An Analysis Of Langston Fauset's There Is Confusion

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White Supremacy in the New South resulted in hundreds of thousands of African Americans moving to the North after suffering years of slavery and fighting for abolition. The Harlem section of Manhattan drew in nearly 175,000 African Americans. The relocation of African Americans to this area sparked a celebration of cultural pride, now known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the rebirth of African American culture, especially in the literary and creative arts, which occurred at the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s (c. 1918-1935). Many musicians, writers, and actors are recognized as prominent and influential figures during this period including Langston Hughes, Claude Mckay, Jean Toomer, Zora Neale Hurston, …show more content…

To begin with, she published four novels between 1924 and 1933 including There is Confusion (1924), Plum Bun (1929), The Chinaberry Tree (1931), and Comedy: American Style (1933). Her novels discussed topics which focused primarily on African American current culture and economic struggles. In particular, Fauset’s first novel, There is Confusion, was written to inform people about the truth behind African Americans and their capabilities. Du Bois called it "the novel that the Negro intelligentsia have been clamoring for.” Additionally, The Chinaberry Tree discusses issues involving illegitimany, miscegenation, and “respectability”, while her novel Comedy: American Style focused on the damage caused by the internalized racism of the mother on her middle-class black family. Secondly, Fauset wrote works of poetry such as “Rondeau.” (April 1912),“La Vie C’est La Vie.” (July 1922), and “‘Courage!’ He Said.” (November 1929). During her writing and editing career, she encouraged many Renaissance writers and editors such as Langston Hughes, Jean Toomerm, and Claude Mackey. She also is responsible for the development of many new African American voices. Despite only receiving a small amount of recognition during her lifetime, Fauset was the most published novelist during her