Being Jewish in Victorian Fiction

How we construct Jewish identity is both problematic and infinitely interesting. Reading fiction with Jewish characters is an excellent way to understand and debate Jewish identity, as well as enjoy some fascinating stories.

This short course run by the Centre for Jewish Studies will serve as an introduction to three late Victorian novels about Jews, or provide a forum for those who have already read the books. Attendees will be provided with extracts to read in the seminars.

The three novels we will examine are:

Daniel Deronda    George Eliot   1876
Reuben Sachs      Amy Levy    1888 
Children of the Ghetto    Israel Zangwill   1899

In order to find our way through these long novels, we will focus on particular Jewish characters, comparing and contrasting them. This course is suitable for Jews and non-Jews, and keen readers of all levels. The seminars will be run by Sherry Ashworth, a PhD student at the Centre for Jewish Studies.

The sessions will be at 6.00 - 7.30pm in the Lower Ground Floor activity room at the Manchester Central Library on the following dates:

Thursday 24 October 2019  - Daniel Deronda. Reserve your place here
Thursday 31 October 2019  - Reuben Sachs. Reserve your place here
Thursday 14 November 2019 - Children of the Ghetto. Reserve your place here

Please register for each session individually through the eventbrite link. There is no charge for participants and places are limited.