{"title":"Jessie Redmon Fauset","description":"Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961) was the daughter of an African Methodist Episcopal minister. She attended Cornell University, where she studied Latin, Greek, German, and French, and became one of the first Black women elected to Phi Beta Kappa. According to some sources she studied at the Sorbonne before earning her M.A. in French from the University of Pennsylvania. Fauset began contributing to The Crisis,  the official magazine of the NAACP, in 1912. By 1919, she was its literary editor, becoming the first person to publish Langston Hughes's and Gwendolyn Bennett's poetry as well as shaping the careers of Jean Toomer, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay.","products":[{"product_id":"there-is-confusion-hardcover","title":"There Is Confusion - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e (1924) is a novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset. Published to resounding acclaim from such critics as Alain Locke and Montgomery Gregory, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e was largely forgotten by the 1930s as the Great Depression and the Second World War shifted national attention away from the writers and artists whose vision defined the Harlem Renaissance. Rediscovered by scholars in the late twentieth century, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is seen as a feminist masterpiece on par with the best of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. Set in Philadelphia and Harlem, Fauset's novel traces the lives of three African Americans from childhood to adulthood while situating their experience in the cultural shifts of the early twentieth century. Joanna Marshall is a dancer who longs for recognition. Maggie Ellersley is a beautiful girl who detests her working-class roots. Peter Bye is an ambitious student who hopes to become a surgeon. As they grow up together, their shared dreams are tarnished by romance and competition. As economic opportunity reshapes the African American community, the three friends must redefine their relationships and desires. Moving and plainspoken, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel grounded in history that manages a delicate balance between the personal and the political without losing sight of the characters who live Fauset's vision. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jessie Redmon Fauset's \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJoanna, Maggie, and Peter grow up fostering one another's dreams. Despite their diverse interests, they find unity in their shared experience of a rapidly changing culture. As more African Americans enter a growing middle class, a conflict between tradition and modernity ensues that redefines romance and ambition for generations to come. \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101574664415,"sku":"9781513134222","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/U1p2M3krN2tQM0JiRGRPbmFyRDZZZz09.webp?v=1781071751"},{"product_id":"there-is-confusion-paperback","title":"There Is Confusion - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e (1924) is a novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset. Published to resounding acclaim from such critics as Alain Locke and Montgomery Gregory, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e was largely forgotten by the 1930s as the Great Depression and the Second World War shifted national attention away from the writers and artists whose vision defined the Harlem Renaissance. Rediscovered by scholars in the late twentieth century, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is seen as a feminist masterpiece on par with the best of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. Set in Philadelphia and Harlem, Fauset's novel traces the lives of three African Americans from childhood to adulthood while situating their experience in the cultural shifts of the early twentieth century. Joanna Marshall is a dancer who longs for recognition. Maggie Ellersley is a beautiful girl who detests her working-class roots. Peter Bye is an ambitious student who hopes to become a surgeon. As they grow up together, their shared dreams are tarnished by romance and competition. As economic opportunity reshapes the African American community, the three friends must redefine their relationships and desires. Moving and plainspoken, \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel grounded in history that manages a delicate balance between the personal and the political without losing sight of the characters who live Fauset's vision. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jessie Redmon Fauset's \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJoanna, Maggie, and Peter grow up fostering one another's dreams. Despite their diverse interests, they find unity in their shared experience of a rapidly changing culture. As more African Americans enter a growing middle class, a conflict between tradition and modernity ensues that redefines romance and ambition for generations to come. \u003ci\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101579907295,"sku":"9781513282411","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/NUdzY3FzbXBERmEyUTZWcVVEZ0N1Zz09.webp?v=1781071762"},{"product_id":"there-is-confusion-paperback-1","title":"There Is Confusion - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2020 Reprint of the 1924 Edition. \u003cem\u003eThere Is Confusion\u003c\/em\u003e centers on two families, the New York Marshalls and the Philadelphia Byes. In delineating their histories, Fauset stresses the significance of kinship and origins. She also shows the interconnectedness of the black and white races within these families in order to challenge the prevailing notion that black is evil and white is good. A particular strength is its focus upon black women's psychological reactions to sexism and racism. Joanna Marshall-beautiful, ambitious, talented, confident, but snobbish-fights to overcome obstacles against her race and gender in her attempt to become a famous singer and dancer. Her attitude that with enough determination \"colored\" people can be anything they want helps her to achieve at least partial victories. Another woman, Maggie Ellersley, struggles against the same obstacles of race and gender but with the added struggle against classism. Maggie lives in a tenement with her laundress mother and slides further down the social scale when she marries a \"common gambler,\" after her romance with Philip Marshall is thwarted by his sister Joanna. Eventually Maggie leaves her gambling husband, reunites with Philip, and marries him, but happiness is fleeting for Philip soon dies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101601272031,"sku":"9781684225026","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/RGlCTVVlQi9pTWY3TUtrV3ZhWFkrdz09.webp?v=1781071803"},{"product_id":"plum-bun-a-novel-without-a-moral-paperback","title":"Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA rediscovered classic from the Harlem Renaissance about a young Black woman's journey passing as white in 1920s New York City and her quest for self-acceptance--with an introduction by Glory Edim, founder and author of \u003ci\u003eWell-Read Black Girl.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJessie Redmon Fauset is one of the literary titans and foremost tastemakers of the Harlem Renaissance--hired by W. E. B. Du Bois to edit \u003ci\u003eThe Crisis\u003c\/i\u003e, she helped popularize writers like Nella Larsen, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, amongst countless others. And yet, her own work has been largely underread in the twenty-first century. Written in 1929, at the height of the Harlem renaissance, Fauset's celebrated second novel tells the story of Angela Murray. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGrowing up in a Black middle-class Philadelphia neighborhood, Angela has always dreamed of becoming a painter. But the profession is largely reserved for white society. So when Angela's parents prematurely pass away, she moves to roaring New York City, where she befriends elite artists and presents herself as a white woman. While her sister Virginia's complexion resembles that of their father's, Angela's is lighter, like her mother's, and passing, she believes, is the only way she'll ever achieve success. Virginia, meanwhile, refuses to bow to racist pressures, and stays in Philadelphia to embrace her heritage with pride. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach time Angela thinks she's found artistic, professional, and romantic fulfillment, her ethnicity gets exposed and she finds herself stripped of everything she cares about. As she navigates a world of seduction, betrayal, lust, and heartbreak, she's forced to consider: What does it mean to find genuine success in a society marred by injustice? Fauset's \"novel without morals\" never passes judgement and stays teeming with tenderness. Full of moments that underline the joy of every day Black life, \u003ci\u003ePlum Bun \u003c\/i\u003eis a pertinent meditation on art, identity, and what it means to find community--as relevant today as ever before.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102890561759,"sku":"9780593731956","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/CxONz5OTJR9780593731956.webp?v=1781087548"},{"product_id":"plum-bun-paperback","title":"Plum Bun - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlum Bun: A Novel Without a Mora\u003c\/em\u003el is a bold, trailblazing novel that confronts the illusions of race, gender, and identity in 1920s America. Written by Harlem Renaissance luminary Jessie Redmon Fauset, this compelling story follows Angela Murray, a light-skinned African American woman who dares to pass as white in pursuit of freedom and opportunity.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDriven by ambition and the promise of reinvention, Angela leaves behind her home in Philadelphia-and the limitations placed upon her as a Black woman-for the dazzling world of New York City. But as she ascends in a society that accepts her under false pretenses, Angela must reckon with the personal costs of erasing her past, her family, and herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough incisive prose and richly drawn characters, Fauset exposes the complex intersections of race, class, and womanhood, challenging readers to question the true meaning of success and self-worth. Plum Bun is not just a story about passing-it's a powerful meditation on authenticity, belonging, and the price of silence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDaring, thought-provoking, and deeply human, \u003cem\u003ePlum Bun\u003c\/em\u003e remains a timeless exploration of identity and the perilous pursuit of the American dream.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102906454239,"sku":"9781515466581","price":25.63,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/EGfrtbhDQm9781515466581.webp?v=1781087602"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/jessie-redmon-fauset.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}