Nella Larsen's Passing [3-weeks, $80 suggested]
Instructor: Andrews | Thursdays November 4-18 | 6:00-7:30 PM ET
Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, Passing, is a masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance and a crucial text for understanding slippages, performances, desires and realities of lived identity historically and in the contemporary US. Childhood friends Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield are reunited, only now, Clare is “passing” as white for her white, racist husband, Jack Bellow. But that’s not the only form of passing: class and sexuality are all wrapped up in this story, too.
Netflix releases their highly-anticipated film adaptation of Passing at the end of October, but we recommend reading it, too! In written form, the language is even more slippery than anyone’s identity; double- and triple-meanings abound, and the language performs as much as the characters do. Over the course of three weeks, we’ll read the novel as well as some information about the time period in which it was written, including the role of the Great Migration, the vibrant artistic and cultural milieu of Harlem, as well as the literary innovations of Black modernism. We'll also study how race is a construction, which includes whiteness as much as does blackness, and connect explore the ways in which these ideas converge with class, gender, and sexuality. Taken together, we’ll have a richer understanding of this important novel, as we simultaneously enjoy its theatrical release!
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If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.