Uncanny Defined

Uncanny is one of the many terms I learned in my Doubles and Doppelgangers class. This term is defined in Sigmund Freud's book Uncanny as "belonging to all that is terrible- to all that arouses dread and creeping horror,” and something “familiar can become uncanny and frightening." Many things can be uncanny but this was my favorite definition from Freud. He's describing how an unfamiliar event, person, or thing can suddenly become creepily familiar by it's or their aesthetic. For example: say you had an abusive family life and then you ended up with an abusive boyfriend. You may not have met this person prior to dating but they become familiar in their abuse. It's what they know and are comfortable with even though it is a terrible thing. This uncanniness arose from childhood like many things can. This term was the biggest idea I took from my class. It can be applied to things I may not have thought about before. I've caught things in my life that can be considered uncanny that I did not think about, like my relationship with my dad and finding it in other men. It's interesting to look at our lives and find these things that almost seem ironic.