Queer Readings in the Harlem Renaissance: Carl Van Vechten and Nella Larsen

摘要

This thesis considers the relationship of Queer Theory and Harlem Renaissance texts. On the eve of the centenary of the Renaissance, this thesis explores the work of Carl Van Vechten---a white patron, writer, and photographer whose relationship to the Renaissance remains subject for debate---and Nella Larsen---a writer whose novel Passing stands as one of the greatest Modernist texts. Chapter One focuses on a discussion of Van Vechten's 1926 novel, Nigger Heaven, the book's reception, and engages with questions of pejorative language, utilizing the work of Judith Butler, to explore the position of the author in relationship to pejorative language. Chapter Two focuses on a discussion of the parallels that can be drawn between the use of "passing" in Larsen's novel and the use of "passing" in the contemporary transgender narratives of Janet Mock and Caitlyn Jenner. The intent of this thesis is to open a space for dialogue between a theoretical lens and a period of literary history that have not yet been placed in considerable conversation with each other.