The uncanny

Definition

The uncanny refers to a feeling of unease or discomfort that arises when something familiar is rendered strange or eerie. This sensation often occurs in literature when characters confront the familiar turned unfamiliar, provoking a deep psychological response that can evoke fear, confusion, or even wonder. In the context of certain works, it highlights the complexities of human perception and challenges the boundaries between reality and imagination.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. In Melville's short fiction, characters often confront aspects of themselves or their environments that trigger feelings of the uncanny, leading to profound existential reflections.
2. The interplay between reality and illusion is key to understanding the uncanny in Melville's works, where familiar settings may twist into sources of anxiety or fear.
3. Melville’s use of symbolism often enhances the uncanny by infusing everyday objects and situations with deeper, unsettling meanings.
4. The uncanny can also manifest through characters' relationships with nature or the sea, where the familiar becomes menacing or alienating.
5. The tension between rational thought and irrational fear exemplifies the uncanny in Melville’s narratives, pushing characters toward moments of crisis and revelation.

Review Questions

• How does Melville utilize elements of the uncanny to enhance character development in his short fiction?
  • Melville employs the uncanny to peel back layers of his characters' psyches, revealing their inner conflicts and fears. By placing them in familiar yet disturbing situations, he challenges their perceptions of reality. This exploration often leads to a transformation or crisis that deepens their characterization, making them more relatable and complex as they grapple with unsettling truths about themselves and their worlds.
• Discuss how the theme of nature serves as a conduit for the uncanny in Melville's works.
  • In Melville's stories, nature often shifts from a source of comfort to one of dread, illustrating the uncanny. Characters who venture into natural settings find themselves faced with forces beyond their control. This duality highlights the unpredictability of nature and evokes anxiety, as what was once familiar becomes foreign and threatening. Such experiences force characters to confront their vulnerabilities and challenge their understanding of reality.
• Evaluate the significance of the uncanny in Melville's exploration of existential themes and its impact on readers' interpretations.
  • The uncanny is significant in Melville's work as it exposes deep-seated fears about existence and identity. By invoking this sensation, Melville compels readers to question their own realities and beliefs. The discomfort caused by uncanny elements leads to a deeper engagement with themes like isolation, morality, and the limits of knowledge. This exploration not only enhances the emotional depth of his narratives but also resonates with readers' own experiences of ambiguity in life.

Related terms

Familiarity: The quality of being well known or easily recognized, which, when disturbed, can lead to feelings of the uncanny.

Surrealism: An artistic movement that seeks to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, often incorporating elements that provoke a sense of the uncanny.

Doppelgänger: A double or counterpart of a character that embodies the uncanny by representing a familiar yet unsettling presence.