be Jewish. However, the issue might at least be in doubt, especially with Daniel participating in Christian activities at Eton.
Given that Daniel's Jewishness is a surprise to some of his acquaintances, I think it is also safe to assume that the author wants us to picture Deronda as not having what might be thought of as obviously Jewish facial features.
Henry James wrote a very amusing review of this book back when it first came out. In his review, three characters comment on the book, one of them liking it very much, another liking some parts better than others, and the last, "Pulcheria," declaring herself to be a Judeophobe and disliking the whole thing.
More recently, Ed Said, while not quite as silly as Pulcheria, still missed the opportunity to comment intelligently on the book because he was so averse to the idea of abiding human rights for Levantine Jews that he simply could not avoid substituting anti-Zionist propaganda for a serious discussion of the book. I mind the silliness of his comments even more than I do the ill will. To see what I mean, here are the first two lines of the book:
"Men can do nothing without the make-believe of a beginning. Even Science, the strict measurer, is obliged to start with a make-believe unit, and must fix on a point in the stars' unceasing journey when his sidereal clock shall pretend that time is at Nought."
Try to picture a silly astronomer writing about these two lines as if they were representing a critique of Big Bang cosmology.
At one point, Deronda gets some easy but excellent advice from the baronet who has raised him: "my dear boy - it is good to be unselfish and generous; but don't carry that too far. It will not do to give yourself to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow trade; you must know where to find yourself." Later, Deronda gives very similar easy but excellent advice to Gwendolen, telling her to accept some money that is rightfully hers and show her generosity only in the way she uses the money.
I think this is not merely good advice for us all, but especially good advice for Zionists: some of us are a little too inclined to refuse for ourselves what we might gladly award to anyone else.
The second paragraph of the novel begins with a question about Gwendolen: "Was she beautiful or not beautiful? and what was the secret of form or expression which gave the dynamic quality to her glance?"
Obviously, she was beautiful.
Was this novel excellent or not excellent? Oh, it was excellent in both form and expression, with a dynamic aspect no less, and, for what it is worth, I recommend it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A union of man and woman is most likely to last if they cherish the same virtues and despise the same evil.
Review: Imagine a crowd of men and women of various age, stature, and alibi assemble in a place where you the spectator are going to infer an observation as to their true sentiment. This task is difficult in a train packed with commuters, but easy in a casino where gamblers share one and only desire; to extract gain from someone's loss. This is where the two main characters of George Eliot's final novel "Daniel Deronda" first catch a glimpse of each other.
Gwendolen Harleth, young and vivacious, full of beauty but low on luck in a game of roulette resorts to gambling in order to help her destitute mother. With the last whirl of the disk comes the hope of big win amongst the sybarites vying for bestowal from the mindless wheel. The sight of the ill-fated creature bewitches Daniel. For is it not true that attraction is at its superb when mixed with sympathy?
In this classic, George Eliot creates an exemplar in the character of Daniel Deronda, a fine English man with chiseled look. His magnanimity is put to the test with the introduction of Mirah Lapidoth, a poor Jewish woman whose striking beauty emanates from the person who wishes to see it. Her magnificent feature is like the underwater world visible only to the diver.
Oh, if only our heart came in two like most parts of our body; so that we continue to live if we lose one. While our brain chooses as many objects to fill its contentment, our heart chooses singularly when it comes to truest love. Moreover, why is it when we lose this true love our head which houses our big brain does not hurt yet our heart feels inexplicable pain, what a power this organ as small as our fist has on our being.
Like Daniel, we face ultimate decision, which puts our susceptibility in check. Nevertheless, most of us are not as steadfast as he is. We continue to err because our values change with whoever we are with now akin to chameleon in search of prey and acceptance.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Fantastic Example of Fine Victorian Literature
Review: I read this book as part of a graduate class on the "study of the novel" and was absolutely blown away by it. This was my first attempt at George Eliot and though I had been wanting to read her for some time, the sheer girth of most of her works prevented me from adding them to my "leisure reading" list.
The character of Gwendolen Harleth is strong and commanding, Henleigh Grandcourt is perhaps one of the best villains ever written into literature, and Daniel Deronda is unequivocally the most inherently flawless character ever created who does not bore the reader with his goodness.
This is a big book to be sure, but it reads fast and there is much said about the appearances and prejudices of Victorian society. There are many recurring themes and parallels to be on the lookout for. This is an intensely "smart" read, and for that reason it is one of my favorite Victorian novels ever---next to Dickens' "Dombey and Son" and "David Copperfield," that is.
I look forward to reading more of Eliot's work in the future. She was a brilliant writer and observer.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: WOW!
Review: OHMYGOD- this book rocks! Quit work for a week and dive in- Every sentence will enrich your soul- She's THAT amazing.