There Is Confusion (1924) is a novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset.
Published to resounding acclaim from such critics as Alain Locke and
Montgomery Gregory, There Is Confusion was largely forgotten by the
1930s as the Great Depression and the Second World War shifted national
attention away from the writers and artists whose vision defined the
Harlem Renaissance. Rediscovered by scholars in the late twentieth
century, There Is Confusion is seen as a feminist masterpiece on par
with the best of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. Set in Philadelphia and
Harlem, Fauset's novel traces the lives of three African Americans from
childhood to adulthood while situating their experience in the cultural
shifts of the early twentieth century. Joanna Marshall is a dancer who
longs for recognition. Maggie Ellersley is a beautiful girl who detests
her working-class roots. Peter Bye is an ambitious student who hopes to
become a surgeon. As they grow up together, their shared dreams are
tarnished by romance and competition. As economic opportunity reshapes
the African American community, the three friends must redefine their
relationships and desires. Moving and plainspoken, There Is Confusion
is a novel grounded in history that manages a delicate balance between
the personal and the political without losing sight of the characters
who live Fauset's vision. With a beautifully designed cover and
professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jessie Redmon
Fauset's There Is Confusion is a classic of African American
literature reimagined for modern readers.
