Book Review Miss Brill And Life Of Ma Parker

Liminality, or the liminal space, can be an effective literary tool used to represent the disparity between ones perception of themselves and the perceptions of those around them, as well as form one of the truest reflections of an author’s episteme. Defined as â€Å"the in-between zone† where a person or object is simultaneously part of two categories as well as neither, liminality is found across a variety of literary texts in one form or another. Katherine Mansfield, of New Zealand and England and described as a â€Å"liminar† by Sarah Ailwood (2005), utilises an array of interpretations of liminal space to express the concept through both character and story. Mansfield either directly or indirectly reflects her own experiences as a liminar caught between two worlds in her short stories. ‘Miss Brill,’ and ‘Life of Ma Parker’ both individually and uniquely represent a different interpretation of liminality that reflects the experiences of Mansfield. ‘Miss Brill’ provides a unique and personal take on liminality and internalised emotion and ‘Life of Ma Parker’ represents the experience of identity and perspective, influenced by her opinions of her home country and reception in England. In discussing the preceding texts and providing a detailed comparison of episteme and liminality, it can be shown that the either conscious or subconscious insertion of oneself into a piece of literary fiction through concepts of liminality provides a reflection of the episteme of a given author.