Irene Redfield

E203742

Irene Redfield is the conflicted, upper-middle-class Black woman at the center of Nella Larsen’s novel "Passing," whose controlled life is unsettled by the reappearance of her racially passing childhood friend.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf African American woman ⓘ
fictional character ⓘ
literary character ⓘ
protagonist ⓘ
upper-middle-class woman ⓘ
appearsIn Passing ⓘ
associatedMovement Harlem Renaissance literature ⓘ
childhoodFriend Clare Kendry ⓘ
closeFriend Clare Kendry ⓘ
concern her children’s racial awareness ⓘ
respectability ⓘ
social status ⓘ
conflictType internal conflict about race and identity ⓘ
conflictWith Clare Kendry ⓘ
createdBy Nella Larsen ⓘ
ethnicity African American ⓘ
linked to: Black Americans
firstAppearance Passing ⓘ
gender female ⓘ
hasChild Junior Redfield ⓘ
Theodore Redfield ⓘ
literarySignificance embodies tensions around racial passing and authenticity ⓘ
explores complexities of Black middle-class womanhood ⓘ
maritalStatus married ⓘ
narrativePerspective third-person limited ⓘ
narrativeRole focalizer ⓘ
nationality American ⓘ
occupation housewife ⓘ
personalityTrait cautious ⓘ
conflicted ⓘ
controlled ⓘ
socially conservative ⓘ
publicationYearOfFirstAppearance 1929 ⓘ
race Black ⓘ
residence Harlem, New York City ⓘ
linked to: Harlem
settingTimePeriod 1920s ⓘ
socialClass upper middle class ⓘ
spouse Brian Redfield ⓘ
themeAssociated Harlem Renaissance ⓘ
colorism ⓘ
marital conflict ⓘ
racial identity ⓘ
racial passing ⓘ
respectability politics ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (18)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Tessa Thompson → portrayed → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Passing (2021 film) → mainCharacter → Irene Redfield ⓘ
subject linked to: Passing
Passing (1929) → hasProtagonist → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Passing (1929) → narratorFocalCharacter → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Clare Kendry → hasRelationshipWith → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Clare Kendry → childhoodFriendOf → Irene Redfield ⓘ
John Bellew → hasRelationshipWith → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Passing (novel) → mainCharacter → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Passing (novel) → narratorFocalization → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Passing (novel) → plotElement → Irene Redfield lives as a Black woman in Harlem ⓘ
linked to: Irene Redfield
Theodore Redfield → childOf → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Theodore Redfield → hasMother → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Theodore Redfield → hasRelative → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Junior Redfield → hasMother → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Junior Redfield → hasParent → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Junior Redfield → livesWith → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Junior Redfield → hasRelative → Irene Redfield ⓘ
Encounter (section of Passing) → featuresCharacter → Irene Redfield ⓘ
subject linked to: Encounter