Fauset and Bennett (Fabre reading, continued)

So I realized after posting my reflections/questions on Cullen late last night that I had mistaken that chapter and the subsequent one on Fauset and Bennett as being two separate readings. There are common themes which occur throughout the sketches of all three individuals during their Parisian romps, but below are some additional reflections and questions posed in regards to the latter chapter on Fauset and Bennett specifically.

1. Jessie Fauset declined and offer to translate Rene Maran's Batouala as it's "crude" portrayal of blackness did not suit her personal sensibilities and sense of refinement. Yet she also notes her own writing felt delayed on account of being away from the "pressure" of American racism. What does this imply about Fauset's navigation of an African-American identity? Does class play a role? What other social factors are involved?

2. In Fauset's novel Comedy: American Style, the main character, Teresa, is an African-American woman living in France who eventually marries her white French professor. Towards the end of the novel, Teresa sees through "the alleged lack of prejudice among the French." In what ways may this have been true or untrue for Fauset as well?

3. Both Fauset and Bennett cling to the familiar in different ways during their experience in Paris. Is this a gendered commonality during this time period? Why or why not?

4. Gwendolyn Bennett is 23 years-old, and described more than once as fearful, less dependent, and nostalgic for home. Why is her experience in Paris so important to record and study? What does it tell us about this era for African-Americans? For women? For the educated elite?

5. Why did did Fauset and Bennett, respectively, decide to make the journey to France at all?