โ Scribed by Larsen, Nella
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREย STARRING TESSA THOMPSON AND RUTH NEGGA Two women in 1920s New York discover how fluid and dangerous our perceptions of race can be in this electrifying classic of the Harlem Renaissanceโwith an introduction by Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman, finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize โThe genius of this book is that its protagonists . . . are complex and fully realized. . . . The workย of a highly talented and thoughtful writer.โโRichard Bernstein, The New York Times Irene Redfield is living an affluent, enviable life with her husband and children in the thriving African American enclave of Harlem in the 1920s. That is, until she runs into her childhood friend, Clare Kendry. Since they last saw each other, Clare, who is similarly light-skinned, has been โpassingโ for a white woman, married to a racist man who does not know about his wifeโs real identity, which she has chosen to hide from the rest of the world. Irene is both fascinated and repulsed by Clareโs dangerous secret, and in turn, Clare yearns for Ireneโs sense of ease and security with her Black identity and community, which Clare gave up in pursuit of a more advantageous life, and which she can never embrace again. As the two women grow close, Clare begins to insert herself and her deception into every part of Ireneโs stable existence, and their complex reunion sets off a chain of events that dynamically alters both women forever. ย In this psychologically gripping and chilling novel, Nella Larsen explores the blurriness of race, sacrifice, alienation, and desire that defined her own experience as a woman of mixed race, issues that still powerfully resonate today. Ultimately, Larsen forces us to consider whether we can ever truly choose who we are. The Modern Library Torchbearers series features women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance.
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**Nella Larsen's** **remarkably candid exploration of shifting racial and sexual boundaries** Clare Kendry leads a dangerous life. Fair, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a white man unaware of her African American heritage, and has severed all ties to her past. Clare's childhood frien
"Absolutely absorbing, fascinating, and indispensable.--Alice Walker "A work so fine, sensitive, and distinguished that it rises above race categories and becomes that rare object, a good novel."--_The Saturday Review of Literature _ Married to a successful physician and prominently ensconced in H
First published to critical acclaim in 1929, **Passing** firmly established Nella Larsen's prominence among women writers of the Harlem Renaissance. The Modern Library is proud to present Passing--an electrifying story of two women who cross the color line in 1920s New York--together with a new Intr
Molly Godfrey moves to Passion to realize her dream of running her own florist shop. When she meets the two real estate owners, Steven and Giles Blaze, she is instantly attracted to the blond, blue-eyed hunks, but doesnโt think she stands a chance of attracting them. Molly considers herself a plain