Although most discussions of the uncanny begin with Freud’s essay on the subject (

, 1919), the term has captured the imagination of literary and philosophical discussions reaching far beyond the everyday meaning of the

or

or the limited context of the Gothic or horrific to reexamine the most central ideas about perception, narrative, and language.

An explicit connection to the Gothic is established by Freud himself through his use of E.T.A. Hoffman’s story The Sandman to illustrate a key phenomenon associated with the uncanny: the confusion of automata – or cyborgs – with living beings. However, aside from this explicit connection, in Freud’s extensive recounting of Hoffmann’s plot lie implicit connections to other equally important uncanny

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Citation: Griggs, Deborah. "The Uncanny". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 October 2005; last revised 06 February 2006. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1253, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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