[poohbear_nc]

As I progress into the novel (60% or thereabouts) I'm having real trouble with the Deronda/Mordecai subplot - chapter XLII is a ponderous intrusion that I can't imagine anyone could narrate, let alone listen to, or barely read. Mordecai's obsession with Deronda is so completely separate from Deronda's interaction with the Gwendolyn or Mirah plotline, that is does read for me as a completely separate artificial narrative, contrived to inject as much Jewish lore and history and idealism into the novel as possible.

I'm leaning toward Leavis - expunging the Mordecai character would still leave Mirah, and the search for her family, and her interaction with Deronda and his world (and his search for his family), as a much more readable plot that could still showcase the Jewish experience in England, and contrast the life, choices, and opportunities of a Jewish woman against that of the English Gwendolyn.

This would produce a novel with 2 intertwining plot lines (Mirah and Gwendolyn) where Deronda would provide the contact point between the two separate worlds, and his reflections/reactions would provide the reader with insights into the life experiences of the two very different women.