Turning Dreams to Chaos: Multiplicity and the Construction of Identity

Table of Contents

Introduction

Reading Meaning in the Mixed Body

Chapter One

Assimilating into What?: Stereotypes, Appearances, and Behavior

Chapter Two

Eliminating the Tragic: Intersections of Christianity, Racial Uplift, and True Womanhood

Chapter Three

Passing as Subversion and Reification

Chapter Four

The Journey Home: Replacing Tragedy with Authority

Chapter Five

Looking Within and Beyond Race with Irene, Clare, and Angela

Chapter Six

From the Passing Mulatto to the Biracial Character: Race, Class, Gender, and Family

Conclusion

The Community of Multiplicity

Research Objectives & Themes

This dissertation examines the mutability of meaning associated with the female mulatto body and explores how various nineteenth-century, modern, and postmodern American narratives interrogate racial essentialism and construct heterogeneous subjectivities. The study aims to demonstrate how passing, while historically bound by social and legal restraints, functions as a subversive act that challenges traditional racial categories and exposes the artificial nature of the color line.

• The role of the "tragic mulatto" archetype in early American literature.
• Assimilation and racial uplift as strategies for navigating societal hierarchies.
• The intersection of race, class, and gender in the construction of identity.
• Passing as a mechanism for both reinforcing and destabilizing essentialist frameworks.
• The transition from modernist essentialism to postmodern multiplicity in contemporary narratives.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

Introduction: Reading Meaning in the Mixed Body: Sets the theoretical framework for the study, focusing on the mulatto as a "racial war site" and a metaphor for a personality at war with itself.

Chapter One: Assimilating into What?: Stereotypes, Appearances, and Behavior: Analyzes how stereotypes and the "one-drop rule" were utilized to maintain racial boundaries and explores early literature of the tragic mulatto.

Chapter Two: Eliminating the Tragic: Intersections of Christianity, Racial Uplift, and True Womanhood: Examines how black authors utilized Christianity and domestic ideals to counter stereotypes and uplift the mulatto figure.

Chapter Three: Passing as Subversion and Reification: Investigates the complex dynamics of passing, focusing on how characters manipulate racial signs to challenge or uphold the status quo.

Chapter Four: The Journey Home: Replacing Tragedy with Authority: Explores the Harlem Renaissance's approach to the tragic mulatto theme and the shift toward racial pride and self-determination.

Chapter Five: Looking Within and Beyond Race with Irene, Clare, and Angela: Delves into newer narrative techniques, such as the gaze and fantasy, to achieve a state of non-essentialist identity.

Chapter Six: From the Passing Mulatto to the Biracial Character: Race, Class, Gender, and Family: Examines postmodern texts that redefine the mulatto as a biracial character, moving beyond stock archetypes toward self-aware, plural identities.

Conclusion: The Community of Multiplicity: Summarizes the findings, arguing for a "community of multiplicity" where conflicting identities can coexist without the need for essentialist categorization.

Keywords

Mulatto, Passing, Racial Essentialism, Identity Construction, Harlem Renaissance, Tragic Mulatto, Racial Uplift, True Womanhood, Heterogeneity, Self and Other, Multiplicity, Biracial Identity, American Literature, Subversion, Subjectivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this dissertation?

The work examines the mutability of meaning within the female mulatto body in American literature, focusing on how identity is constructed, manipulated, and subverted across different historical periods.

What are the primary themes discussed?

The central themes include racial essentialism, the performative nature of passing, the intersectionality of class and gender, and the push toward a non-essentialist, heterogeneous identity.

What is the main objective of the research?

The primary goal is to analyze how various American narratives—ranging from the nineteenth century to the postmodern era—reiterate or subvert racial structures and to explore the emergence of "multiplicity" as a way of being.

What scientific or literary methodology is employed?

The dissertation uses a literary and cultural studies approach, engaging with theories of identity, racial discourse, and critical analyses of major texts and authors to provide dual readings of mulatto characters.

What is covered in the main body of the work?

The main body traverses the historical trajectory of the mulatto figure, moving from the tragic archetypes of early abolitionist fiction through the Harlem Renaissance and ending with contemporary, postmodern explorations of identity.

Which keywords best characterize this work?

Keywords include Mulatto, Passing, Racial Essentialism, Identity Construction, Harlem Renaissance, Tragic Mulatto, Racial Uplift, and Multiplicity.

How does the author define the "Self" and the "Other"?

The author defines the "Self" as homogenous whiteness seeking separation, while the "Other" represents the difference of blackness, often used as a reservoir for devalued qualities.

What is the significance of the title "Fluid Clair-Obscure"?

The title refers to "chiaroscuro," the artistic technique of light and shade, playing on the name "Clare" and the shifting, always-crossing lines of racial identity.