Freud’s Theory Of The Uncanny And Its Expressions In Anderson And Conrad

This thesis expounds Freud’s theory of the uncanny and studies how it is selectively and creatively expressed in literature,specifically in “Hands”,“The Secret Sharer”,and “The Strength of God”.Sigmund Freud is the founding father of the modern science of psychoanalysis.“The ‘Uncanny’” is one text in his canonical oeuvres published at the beginning of the twentieth century when horrific memories of the first world war take roots in his head.Due to its influence so far,most studies abroad and at home,though delicately interwoven with other critical approaches from time to time,shed light on the uncanny phenomena in fiction with meagre focus upon the interconnections within the uncanny.This thesis discovers that the uncanny is another expression of the “return of the repressed” which manifests itself through doubling and reveals the conflict between id and superego.The uncanny shares a similar emphasis on negative emotions with literary works.The uncanny return,doubling,and conflict respectively correspond with the tales of “Hands”,“The Secret Sharer”,and “The Strength of God” by Sherwood Anderson and Joseph Conrad.Based on the uncanny in the stories,this thesis demonstrates that the Freudian aesthetics of the uncanny embodies enormous potential for cultural,historic,and social studies.It also showcases that the uncanny effectively ascertains the cause of cultural xenophobia,facilitates the communication between the past and the present,and defuses the tension between religion and sexuality.