Abstract

The initial title of my thesis was Thresholds, but this brought to mind the idea of a door—perhaps too concrete a word for describing narratives about transition and inertia. I needed a word that would sit well both with the notion of change in the physical sense—spatial relocation and the altered body—and changes of a psychological—often private, more subtle—order.

“Limen” is that word. It shares its meaning with “threshold” but is less familiar, and change is about encountering the unfamiliar, stepping on to foreign territory. Some changes are preceded by fireworks and a blaring fanfare. Others cannot be perceived by the most astute observers. “A Shy Man” may end with Jacques having an epiphany, but his living situation remains mostly the same. This is also true for the characters in “Wayside.” In “Desperately Searching for Coda,” on the other hand, Simon’s life is completely turned around—although it does ultimately come full circle. Invariably, the characters must reach a tipping point before any type of change can take place, but this limit is not always as conspicuous as a doorframe.