Table Of Content

WRITING"HOME:GRACEAGUILARANDTHEJEWS By TRACIMICHELEKLASS ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOLOFTHE UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHE REQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOFDOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 2005 Copyright2005 by TraciMicheleKJass ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WhenIwaseightyearsoldIthrewatempertantrumintheB.Dalton bookstoreinTownCenterMallinBocaRaton,Florida. Standingattheregister,I stompedmyfeetwildlyanddemandedmyparentsbuyablue,leather-boundcopyof JohannaSpyri'sHeidi. EventhoughInodoubtembarrassedmymomanddadasI shrieked,theyneverthelessboughtthebook(Istillhaveit)andhavefosteredmy loveofreadingandlearningeversince. Wordscannotexpressthedegreetowhich myfamily'sloveandsupporthaveseenmethroughmanyharrowingyearsof graduateschool,shrieking,andfoot-stomping. Noneofmysuccesswouldhave beenpossiblewithoutcontinuedencouragementfrommyparents,DeniseandSteve Klass,mysisterNiki,andmygrandparents,JackieandIrvGreenspan. MyabilitytocompletethisdissertationandthePh.Dprogramwithadegree ofsanityisalsotheresultofmycommitteechairandmentor,JudithW.Page. I couldnothavesurvivedtheselastfouryearswithoutherguidanceandsupport. Her commitmenttothisprojectandtonurturingmyacademicandscholarly developmenthasbeenimmeasurable. "Thankyou"simplydoesnotseemlike enough. Iamalsofortunatetohaveworkedwithastellarcommittee—Pamela — Gilbert,RichardBrantley,andLeahHochman whoseexpertiseandconstructive criticismchallengedmeattimesandultimatelymademeabettercritic. in IhavealsohadtheprivilegeofworkingwithMichaelGalchinsky. His willingnessto"talkAguilar"withmeandhisgenerosityinsharinghisownprivate — transcriptionsofGraceAguilar'sunpublishedlettersandjournals aliterarytreasure — trove hasbeenapricelessresource. Muchofmyadditionalresearchwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthe financialandacademicsupportoftheCenterforJewishStudiesandtheJudaica LibraryattheUniversityofFlorida. Thelibrary'swillingnesstopurchaserareand out-of-printtextsthatIwouldnothavehadaccesstootherwiseandtheCenter's commitmenttomyresearchandgenerousconferencefundinghavebeen instrumentaltomysuccess. Finally,IthanktheEnglishDepartmentattheUniversityofFloridafor awardingmeanAlumniFellowship,withoutwhichmydoctoralstudieswouldnot havebeenpossible. IV TABLEOFCONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii ABSTRACT vii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 TSOELAERRCAHTFIOORNHOORMREEPRESSION?:JEWS,JUDAISMANDTHE 4 What'sAHomeGotToDoWithIt? 6 "Writing"Home 21 Notes 41 2 THEPOWEROFTHENOVEL:RE-FORMINGPUBLICOPINION ANDCOUNTERINGCONVERSIONISTCARICATURES 47 TheSafestandWisestPathforFemaleWriters 67 InfluencingButNotInterfering:SympathyThroughSubversionInThe Novel 78 Notes 100 3 LIFTINGTHEVEIL:RECLAIMINGANDRE-PRESENTING JEWISHHISTORY 109 "NowHistoryunfoldsheramplepage" 113 "InHishandismyheart,andmyhope" 135 TheBadConverted 159 Notes 171 4 CRIPPLINGPAST,LIBERATINGFUTURE:ANGLO-JUDAISM ATHOME 177 A"JewishProtestant"inTheirMidst? 180 v "BeingHome" 203 Notes 225 CONCLUSION:ISRAELDEFENDED 230 Notes 232 WORKSCITED 233 BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 244 VI AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy "WRITING"HOME:GRACEAGUILARANDTHEJEWS By TraciMicheleKlass August2005 Chair:JudithW.Page MajorDepartment:English NineteenthcenturyEnglanddevelopedthephilo-Semiticcommitmentto convertJewsthathadbeguncenturiesbeforewiththeWhitehallConferenceand OliverCromwell'sreadmissionoftheJewstoEnglandin1655.Thiscommitment includedthezealousevangelicalandmissionaryefforttowriteanddistributenovels, sermons,storiesfortheyoung,memoirs,andhistoriesdevotedtonarratingand furtherpromotingthesuccessfulconversionofJews. GraceAguilar,however,was oneofthefirstAnglo-JewishwomenwriterswhoeducatedreadersinJewishhistory, attemptingtocounteractphilo-SemiticpersuasionsandfostersympathyforJewsin Christiansociety. EventhoughshewaslaudedasagoodwillambassadorforJews intheVictorianageandrosetogreatpopularity,Aguilarhasneverthelessfalleninto relativeobscurityinthelast150years. Yetherfictionandthehistoryitconveysplay asignificantroleinthefoundationofVictorianliteratureandculture. Herliterary vii repertoiremarriestheworldofthenoveltotheworldofmoralandreligious education. Iexplorehowthisunionproducesakindoffictionthatworkstoward solvingtheproblemofAnglo-Jewish"homelessness"—physical,emotional,and — spiritual inboththeprivateandpublicsphereswheretheEnglishhadmadeit difficultforJewstosettleahomeforthemselvesinthefaceofconversion. The novel,Iargue,becomesapowerfulandsubversivetoolinAguilar'sattemptto reconcilethedisparateworldsofphilo-SemitesworkingtowardconvertingJewsand Jewsworkingtowardintegration;thenovelprovidesthebasisfromwhicha religiousspace,orhome,beginstotakeshapeforJewsinVictorianEngland.How couldJewsmaintaintheiridentityasJewsandyetthriveascontributingmembersof societywithoutthelingeringthreatofphilo-Semiticpersuasions?Aguilar,Icontend, usesfictionbothtopenetrateandtomeldtheprivateworldofJudaismandthe publicworldofVictoriansocietyinhopesofestablishingananswerandthusaviable Jewishhome. Vlll — IstoodALONE'midthrongingcrowdswhofilledthatstrangershrine, FortherewerenonewhokeptthatfaithIholdsodearlymine: AAnnddeexxiilleefyeelatrIn,iinngtfhoartmhoyusheo,mef,r—omyeItsrlaoelv'esdnsattililvebysomdy, God.... Andlikeanoakthoustandest,ofleavesandbranchesshorn; Andwearethewitheredleavesbyautumntempeststorn Fromparentstems,andscatteredwideo'erhill,andvale,andsea, AndknownasJudah'singrateracewhereverwemaybe. Oh!blessedwasthatvisionedlightthatflashedbeforemineeye; But,oh,thequickawakeningcheck'dmysoul'secstaticsigh! Yetstill,stillwiltthouriseagain,mybeautiful,myhome, OurGodwillbringthychild—renback,ne'er,ne'eragaintoroam! GraceAguilar,"AVisionofJerusalem"(1844) OhEngland!thouhastcall'dustothybreast, Anddonetoorphansallamother'spart, Andgiventhempeace,andliberty,andrest, Andhealingpour'dintothehomelessheart; Then,ohoncemore,letIsraelmercyclaim, AndsuffringthousandsblessourEngland'shonour'dname.... —GraceAguilar,"TheHebrew'sAppeal"(1844) ix INTRODUCTION WeshouldnotbecontentwithmereamalgamationwiththeGentilesin society;but,withoutrelinquishingthesocialpositionwhichanageof superiorci—vilisationandrefinementhasassignedus,weshouldstillretainour nationality still,beforemanandbeforeGod,remainIsraelitesindeed;and thuscompelrespecttowardsourfaith,andremovenotonlyprejudicesexcited byignorance,butcheckthezealouseffortsofconversionistsbyconvincing them,thatourconstancy,asourreligion,mustbeindeedofGod,and thereforenoeffortofmancantur—nusfromit. GraceAguilar,TheWomenofIsrael(1845) OnFebruary25,1837,Anglo-JewishauthorGraceAguilarwroteher evening'sprayerinherjournal,whatwouldlaterbecomeherposthumously publishedSacredCommunings. Assheoftendid,Aguilarprayedforguidanceand strengthagainstconversionistefforts,aswellasfortheabilitytoemployher"talents" asawritertohelpothersdothesame:"Oh,Almighty,Thouhastgivenmeone talent,notbestowedonallThycreatures....BlessedLord,permitme,inThy mercy,bythattalenttodosomelittlegoodtomyfellowcreatures"(209). Inher 1851PilgrimagestoEnglishShrines,"TheGraveofGraceAguilar,"AnnaMariaHall observedthat"AguilarprayedferventlytoGodthatshemightbeenabledtodo somethingtoelevatethecharacterofherpeopleintheeyesoftheChristianworld — — and whatwas,andis,evenmoreimportant intheirownesteem"asJews;for "[tjheyhad,shethought,beentoolongsatisfiedtogoonastheyhadgoneduring thedaysoftheirtribulationandpersecution"(455). 1