Mary Elizabeth Braddon and the Jewish World, 1880 1915

Late 19th- and early 20th-century fiction captures evolving portrayals of Jewish characters in Britain amid events like the Boer War, the rise of Zionism, and pre-World War I tensions. The narrative reveals diverse Anglo-Jewish perspectives during an era of profound social change. Ruth Morris’s new book focuses on Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s novels from 1880 to her death in 1915 and how the portrayal of Jewish characters and Jewish culture shifts throughout this timeframe. By tracing the fortunes of Anglo-Jewry through Braddon’s fiction into the twentieth century, it draws contextually on significant world events such as the Boer War, the beginning of the Zionist movement and the events leading up to the First World War. Each of these events is seen through a Jewish lens in the sense of how they affected Jews in Britain. Morris also discusses them through non-Jewish eyes because Braddon was not Jewish herself and was writing for a predominantly non-Jewish audience. Through a careful reading of the novels, these seemingly incidental references provide a rich narrative of how the Anglo-Jewish community was viewed during a particularly dynamic time in its history.

Pagina's: 174, Hardcover, Academica Press