"The Modern Hep! Hep! Hep!": George Eliot, Philo-Semitism, and the Interpretation of Theophrastus Such

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"The Modern Hep! Hep! Hep!": George Eliot, Philo-Semitism, and the Interpretation of Theophrastus Such

Taylor, Rachel - Thesis

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title: "The Modern Hep! Hep! Hep!": George Eliot, Philo-Semitism, and the Interpretation of Theophrastus Such

creator: Taylor, Rachel

subject: Academic theses.

description: r, in this thesis I will argue strongly against a mostly postmodern interpretation of the essay and its themes of Philo-Semitism, Jewish stereotyping and anti-miscegenation. I will analyze these themes as presented in Impressions of Theophrastus Such and contextualize them within the opinions about Jews that Eliot expressed through many of her early private letters and writings, which I feel have heretofore been given a less granular and thorough examination in the arguments for a skeptical reading of the essay. I will attempt to argue that the essay does in fact reflect Eliot’s own perspectives by referring to her own writings, including several of her other published works. In doing so, I will also attempt to demonstrate that Eliot’s opinions of Jews, both when they were hostile and when they were friendly, were intrinsically bound to her subscription to Christianity (defined here as simply any organized or non-organized form of faith in Christ’s teachings) and her perception of Judaism’s influence on and relationship with it. It is my intention to situate Eliot’s life, writings, and her final essay in the historical context of contemporary Jewish political and social affairs, thus setting her writings, works and opinions within the issues and events which informed them. In doing so, I will additionally explore the idea of Eliot as a “Philo-Semite,” a term for which Eliot had a rather religiously-charged interpretation. Finally, I will argue that the chapter, in addition to being Eliot’s last word to the public, is also a self-revealing essay in which Eliot presented her true feelings about the Jewish community, frankly expressed her opinions about nationality and proto-Zionism, launched her final argument against miscegenation, and proposed what she saw as a suitable future for the Jewish nation.

publisher: Simmons College (Boston, Mass.)

contributor:

date: 2014

type: Text

format: 1 PDF (89 Pages)

identifier: td_ha_2014_rt

source:

language: English

relation:

coverage:

rights: Material from the Simmons University Archives collections are made available for study purposes only. For more information, or to request rights to reproduce or reuse any material, contact the University Archives at archives@simmons.edu.

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