The Historian's Passing: Reading Nella Larsen's Classic Novel as Social and Cultural History

This meticulously annotated edition of Nella Larsen's novel Passing contextualizes the novel's many historical and cultural references and introduces readers to a central theme: crossing the color line in the hopes of living a more privileged life. • Clarifies historical and cultural references in Nella Larsen's Passing • Includes annotations for material on nearly every page of Passing • Thoroughly analyzes the context of the early 20th century United States • Discusses shifts in American definitions of race over the last hundred years