Paul Marchand, F. M. C.

Princeton Legacy Library

by Charles W. Chesnutt, Matthew Wilson (Introduction)

Chesnutt wrote this novel at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance, but set it in a time and place favored by George Washington Cable. Published now for the first time, Paul Marchand, F. M. C. examines the system of race and caste in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Chesnutt reacts, as well, against the traditional stance that fiction by leading American writers of the previous generation had taken on the issue of miscegenation. After living for many years in France, the wealthy and sophisticated Paul Marchand returns to his home in New Orleans and discovers through a will that he is white and is now head of a prosperous and influential family. Since mixed-race marriages are illegal, he must renounce his mulatto wife and bastardize his children.

Chesnutt resolves Marchand's dilemma with a surprising plot reversal. Marchand, although white, chooses to pass as a black so that he can keep his wife and children. Thus, by altering the traditional narrative that Cable, Twain, and Howells had developed for their fiction on mixed-race themes, he exposes the issue of race as a social and legal fabrication. Moreover, Chesnutt shows Marchand's awareness that traits of inferiority and superiority are not based on “blood” but on other factors. In him Chesnutt has created an admirable male character responsive to human needs and civility rather than to artificial institutions.

Books by Charles W. Chesnutt (1858–1932) include Baxter's Procrustes , Hot-Foot Hannibal , The Conjure Woman , The House Behind the Cedars , The Marrow of Tradition , and The Colonel's Dream .

Genres: Fiction, African American

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 1998

About the author

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an author, essayist and political activist, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you consider that Chesnutt wrote this story in the early years of the twentieth century, he sure took a lot of risks considering the level of racism, and although it wasn't published until decades later, it challenged many of the social norms and beliefs of the time. Although some will consider the writing old fashioned, I was mightily impressed overall. He may have been considered one of our greatest novelists had he had equal access and opportunity, but he nonetheless was relatively well known for his short stories. The story itself was a bit too contrived, but it did shine a light on a complex social community in pre-Civil War New Orleans.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is just too didactic, including one section towards the end that’s just a straight up sociological lecture. The beginning of the novel is a bit slow as well, I think, and really feels dated, but when the sword fighting scene hits, that works super well. I wish he’d built the whole plane out of the sword fighting scene (actually though, I think this should probably just have been a short story or novella). It really just feels like Chesnutt felt like people were moving on to quickly from the fight against Plessy and so set his novel back in time to try to remind people why interrogating the one-drop rule was still important. I respect that, but I also think Chesnutt probably needed to realize some of the limitations in his thinking. He’s trying to write this anti-racist novel, but ends up writing a novel where the main character is so light skinned that they are literally revealed to simply be white at the end. Not that Harlem Renaissance authors weren’t dealing with passing, but I just think the novel is leaving something on the table but still attacking from that angle. Still definitely worth reading if you're interested in Chesnutt, but you can probably skip if you're looking for something more casual.

[Jordan Cymrot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't sit well..

[Jennifer Kanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get into the style , but once I got used to it and quit saying "really? this was written in the 20s? it feels so 1892," I really got into the characters and the way tension was built in the narrative structure.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrieved but effective for the purpose of pointing out the futility of race definitions.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good and entertaining lost novel. Some plot twists strain credulity, but so what?

[Myranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining and insightful for a period piece.