Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Beacon Press (1999), Edition: 1, 408 pages
Description
Written in 1929 at the height of the Harlem Renaissance by one of the movement's most important and prolific authors, Plum Bun is the story of Angela Murray, a young black girl who discovers she can pass for white. After the death of her parents, Angela moves to New York to escape the racism she believes is her only obstacle to opportunity. What she soon discovers is that being a woman has its own burdens that don't fade with the color of one's skin, and that love and marriage might not offer her salvation.
User reviews
LibraryThing member gazzy
A novel about "passing" into white society - or really, out of black society.
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
Written at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, this is one of those novels that isn't nearly as widely read as it should be. Fauset's novel is so readable as to often seem casual, but the heart of the story is a detailing of psychology related to racism, sexism, and the question/process of
In the end, Fauset's subtitle, "a novel without a moral", is both important and careful. As prolific and involved as Fauset was during the Harlem Renaissance, there's no question that this work is never without thought, but it is also incredibly engaging and readable, maybe so much so that its very readability has allowed it to be overlooked when we look back at the serious literature of its time. Plum Bun: A Novel WIthout a Moral is, though, a pointed critique of anyone who would attempt to call "passing" a simple matter of morality, pride, or confidence--it is a serious work of fiction, worth reading and considering, that sheds real light onto race and gender politics of the early twentieth century.
Simply, this may be a book you haven't heard of...but it shouldn't be.
Absolutely recommended.
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"passing". By focusing on a young African American girl who wants nothing more than to be a free woman and artist, Fauset tracks her young protragonist through Philadelphia and then New York with a constant eye toward the politics of her life. Because the focus of the novel is on the personal psychology of characters, as opposed to larger politics affecting society, the book and protagonist might come across as deceptively simple, or even selfish. Instead, the novel works to provide a picture of simple, and even realistic, survival. In the end, Fauset's subtitle, "a novel without a moral", is both important and careful. As prolific and involved as Fauset was during the Harlem Renaissance, there's no question that this work is never without thought, but it is also incredibly engaging and readable, maybe so much so that its very readability has allowed it to be overlooked when we look back at the serious literature of its time. Plum Bun: A Novel WIthout a Moral is, though, a pointed critique of anyone who would attempt to call "passing" a simple matter of morality, pride, or confidence--it is a serious work of fiction, worth reading and considering, that sheds real light onto race and gender politics of the early twentieth century.
Simply, this may be a book you haven't heard of...but it shouldn't be.
Absolutely recommended.
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LibraryThing member sallylou61
Plum Bun: A Novel without a Moral by Jessie Redmon Fauset was written during the Harlem Renaissance. Although Angela Murray, a very light-skinned black woman who tries to pass for white, is featured in this novel, several other people trying to pass for white are also included. The story, which
I read this novel for the story. The printing of this particular edition, which is in the Oshun Publishing African-American Studies Series, is terrible. Numerous times commas instead of periods are used; some compound words, including people's names, are spelled as two words; often when quotation marks are used for conversation, there are spaces between the quotation marks and text; and occasionally only a few words of the text are on a line with the continuation of it on the next line.
3.5 stars for story; 1 star for printing
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mainly takes place in Philadelphia and New York City, shows the trials of families with members of various shades of color and how the actions of individual family members can impact their friends, families, and fellow workers. The prejudices and injustices against blacks are vividly portrayed.I read this novel for the story. The printing of this particular edition, which is in the Oshun Publishing African-American Studies Series, is terrible. Numerous times commas instead of periods are used; some compound words, including people's names, are spelled as two words; often when quotation marks are used for conversation, there are spaces between the quotation marks and text; and occasionally only a few words of the text are on a line with the continuation of it on the next line.
3.5 stars for story; 1 star for printing
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LibraryThing member et.carole
I had been looking for this story, one of independence and the hard questions and eventual happiness, for a while. Well-written, and easily digestible.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1928
Physical description
8.01 inches
ISBN
0807009199 / 9780807009192
UPC
046442009195