Plum Bun: A Novel Without A Moral is a beautifully complicated intersectional story by Jessie Redmon Fauset, a 20th-century Black American woman author who should be a household name.
Plum Bun is a must–read for you if:
- You loved Nella Larsen’s Passing (written the same year as Plum Bun) and want a contemporaneous companion work told from a very different perspective
- You want a companion work to modern books like The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet and Caucasia by Danzy Senna, which explore similar themes
- You are reading Victoria Christopher Murray’s historical fiction account of Jessie Redmon Fauset’s life in Harlem Rhapsody and now want to read what she actually wrote!
- You are drawn to stories that are complex and dive deeply into the intersections of race, class, gender, and marital status.
- You love a good read – and if it’s by a neglected author that makes it even more intriguing!
As literary editor of the NAACP’s magazine The Crisis from 1919 until 1926, Jessie Redmon Fauset was one of the great literary architects of the Harlem Renaissance, championing the careers of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and other notable Black writers.
Fauset also wrote three novels, all deeply moving portraits of Black womanhood, race, identity, and ambition. While Fauset’s work as novelist and poet has largely been forgotten, scholar Danielle T. Slaughter writes about the enduring relevance of the worlds Fauset built in the foreword to the Quite Literally Books edition of Plum Bun:
Fauset’s novels are spheres of influence within existing structures, and the work Fauset did with the NAACP during her tenure as editor of The Crisis was activism on an institutional level. The former specifically aids in the self-definition of Black women while the latter aids in the view of Black Americans in general. Not only do her novels showcase the lives of women, but they also testify to Black feminist thought and underscore the “outsider” status that many Black women experience but never discuss.
Plum Bun, Fauset’s second novel, is a great place to start an exploration of her work. Like much of Fauset’s writing, Plum Bun portrays middle class Black American life, diving into still-contemporary themes of identity, race, class, and gender. This conversation starter touches on topics like race, class, and privilege, making it a compelling read for book clubs.
The story follows Angela, a beautiful, talented, ambitious young Black woman. When she leaves the confines of her family and Philadelphia for the artistic life in Greenwich Village, she makes the choice to enjoy the advantages that come with being perceived white.
Passing for white was supposed to make life easier, but for Angela, it costs her more than she ever imagined. While we were reading Plum Bun, we found ourselves talking about how all of us have to leave parts of ourselves behind sometimes in order to achieve our goals…and how sometimes it’s worth it, and sometimes it’s not. By showing Angela navigating love, career, and friendships on her own, Fauset asks us to think about what we give up and what we gain when we let the perceptions of others shape who we are.
Although the story centers around Angela passing as white, Plum Bun isn’t focused solely on race. Angela recognizes the inequities that are socially imposed on her– because of her gender, social class, her marital status, her occupation– then works to figure out a way to make her own choices. Her modern outlook on marriage, relationships, sex, family, and career echoes many of the thoughts women today still wrestle with.
Published in 1928 in England and in 1929 in the U.S., Plum Bun is a perfect example of great American literature written by a woman but lost in an American literary canon that hasn’t always given great works by women their due. QLB’s mission is to give hidden gems like Plum Bun the spotlight they deserve—and give readers a chance to rediscover and connect over something timeless.
Want more Plum Bun conversation starters? Listen to our interview with Amy Helmes and Kim Askew of the podcast Lost Ladies of Lit about Plum Bun and Jessie Redmon Fauset.
Listen to this episode of the Writers Voice podcast, featuring an interview with us about Plum Bun and Jessie Redmon Fauset, as well as Victoria Christopher Murray on her book Harlem Rhapsody about the life of Jessie Redmon Fauset.