Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen (April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964) was an African-American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance who wrote two novels and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, what she wrote was of extraordinary quality, earning her recognition by her contemporaries and by present day critics.

Passing

Larsen's second novel tells the story of two light skinned women: Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both women are born African Americans but are light enough to pass. Clare passes and marries a racist white man who knows nothing of her heritage. Irene lives in Harlem, commits herself to racial uplift, and marries a black doctor. The novel centers around the meeting of the two childhood friends later in life, and the unfolding of events as Irene is fascinated and seduced by Clare's daring lifestyle. The novel traces a tragic path which leads inevitably to the revelation of Clare's race to her husband and her sudden death by falling out of a window.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The end of the novel is famous for its ambiguity, which leaves open the possibility that Irene has pushed Clare out the window or the possibility that Clare has killed herself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many see this novel as an example of the plot of the tragic mulatto, a common figure in early African American literature. Others suggest that the novel complicates that plot by introducing the dual figures of Irene and Clare, who in many ways mirror and complicate each other. The novel also suggests erotic undertones in the two women's relationship, and some read the novel as one of repressed lesbian desire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, Passing has received a great deal of attention because of its close attention to racial and sexual ambiguities and to liminal spaces. It has now achieved canonical status in many American Universities.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~