#nella larsen

[edettethegreat]

A Separate Peace 🤝 Passing 🤝 Giovanni's Room

"I love you, I hate you, I hate that I love you,, also you're dead so. no need to unpack all this"

there's no demand for memes about any of these books, but they've been on my mind

[5thhorsemnftheapocalypse]

The emotional bond between a gay teen and the literature thier favorite English teacher taught them

[dionyrtal]

february 6, 2025 — revising, revising, revising. one of my friends scolded me today for racing to the future while we have so much time for work, café dates, and dining hall gossip. she's probably right. back to work on larsen's passing and the trauma of queer desire.

[do not repost my photos without credit.]

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

Have you read Passing by Nella Larsen (1929)?

yes

no

I didn't finish it

I've never heard of it

Voting ended onOct 4, 2025

[problematic-character-tournament]

ROUND 1 — Match 15 of 138

Clare Kendry (Passing)

Problematic because: "morally grey in the sense that she clearly enjoys putting people in Situations" Propaganda: "there are no possible words to describe what she's got going on. but trust and believe she's got SO MUCH going on. in short, if you haven't read Passing: she's a black woman (<-heavily implied to be mixed race actually, half black half white), but she can contextually pass as white. she marries an ultra-racist man and finds the uncertainty of if he'll discover her race to be both amusing and deeply life-threatening. she drags other people into this game, and since she's not the pov character we don't know what her motives are on that; it could be that she finds it entertaining, it could be that this is her way of reaching out for help. she's got so much going on and her motives are always a bit of a mystery and I love her."

vs. Q (Star Trek)

Problematic because: "He has the general flaws you might expect of a character who is omnipotent; a massive ego and unwillingness to consider the needs and desires of anyone he sees as beneath him (that being anyone who isn't also a Q and some who are). People are mostly playthings to him, and if you actually manage to get his interest that just means he will make your life even more complicated." Propaganda: "He's so fun! Dealing with him in person would be a nightmare, but watching your favourite characters deal with his antics is always a good time. And John de Lancie inhabits the role with so much humor and charm it's just impossible not to love him whenever he's on screen."

Who should advance?

Clare Kendry

Q

Voting ended onJun 4

[commajade]

irene is so mad at clare but the moment she actually sees her she's overcome with affection and admiration this is so incredibly lesbian

[wups-up]

My pitch for you to read Passing by Nella Larsen

1) We always say “I’m sick of reading classics by old white men” well here’s you’re chance Passing is written by a black woman

2) Excelent pros

3) Unreliable narrator???? OOoOooOh what’s that about!

4) homoerotic yearning between two women

5) excelent commentary on passing as a concept as well as colorism

6) two primary leads are women

7) talks about how racism permeates even in black communities

8) it’s in the public domain so it’s literally free to read online or listen to a free audiobook and it will cost you nothing

9) it’s a novella so it’s pretty short but still packs a punch!

10) your beloved morally gray characters

11) the book doesn’t hold your hand and tell you what to think about what happened

12) there’s a movie adaptation! I haven’t watched it but I’ve heard it’s good

13) deconstructing comphet???

14) please please please please please please please please please please please—

15) explores intersections of race and sexuality

[tresbestioles]

And they both would end the same way 🫢