Nella Larsen was an African American novelist and librarian of the Harlem Renaissance era. She is known for her novels Passing and Quicksand which explored themes of racial ambiguity and identity. Larsen had a brief but influential literary career that was impacted by accusations of plagiarism in her third novel Sanctuary. She lived a complex life as a mixed-race woman who was light-skinned enough to pass for white.
2. Family
Information
Born April 13, 1891 in Chicago, IL
Birth name: Nellie Walker
Father: Peter Walker, Mother: Mary
Hanson, Stepfather: Peter Larsen
Younger sister years later
Only “black” member of the family
3. Education/Careers
At age 16, enrolled
at Fisk University’s
Normal School,
Nashville, TN
After one year,
moved to Denmark
for four years (attend
University of
Copenhagen)
Returned to US (NY)
and became a nurse
in 1915
1918-1919 Spanish
flu pandemic,
became a librarian
Same time married
well-known
physicist, Elmer
Imes
4.
5. Literary Career
Wrote short stories and poems, published her
work (Du Bois, White)
1926 published several articles in The
Brownies’ Book (African American magazine
for children)
Went under the name of Allen Semi (Nella
Imes reversed)
Captivated by Mixed Race dynamics, which
became central themes in her novels
6. Novels and Awards
First novel
“Quicksand” 1928
(autobiographical)
Received Harmon
Foundation Bronze
Medal for literature
Celebrated as one
of the bright stars of
Harlem Renaissance
Second novel
“Passing” 1929
First black woman
to receive
Guggenheim
Fellowship for
literature
7. Plagiarism in “Sanctuary”
Published in 1930
Accused of
plagiarism off a story
published 8 years
earlier, “Mrs. Adis” by
Sheila Kaye-Smith.
Exonerated of
accusations
Affected Larsen
profoundly, fell off
the literature scope
Same time, went
through a divorce
1941 resumed her
nursing career.
Died March 30, 1964
(Easter Sunday) in NY
White relatives
denied knowing of
her existence
8. “Mrs. Adis” VS. “Sanctuary”
"I'm in trouble." His
hands were
shaking a little.
"What you done?"
"I shot a man, Mrs.
Adis." (Kaye-Smith)
"Ah's in trubble, Mis'
Poole," the man
explained, his voice
shaking, his fingers
twitching
"W'at you done now?"
"Shot a man, Mis'
Poole." (Larsen,
"Sanctuary")
9. Quote
“Authors do not supply imaginations, they expect
their readers to have their own, and to use it”
― Nella Larsen
10. Critics thoughts
Many critics failed to recognized her story, “Sanctuary”
saying it was a “failed experiment” (Wall 133-34)
This is because of the negative impact it received due
to the plagiarism accusation
11. Themes and Irony
Writes about the
struggles and strife
of being mixed
race
Gender and
Sexuality Themes
Uses ironic and
sophisticated
approach that is
both fresh and
unique.
12. Message and Plot
a strong female
protagonist who
protects the murderer of
her own son out of
loyalty to her own peer
group
Nella Larsen amused by
“if the Negro race
would only stick
together, we might get
somewhere some day,
and that what the white
folks didn't know about
us wouldn't hurt us.”
This is a strong, but
rather
melodramatic, plot
14. Analysis Tools
Plot
Man comes to Mis
Poole seeking refuge
after he shot an
unknown man. Mis
Poole makes a moral
decision whether to
protect him or turn him
in after finding out the
unknown man he killed
was her own son.
Theme
The Sacrifice- Mis Poole
sacrifices herself(emotionally)
to protect her own (racially)
Motif
“White man o’ niggah?”(111)
“how white folks is white folks,”
(111)
“ef dey werent white folks an’
you a po’ niggah” (111)
“Ef Lawd had gib you a whit e
face ‘stead o’ dat dere black
one” (112)
“Bill Lowndes was a hard one
too. And white.” (113)
15. Analysis Tools Cont’d
Message
Stick together through thick
and thin (racially)
Point of View
3rd person omniscient- “and
why, the woman inquired
caustically, should she run the
dangerous risk of hiding him?”
(111)
“and into his frenzied brain
came the thought that it
would be better for him to get
up and go out to them…”
(113)
Setting
“On the Southern
coast, between
Merton and
Shawboro” (110) in
Mis Poole’s house,
evening time
(“Ebenin’, Mistah
Lowndes.”(113))
16. Literary Elements
Foreshadowing
“Daid?” Dunno, Mis’
Poole. Dunno.” White
man o’ niggah?”
Caint say,
Mis’Poole.”(111)
“Ef de Lawd had gib
you a white face
‘stead o’ dat dere
black one, Ah shuah
would turn you out.”
(112)
Irony
“You aint in no hurry,
is you, Jim
Hammer?” (110)
“With all his greatest
strength he tried to
get himself out of the
bed. But he
couldn’t.” (113)
17. Figurative Language
Simile: “his yellow eyes glowing
like pale flames” (112); his
tongue like a weighted dying
thing.”(113)
Metaphor: “She was an old
demon,” (112) “his eyes, blue
and cold” (113)
Alliteration: “laid his soiled
body and grimy garment
between her snowy sheets,”
(112); “his feet felt frozen, his
hands clammy,” (113); “his
hunters, however, didn’t hear
him.”(114)
Personification: “a lonely
cottage that shrank
timidly back” (110); “fear
clutched so tightly at
him” (112)
Onomatopoeia: “But
there was a light knock”
(112); “Shucks! You done
missed.” (113)
Hyperbole: “youall done
traipsed ‘way out hyah
jes’ foh yo’ healf,” (113)
18. References
Black History Now. BHS, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 July 2014.
<http://blackhistorynow.com/nella-larsen/>.
"Nella Larsen Biography." Nella Larsen Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2014.
<http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Larsen_Nella.html>.
"Nella Larsen Biography." Nella Larsen Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2014.
<http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Larsen_Nella.html>.
"Nella Larsen." - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 03 Apr. 2008. Web. 12 July
2014. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Nella_Larsen>.
"Race, modernism, and plagiarism: the case of Nella Larsen's 'Sanctuary'.." The
Free Library. 2006 African American Review 11 Jul. 2014
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Race%2c+modernism%2c+and+plagiarism%3
a+the+case+of+Nella+Larsen's...-a0159696863
Sørensen, Bent. "“Small, but Exalted” –." N.p., n.d. Web.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hum.aau.dk%2F~i12bent%2FNellaLarsen>.
Notas do Editor
Father was a black cook from the West Indies, Mother a Danish seamstress. Larsen’s father disappeared soon after she was born and mother remarried a white man named Peter Larsen. Thought that these two men were actually the same man, he just wanted to reinvent himself as white (no records of name change though). Younger sister comes along, Larsen sticks out of the dynamically white family, she claims Peter was ashamed of her (for being african american).
Her enrollment in a prestigious African American school served to provided distance between her and her family (she was made to feel shame in regards to being out in public with them) She said her racially ethnicity “might make it awkward for them, particularly my half-sister”. She wanted to learn about her Danish Ancestory, refused to acknowledge her, also said she went to attend college but no documentary evidence support her claim. Elmer Imes was the second african american to earn a PH.D in Physics. This marriage opened doors for Larsen – became acquianted with intellectuals of Harlem Renaissance (Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Walter White)
Her husband and she, were socialist in Harlem and in white intellectual circles but on her free time devoted herself to literature and reading. She had devoted herself full time to her literary career after publishing “Correspondence”.
Quicksand-struggles about being mixed races in America. Include themes of gender and sexuality. Believed to be aoutobiography, main character born to a danish mother and black father. Travels (chicago family shunned her, tuskagee, copenhagan, harlem)“Passing” solidified her status as a literary voice. Worked on third novel and traveled to spain and paris for the next six months.
Publishers of Kaye-Smith story disagreed stating Larsen’s work as being wholly original. Critics say “Sanctuary” was longer, better written, and more explicitly political. Defended her story/Folklore/previous rough drafts. Imes had an affair with a white woman. She lived off Imes alimony payments till his death in 1941. Died alone in apartment. Body was discovered some time after that, at which point most of her belongings were missing. Considered by most critics to be the greatest novelist of the Harlem Rennaissance.