Daniel Deronda - the first Zionist novel.

In 1876 George Eliot published Daniel Deronda, widely recognised as the prototype Zionist novel. That is was written 20 years before Theodor Herzl published Der Judenstaat, where he advocated a Jewish homeland in Palestine is not a major surprise in itself. Instead many are surprise on discovering Herzl had never read Eliot's novel.
This is one of the many snippets of information viewers are treated to in Yanky Fachler's talk at Ireland's Jewish museum. He explores gentile Eliot's motives for writing such a quintessential Jewish novel and how her interest in Judaism compelled her in that direction.
Yanky relates how the novel was negatively perceived in Jewish and Christian circles. for almost diametrically opposed reasons. He singles out FR Leavis as a critic who took particular umbridge at the novel. However, Eliot's novel had a positive influence on later Jewish Zionism. It has been cited by Henrietta Szold, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, and Emma Lazarus as having been influential in their decision to become Zionists.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...

[@marichristian1072]

I believe Deronda's mother was a brilliant and charismatic opera singer.