The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen was a significant writer of the Harlem Renaissance. Her art was powerful and widely acclaimed despite the fact that she was not prolific. Both of her novels Passing and Quicksand as well as all three of her published short tales Freedom The Wrong Man and Sanctuary are included in this collection. Quicksand was an autobiographical film that looked at a womans need for sexual fulfilment in the context of respectability and acceptance in a strongly religious community. The novel is highly negative and it concludes with the protagonist being sucked into a life that contradicts all she wanted. The reality of racial passing is confronted in Passing. The storey follows Clare and Irene two childhood friends who are both light-skinned enough to pass for white and have rejoined after many years away. Irene has embraced her racial history and grown into an essential member of her community whereas Clare has decided to pass. The novel explores how people pass on a variety of levels and in a variety of ways. While some types of passing are entirely fine others can be disastrous.