This novel uses the hero, Deronda, to come to terms with the English Jews, a society-within-a-society. The book's heroine, Gwendolen Harleth, marries for power rather than love, uncovering a vein in human relations that could lead, through the best intentions, to despair.

This novel uses the hero, Deronda, to come to terms with the English Jews, a society-within-a-society. The book's heroine, Gwendolen Harleth, marries for power rather than love, uncovering a vein in human relations that could lead, through the best intentions, to despair.