Holborn is a district in central London, it is known as a place where Charles Dicken's lived for a period of time. Dicken's says this about Holborn - "It is too far east for the fashionable world to come to it for their purchases; it is too far west for the business men of the City; consequently it contains few first-class shops or warehouses. Until within the last few years the row of houses which narrowed the street at the Bar formed one of the most curious bits of old London remaining; and the removal of the row, although immensely improving the general aspect of Holborn, has greatly altered its character. The line of houses, however, still remaining at this point on the south side of the street, opposite Furnival’s-inn, are still well worth seeing, as being by far the most perfect specimens of old street architecture, with its wooden beams and projecting upper storeys, remaining in London. The two chief streets, or rather lanes, which run into Holborn are Chancery-lane, leading down past Lincoln’s-inn to Fleet-street, and Gray’s-inn-lane, leading to King’s-cross. Gray’s-inn, of which only the entrance is visible in Holborn... Holborn terminates at the circus of the same name, a handsome architectural feature, with an equestrian statue of the Prince Consort in the centre, while beyond, the Holborn-viaduct and the Fleet-valley to St. Sepulchre’s Church and Newgate. With the exception, perhaps, of Queen Victoria-street, this is the finest piece of street architecture in the City of London, and its effect is greatly increased by the fact that it is built in a curve." Dicken's seems to really admire Holborn and greatly appreciate the architecture there.
In Daniel Deronda, Holborn is where the Cohen's reside along with Mordecai. It is first mentioned in Chapter 33, when Daniel is walking through the streets of London haphazardly searching for Mirah's family, "Daniel happening one morning to turn into a little side street out of the noise and obstructions of Holborn, felt the scale dip on the desponding side," (344). It is there where his attention is caught by some "fine old clasps in chased silver" (344) which are displayed in a window of a store front with a placard saying "Watches and Jewellry exchanged and repaired" (344). As he goes to get into a cab he sees the name over the shop window: Ezra Cohen. This is the first Ezra Cohen Daniel has come across and tries to convince himself the shop owner is not Mirah's brother, "for Deronda's reasoning had decided that all likelihood was against this man's being Mirah's brother." (347) Holborn is also the place Daniel meets Mordecai, who comes to act as a friend/mentor for Daniel. He has dinner with the Cohen family and grows to really like them.
When Daniel meets with Mordecai on the bridge and agrees to a sort of partnership with him, Mordecai makes quite an impression on Daniel. He finds himself rethinking the possibility that he might be Jewish, "Feelings had lately been at work within him which had very much modified the reluctance he would formerly have had to think of himself as probably a Jew." (467) The Cohens, Mirah, and Mordecai have all worked to make Daniel more comfortable with the idea of being Jewish and have helped to banish any negative stereotypes about Jewish people in Daniel's mind. Meeting Mordecai is a very important part of the novel, he makes quite an impression on Daniel and as we later find out he is Mirah's brother. Later on in the novel, Mordecai and Mirah are the reasons Daniel wishes to learn about his parentage and finds himself hoping he shares a kinship with both Mordecai and Mirah and will also be a Jew.
Works Cited
Eliot, George. Daniel Deronda. Modern Library, 2002.
“Victorian London - Districts - Streets - Holborn.” The Dictionary of Victorian London, www.victorianlondon.org/districts/holborn.htm.
Image Source
Charles Baker & Co. London Towards the Close of the 19th Century. 1892. Wikimedia Commons, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231501204/view.