FUNCTIONS OF LIMINALITY IN UNORTHODOX: THE SCANDALOUS REJECTION OF MY HASIDIC ROOTS

The article is devoted to the study of the connection between the concept of liminality and the content of the memoir “Unorthodox. A scandalous renunciation of my Hasidic roots." Liminality as an anthropological term has been widely developed in the literature. The studied literary work combines autobiographical, historical and religious motifs, which allows D. Feldman to acquaint the reader with the encyclopedia of Jewish society and its traditions. The author of the article considers Deborah (the author and the main character of the book) as a representation of Van Gennep's theory of rites of passage and Turner's theory of liminality. The article highlights how liminality becomes for the heroine the road to freedom, creativity and finding herself. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of liminality in the memoir of Deborah Feldman.