“Alien Invaders”. Jewish Figures in Deronda’s Britain

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In the third part of an eight part lecture series on “Daniel Deronda,” Professor Ruth Wisse analyzes Julian Klesmer and Mirah Lapidoth in terms of their contributions to Jewish emancipation. An expert on Yiddish and Jewish literature and winner of the National Humanities Medal, Wisse discusses how Jewish people were seen as a threat in Victorian England, from both poor immigrants and from influential families. Part of a new caste system placing artists above aristocrats, Klesmer exposes and foils anti-Jewish prejudice in British society. His willingness to assimilate by marrying a Gentile contrasts Mirah’s strong familial, ethnic, and religious identity. Mirah’s character raises the challenge of Jewish national autonomy and highlights the issue of maintaining separateness.