Though the title of Nella Larsen’s Passing evidently refers to Clare Kendry’s decision and Irene Redfield’s ability to pass as white, it also refers to Irene’s passing as a straight woman. This essay will argue that Passing’s unreliable third-person limited narrator reveals the underlying sexual attraction Irene feels towards Clare
paper instructions: For your second paper assignment, you will make an argument about either Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South or Nella Larsen’s Passing.
Overall Requirements
6 pages, minimum
Cite a critical source at least once
Works Cited page if you use a different edition than recommended
Review my comments on paper 1
Proofread!
Potential topics:
You can certainly write on a different topic if you wish, but you must get approval from me at least 24 hours before the paper is due:
Characters with opposing philosophies or moral frameworks (and does the narrative itself take a side?)
Cityscape or countryside: the influence and significance of environment
Narrative gaps: what isn’t narrated in the novel, and why?
Mother figures and motherhood
Slang and distinctive ways of speaking
Clothing and adornments
Women’s work: how does the novel define and illustrate women’s work in various ways?
