Strategic Ambivalence: A Feminist Standpoint Theory Reading of Nella Larsen's Novels

The article applies feminist standpoint theory to the content and style of Nella Larsen's novels to show the literary critic and student the potential benefits of using standpoint theory in interpreting literature. In particular, it examines the concept of achieving a standpoint, and analyzes why Larsen's protagonists fail to achieve a standpoint. Its reading of Larsen's novels in light of standpoint theory demonstrates that Larsen conveyed knowledge of her world different from that of the dominant white culture and the male-centered, black middle-class culture of 1920s America and Harlem, knowledge that has yet to be fully examined. Further, the application of standpoint theory to literary texts provides refinements of particular concepts within standpoint theory, as the article demonstrates.