Helga Crane
E927045
Helga Crane is the conflicted, biracial protagonist of Nella Larsen’s novel "Quicksand," whose search for identity and belonging exposes the complexities of race, gender, and class in early 20th-century America.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
literary character ⓘ |
| alsoSetInCountry | Denmark NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Quicksand NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWithTheme |
exoticization of Black women in Europe
ⓘ
religious revivalism in the rural South ⓘ respectability politics in Black communities ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
alienation and belonging
ⓘ
class and respectability politics ⓘ gender and sexuality ⓘ racial identity conflict ⓘ search for identity ⓘ |
| countryOfFictionalContext | United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| createdBy | Nella Larsen NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ethnicity | biracial ⓘ |
| experiences |
colorism
ⓘ
marital dissatisfaction ⓘ racial discrimination ⓘ religious oppression ⓘ |
| firstAppearanceYear | 1928 ⓘ |
| gender | female ⓘ |
| hasTrait |
aesthetically refined
ⓘ
conflicted ⓘ intelligent ⓘ restless ⓘ sensitive ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| literaryMovementContext | Harlem Renaissance NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| livesIn |
Copenhagen
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Harlem NERFINISHED ⓘ Naxos (fictional Southern Black school) NERFINISHED ⓘ rural Alabama ⓘ |
| medium | novel ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | vehicle for social critique of race and gender norms ⓘ |
| nationality | African American ⓘ |
| occupation |
lecturer
ⓘ
teacher ⓘ |
| parentage |
Black West Indian father
ⓘ
Danish white mother ⓘ |
| protagonistOf | Quicksand NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| race | Black and white mixed heritage ⓘ |
| settingPeriod | early 20th century ⓘ |
| strugglesWith |
conventional marriage roles
ⓘ
mixed-race identity ⓘ religious expectations ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
the constraints on Black women’s autonomy
ⓘ
the dilemmas of the Black middle class ⓘ the psychological costs of racism ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.