The Double - Diploma Thesis Finished

8/14/2019 The Double - Diploma Thesis Finished

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Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of Englishand American Studies

English Language and Literature

Juraj Schweigert, BA

The Uncanny: The Double as a

iterary !onventionMasters Diploma Thesis

Supervisor Michael Matthew !a"lor, #h$ D$

"#$#


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% declare that % have wor&ed on this

thesis independentl", using onl" the

primar" and secondar" sources

listed in the 'i'liograph"$

..

Juraj Schweigert


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% would li&e to than& m" supervisor

Dr$ Michael Matthew !a"lor (or his

patient guidance and all the valua'le

suggestions and comments that

helped me to shape this thesis$

Also, % would li&e to than&

#ro($ )icholas *o"le (or the

e+traordinar" learning e+perience

'ordering on the uncann" during the

seminars lead '" him at the

niversit" o( Susse+$


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TA%E &F !&'TE'TS

- .reud and /The ncann"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$0

-$- The ncann" #remiere$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$0

-$1 /The Sandman S"nopsis$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2

-$3 .reuds Anal"sis o( the ncann"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-3

-$4 /The ncann" in a Broader 5onte+t$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-6

1 Der Doppelg7nger 89The Dou'le:;$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$13

1$-


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$ Freud and (The Uncanny)


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%t is not ver" usual (or a ps"choanal"st to e+plore such

phenomena, sa"s .reudH nevertheless, he (eels o'liged to do so$

And although he claims that he is going to touch onl" upon some

aspects o( the su'ject, he ends up treating 9the uncann": as a

whole$

Aesthetics, into which .reud seemingl" reluctantl"

contri'utes, has invaria'l" dealt with the emotions as such and

the wa" we e+perience themH 'ut, .reud declares that, while

aesthetics scope (ocuses on the 'eauti(ul or on the su'lime, he

is the (irst to tac&le the pro'lem o( the uncann"$ 9as

!nhei"liche# 89the uncann":; 'elongs to the realm o( the

(rightening, 'ut occupies a somewhat detached space (rom what

seems to 'e merel" (earsome$ The most recent wor&s treating

the issue o( (ear, (or e+ample, include !endall L$ =altons essa"

/.earing .ictions or #eter Lamarues /?ow 5an =e .ear and #it"

.ictions$ These, however, wor& with a concept o( (ear which is

ver" di((erent (rom what .reud outlines and are rather concerned

with the mechanism and the e+istence o( emotions inspired '"

wor&s o( art$ =hile these philosophers o( art treat (ear8e+perienced when contemplating art; in terms o( the ma&eI

'elievedness and the willingl" su'jecting o( oneIsel( to

sensations o( (ear 8(or ones li(e or sa(et" perhaps;, the uncann"

precludes an" act o( will and stri&es une+pectedl"$ %t overwhelms

when encountered$ The concept easil" e+tends (rom the area o(

@


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originate (rom one another, 'eing one anothers dou'le as it

were$ A(ter all, negation alwa"s means a((irmation, as we

learned (rom .reuds case studies, and the pre(i+ 9unI: is a mar&

o( repression$ %t is as i( there is an instance o( schiophrenia

em'edded in the language$ =ords li&e 9weird:, 9strange:, 9odd:,

9alien:, 9unhomel":, 9ueer:, and 9(unn": the s"non"ms o( the

9uncann": also involve multiple readings, meanings, and

schisms$ The uncann" em'races a sense o( the uncertaint" o(

ones e+periences, o( onesel(, and o( the uncann" itsel($

5are(ull", though not without misinterpretation, .reud

anal"ses /The Sandman$ ?e supplies an account o( the stor",

which in a wa" su'stitutes the original /Der Sandmann$ %t is that

9dangerous supplement:3which haunts ?o((manns stor"$ %t is at

once 'oth a part o( it and an e+tra, producing meaning o( its

own$ %t is one o( the countless traces through which /Der

Sandmann is$ 8And in man" wa"s /The ncann" and /The

Sandman have 'ecome a conventional, insepara'le couple$; As

?ClKne 5i+ous suggests, .reuds account handles the stor" as i(

he were stud"ing a case o( neurosis and gives the impression

3This is a re(erence to the essa" /$$$ The Dangerous Supplement $$$ '" Jacues

Derrida, whose writing is highl" relevant to thin&ing a'out the uncann"$ The

9supplement: is an inde(ina'le presence 8and a'sence at the same time; that

haunts the original$ To demonstrate, Derrida ta&es the preconception that

9writing: is merel" a supplement o( 9speech: and deconstructs it in his O$

Gra""atolog% in such a wa" that writing 'ecomes more than just a

supplementing opposite o( speech$6


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that the narrative has a straight(orward and logical order$ An"

recount is prone to change its meaning this is the nature o(

language$ B" virtue o( retelling, e+ploiting the reitera'ilit" o( the

te+t, its meaning can 'e, either consciousl" or unconsciousl",

manipulated$ .reuds concentration on e"es as the principal

moti( /seems to eradicate the dou't concerning the authors

intention4and reduces the scope o( the stor"$ .reud sees the

stor" as the


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As children, )athaniel and his 'rothers and sisters would

not see their (ather ver" o(tenH 'ut, when the" did, the" would

spend pleasant (amil" evenings listening to their (athers

wondrous stories$ There would 'e, however, some evenings

when melanchol" and silence ruled their household$ Then their

mother would send the children upstairs to their 'eds at nine

ocloc& with the (ollowing words /)ow children, time (or 'ed$ The

Sandman is coming, % can tell$@ .rom the sa(et" o( their

'edroom, heav" steps, coughing and scraping could 'e heard

ascending the stairs$ ?owever, upon inuir" as to who the

Sandman is, the mother onl" said that it is just a metaphor (or

sleepiness$ Dissatis(ied with such an answer, )athaniel as&ed a

nurse o( theirs, who descri'ed the Sandman as a wic&ed man

who too& e"es out o( childrens heads and (ed them to his own

children, who were nested in the crescent moon$ As the "ears

went '", )athaniels curiosit" increased, and one da" he

managed to spot the terri'le (igure o( the Sandman in whom he

recognied 5oppelius, the disgusting advocate who used to dine

with them at times$ )athaniel attempts to (ind out what &ind o(

e+periments his (ather and 5oppelius have 'een per(orming$

n(ortunatel", he is discovered, seied '" 5oppelius and

threatened with having his e"es gouged out$


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was sure would 'e his last 8either 'ecause he wanted to cease or

'ecause he (elt his end was near;, and 5oppelius disappears$

As the mature )athaniel writes, he meets a 'arometerI

seller Fiuseppe 5oppola, whose (igure and (eatures strongl"

remind him o( 5oppelius$ To his anno"ance, the letter to Lothar is

opened '" 5lara, )athaniels love, who writes 'ac& reasoning

that it is onl" the wor& o( superstition and his (anci(ul

imagination$ )athaniel replies re'u&ing 5lara (or opening letters

not addressed to her, and he also hal(Ijo&ingl" urges Lothar not

to teach her how to reason logicall" an"more$ .urthermore, he

relates that he has 'een attending lectures given '" a (amous

ph"sician o( %talian descent, #ro(essor Spalanani$ ?e also

mentions Spalananis 'eauti(ul daughter


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stairs to Spalananis stud", he (inds the pro(essor and 5oppola

wrestling (or


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$*, Freud)s Analysis of the Uncanny

The pro'lem with .reuds rendition, as 5i+ous argues in /The

.iction and its #hantoms, is that he diminishes the importance o(

the intellectual uncertaint" and handles ?o((manns stor" in such

wa" that it allows him to 'ring in the 5astration 5omple+$ The

te+t itsel( does not necessaril" have to 'e seen as accentuating

re(erences to the e"es, seeing, or an" other details that would

conjure up an inclination to such an interpretation 85i+ous 031 I

033;$ %( the e"es are perceived as a su'stitute (or the genitals,

then the .reudian perspective o( a castration comple+ is open

the (ear o( losing ones e"es euals the (ear o( losing ones penis$

This logic is simpleH and, as long as we den" the connection o(

the two, sa"s .reud, the various elements o( the stor" will seem

ar'itrar" and meaningless$ .reud sees 5oppelius and )athaniels

(ather as two opposites o( the (athers imago6$ The 9'ad: (ather

wants to castrate himH the 9good: one to save him (rom 'eing

6)nternational ictionar% o$ *s%choanal%sis /The term 9i"ago#(irst appeared

in wor& o( 5arl Fustav Jung in -2-1, and $$$N is lin&ed to repression, which in

neurosis, through regression, provo&es the return o( an old relationship or

(orm o( relationship, the reanimation o( a parental imago$ $$$N Jung e+plained

his choice o( this term 9This intraps"chical image comes (rom two sources

the in(luence o( the parents, on the one hand, and the childs speci(ic

relations, on the other$: ON .reud showed the importance o( the childs lin&s

with its parents and e+plained that the most important thing is the wa" in

which the child su'jectivel" perceives its parentsH these ideas are contained in

the notion o( the imago$

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castrated$ The et, it is an interesting

opening o( the discussion o( the uncann" which reassesses and

(ollows Ernst Jentschs anal"sis$

Although /The Sandman displa"s man" instances o( what

.reud considers the cru+ o( the uncann" phenomena, he opts (or

a ver" peculiar move$ Apparentl" satis(ied with his interpretation

(eaturing the (ear o( castration, he 'rings in another o(

?o((manns stories /The Devils Eli+ir$ This time, however, he

gives the stor" short shri(t and is content with pointing out that it

is not possi'le to deal with all its themes and that onl" the most

prominent should 'e considered here$ ?e concentrates on the

theme o( 9dou'ling:, without ever anal"sing it within the conte+to( ?o((manns stor"$

The crucial assertion .reud ma&es is that what renders an

event, situation, thing, or a piece o( art uncann" is repetition$

/The constant recurrence o( the same thing 8, 30@;, .reud

argues, is the principal (actor that accounts (or the (eeling o( the

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uncann"$ The inner compulsion to repeat, which he descri'es in

detail in another stud", +e%ond the *leasure *rincile, is a

(eature o( the human ps"che that 'rings a'out (eelings o(

uncanniness$ The thing that recurs is mostl" a repressed one, a

remainder o( our surmounted 'elie(s, and it ma&es us dou't

whether our new 'elie(s are correct or whether the animistic

'elie(s 8the e+istence o( living dead, ghosts, and the

omnipotence o( thoughts; that we have surmounted are not valid

a(ter all$

To o'jectivel" point a (inger at the uncann" li&e .reud

intended to do would 'e, however, a mista&e

)ow, however, it is time to turn (rom these aspects o(the matter, which are in an" case di((icult to judgeand loo& (or some undenia'le instances o( the

uncann", in the hope that an anal"sis o( them willdecide whether our h"pothesis is a valid one$ 8, 3@-;

%n realit", it cannot 'e said this or that is 9undenia'l": uncann"$

There are some general classes and mechanisms, however, 'ut

the (eeling o( the uncann" itsel( is largel" a reading e((ect

8whether o( a literar" te+t or a te+t in the wider sense o( the

word;$ That is the reason wh" Jentsch does not attempt to create

a comple+ theor" o( the uncann" /Such a conceptual e+planation

would have ver" little value$ The main reason (or this is that the

same impression does not necessaril" e+ert an uncann" e((ect on

ever"'od" $$$N it is 'etter $$$N to investigate how the a((ective

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e+citement o( the uncann" arises in ps"chological terms$2

Anal"sis might tell wh" and in what wa" something is uncann",

'ut it cannot postulate a particular thing as generall" (elt as

uncann"$ Just as there is no universal concept o( 9the 'eauti(ul:

in the sense, that one thing might 'e 'eauti(ul (or one person

and ugl" (or another there is no universal uncann"$ This

argument, a(ter all, is supported '" the ver" nature o( the

9uncann":, the origins o( which stem (rom some repressed

material or surmounted 'elie(s which, argua'l", are individual

/.or this uncann" is in realit" nothing new or alien, 'ut something

which is (amiliar and oldIesta'lished in the mind and which has

'ecome alienated (rom it onl" through the process o( repression

8, 3@33@4;$ =hat is more, .reuds warning against ta&ing (or

granted that what is repressed and surmounted is necessaril"

uncann" testi(ies, in a wa", to the su'jective character o( the

issue$-.reud suggests that, as (ar as literature is concerned, the

uncanniness o( the su'jectImatter depends on the e+tent to

which the illusion o( realit" is 'ought '" the reader$2Ernst Jentsch, /


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)or is it perhaps correct to de(initel" close the group o(

what ma&es things uncann", as .reud doesH generall", according

to him, these are the things that ma&e something uncann"

/animism, magic and sorcer", mans attitude to death,

involuntar" repetition and the castration comple+ 8, 3@0;$

Since the list o( the uncann" could 'e e+tended e+ponentiall",

the attempt to classi(" or to delimit the concept cannot 'e

achieved$ %t could include dCjP vQ, 9the dou'le:, canni'alism,

dar&ness, silence, madness, and epileps"$ Even .reud cannot

resist supplementing the list (urther in the paragraphs that

(ollow$ As )icholas *o"le remar&s in a medical metaphor /Ever"

attempt to isolate and anal"se a speci(ic case o( the uncann"

seems to generate an at least minor epidemic$--

Lastl", there is a ver" important remar& to 'e made in this

short summar" o( .reuds essa"$ As has 'een suggested a couple

o( paragraphs a'ove, the milieu appears to 'e crucial (or the

uncann" (eeling to ta&e place, especiall" within the realm o(

literature$ Attention is drawn to the (act that, when we accept the

imaginar" and ac&nowledge that what we read is (ictional, theuncann" is cancelled$ Thus, (air" tales teeming with ghosts,

demons, thoughtItrans(erence, animism, etc$, suspend the

uncann" due to the conscious a((irmation o( the (ictional status o(

the te+t$


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'etween (iction and realit", the e+perience o( the uncann" is

possi'le$-1

$*- (The Uncanny) in a %roader !onte.t

)ot onl" does /The ncann" demonstrate the methods 8or even

the traps; o( ps"choanal"tic thin&ing, 'ut it has also 'ecome a

ver" important tool (or thin&ing a'out culture, literature, art,

philosoph", and gender$ %t ceases to 'e just a matter o(

aesthetics, especiall" with the emergence o( deconstructive

thin&ing$ The introductor" chapter o( *o"les 'oo& (he !ncann%:

An )ntroductionprovides the gist o( how the concept might wor&

when applied$ *ussian (ormalists, (or e+ample, wor&ed with the

term ostranenie, which is a de(amiliarisation or 9ma&ing

strange:H Bertolt Brecht emphasised the alienationIe((ect, again,

ma&ing the ordinar" strange$-3 ?arold Bloom conceives o(

literature, particularl" o( the great canonical pieces o( literature

as con(ronting readers with /an uncann" startlement rather than

a (ul(ilment o( e+pectation,-4 and demonstrates that /the

-1 Tvetan Todorov draws a line and theories di((erences 'etween the

9(antastic:, 9marvellous:, and 9uncann": in a chapter o( his stud" entitled (he

-antastic: A tructural Aroach to a Literar% Genre, trans$ *$ ?oward, 8%thaca,

)> 5ornell #, -20;$

-3)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, 40$

-4

?arold Bloom, (he Western /anon: (he +ooks and chools o$ the Ages ,

8)ew >or& *iverhead, -220; 3$-6


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authenticall" daemonic or uncann" alwa"s achieves canonical

status$-0

*ecentl", ?elen Johnson has suggested in her contri'ution

at the Feorgia #olitical Science Association con(erence, entitled

/5an *ationalit" Em'race the ncann"R )ew =a"s to Manage

5on(lict in the South #aci(ic, that the concept o( the uncann"

could 'e emplo"ed in order to help to manage and resolve

con(licts in nonI=estern regions$ The renouncing o( rationalit" in

(avour o( more 9uncann": thin&ing models o( the indigenous

people o( the regions is proposed to 'e a possi'le &e" to 'etter

understanding and, thus, to solving the pro'lems that emerge$

Some scholars have used the concept o( the uncann" to thin&

a'out the nuclear age and its traumas, such as #aul !$ SaintI

Amour in /Bom'ing and the S"mptom Traumatic Earliness and

the )uclear ncann" and )icolas *o"le in /)uclear #iece

Memoires o( ?amlet and the Time to 5ome$

%ndeed deconstruction itsel( actuall" is uncann", and

certainl" could 'e perceived through the 9optical glass: o(

.reuds te+t$ %t dismantlesH /it is the e+perience o( the other as

the invention o( the impossi'leH-@to use some more words (rom

its highest authorit", /it must, '" means o( a dou'le gesture, a

dou'le science, a dou'le writing, practice an overturning o(

-0(he Western /anon, 406$

-@

Jacues Derrida, /#s"che %nvention o( the or& *outledge, -221; 316$-2


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classical opposition and a general displacement o( the s"stem$-

Deconstruction 'lurs the limits o( the onceI&nown and has the

power to ma&e it di((erent, precisel" as the word 9das

!nhei"liche# does$ /The uncann", writes *o"le, /is necessaril"

'ound with anal"sing, uestioning, and even trans(orming what

is called 9ever"da" li(e: $$$N not onl" in relation to issues o(

se+ualit", class, race, gender, age, imperialism and colonialism

$$$N 'ut also, (or e+ample, in relation to notions o( automaton,

technolog" and programming$-6

The common denominator o( all uncann" phenomena

appears to 'e repetition the dou'ling o( a su'ject o( an" sort,

with the second instance o( it occurring as a strange one$


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%mportantl", this personal anecdote is relegated to a (ootnote

and dissociates .reud (rom lia'ilit" to the e+perience o( the

uncann"$ But, as .reud concedes in the closing sentence o( the

(ootnote, the /archaic reaction which (eels the 9dou'le: to 'e

something uncann" 8, 3-; might have le(t some traces in the

(orm o( the disli&e he (elt$

The dou'le as we have seen occupies the most prominent

space in the theor" o( the uncann"$ %t is so insistent that .reud

does not hesitate to a'andon the realm o( literature and to

e+plore it on the realIli(e level, no longer concerned onl" with

/The Sandman and the castration comple+ 'ut also with the case

histories and the return o( the repressed$ So eminent is it that

even .reud, the uninterested researcher who has not long

/e+perienced or heard o( an"thing which his given him an

uncann" impression 8, 34;, (eels compelled to come up with

an anecdote (rom his own li(e to e+plain it$

At this point, it would 'e apt to ta&e a closer loo& at what

returns, repeats, recurs, imitates and dou'les in relation to 9the

uncann":$ To 'e more speci(ic, this thesis aims to inuire into the

nature o( the (igure o( the dou'le and to trace it within a 'roader

literar" and philosophical conte+t, particularl" within the conte+t

o( the uncann"$ Be(ore considering several representative

literar" te+ts /=illiam =ilson '" Edgar Allan #oe, /The >ellow

=allpaper '" 5harlotte #er&ins Filman and the nonIcanonical

1-


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(he ark Hal$'" Stephen !ing this thesis will consider several

theories and approaches to 9the dou'le:$

11


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" Der Doppelg/nger 01The Double23

"*$ &tto 4ank)s Study

=hat Ernst Jetsch had to sa" in his short inuir" into the

phenomenon o( the uncann" has also some relevance as regards

the present thesis$ %ntellectual uncertaint" a'out whether an

inanimate o'ject can come to li(e 8one o( the causes o( the

(eeling o( the uncann"; is closel" connected to the idea o( ones

dou'le as emerging (rom a mirror or a shadow, or indeed as

'eing alive in a painting$ These ideas appear to have 'een

plenti(ul throughout various cultures$ The dou'le as a cultural

phenomenon is the concern o(


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"our own shadow "ou will die at least the rather comical

superstition ran$ And i( "ou see "our shadow dou'led during a

Twel(th night, "ou will die as well$ The connection o( shadow and

death is uite o'vious$ According to another, during ones hour o(

death, a mans genius appears and stands or wal&s ne+t to ones

shadow$-2 Slowl", the shadow 'ecame associated with the

dou'le$ There are countless 'elie(s that, i( mans dou'le is

wounded, the man will 'e wounded as well$ *an& mentions an

%ndian 'elie( that an enem" can 'e eradicated i( his picture or

shadow is stung into the heart,1 calling to mind vooIdoo

practices that are perhaps 'etter &nown to contemporar"

readers$ As the a'ove illustrates, the dou'le is conceived o( as i(

it were a vital e+ternal part o( ones 'od"H and also, as .reud

remar&s, the dou'le is an uncann" har'inger o( death$ 8, 30;

%ncestuous copulation and adulterous moti(s o(ten appear

in stories a'out the dou'le, especiall" where someones love is

at sta&e$ The case o( the 'i'lical conception is interesting, as

some church (athers in their translation and interpretation o( (he

&e' (esta"entwrite /The ?ol" Spirit will come upon "ou, andthe power o( the Most ?igh will overshadow "ou$ There is even a

(ear among some primitives that a shadow can (ecundate a

woman the shadow, thus, wor&s as a s"m'ol o( potenc"$ Losing

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ones shadow or dou'le will there(ore, (or ps"choanal"sis,

constitute a s"m'ol (or the castration comple+$ Another common

ps"choanal"tic interpretation is that a dou'le haunting a person

is pla"ing the role o( his conscience$ There is also a move (rom

the shadow to the soul in primitive 'elie(s$ The research into the

(ol& 'elie(s uoted '" *an&s shows that the description o( the

soul is derived (rom ones mirror images in water$ Dou'tless, the

origin can also 'e traced to stories, such as the (a'le o(

)arcissus, which com'ine death, the dou'le, and se+ualit"$

"*" 'arcissism

The Free& m"th o( )arcissus 8and, later, its interpretation '"

.reud; is also used '" *an& to e+plain the phenomenon o( the

dou'le$ The m"th tells the stor" o( a "oung man who (alls in love

with his own image re(lected on the waters sur(ace$ ?e dies

when he realies that this love cannot 'e reuited$ Li&e the m"th,

ps"choanal"sis sees 9the dou'le:, narcissism and death as 'eing

mutuall" connected$ #s"choanal"sis teems with oppositions and

dualities, and, as such, is 'ased on them, as it sees mans mind

as a set o( (orces struggling against one another$ %n the essa"

entitled /The Theme o( the Three 5as&ets, .reuds anal"sis

couples death with love$ %t deals with uite a (reuent literar"

scene o( three choices, such as the one (ound in 4ing Learor in

the Free& m"th a'out #aris$ The 'est choice usuall" happens to

'e the most su'dued$ Although /ps"choIanal"sis will tell us that

10


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in dreams dum'ness is a common representation o( death,1-the

unattractive choice alwa"s turns out to 'e the most 'eauti(ul and

loving$ =hile the natural inevita'ilit" o( death 8em'edded in the

m"ths o( (ate; is recognied, man strives to trans(orm it, '"

means o( his imagination, into its opposing (orce which is love$

.reud calls this phenomenon 9reaction (ormation:$11

A similar movement can 'e o'served in another o( .reuds

essa"s entitled /


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state raises his sel(Iregard /The return o( the o'jectIli'ido to the

ego and its trans(ormation into narcissism represents, as it were,

a happ" love once more$14


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as those who have renounced some o( their own egoIli'ido are

(ascinated '" people li&e Dorian$

)arcissism is thought '" .reud to 'e the 'asis o( paranoia

as well$ The voices paranoiacs hear and the (eelings o( 'eing

watched that the" e+perience could 'e attri'uted to the wor& o(

the conscienceH so could the dou'le accompan"ing un(ortunate

literar" characters$ The narcissistic tendencies o( a man (orm the

ego ideal in his mind 8which is a su'stitute (or the narcissism o(

the childhood;, and 9conscience: seems to 'e the power that

watches over the actual ego and measures its per(ormance '"

the ideal one$1@This special agenc" which e+ercises censorship

over the ego might dissociate (rom it, which can result in

pathological cases o( delusions o( 'eing watched$ There even

seems to 'e a &ind o( dou'ling o( conscience itsel(, as .reud

de(ines the 9superego: 8a term introduced with the

topographical model o( mind; as consisting o( two parts the ego

ideal and conscience$ %t is the wor& o( parents, societ", (riends,

and environment that (orms it$ #aranoid patients revolt against

the superego and tr" to escape its in(luence to 'rea& throughand li'erate themselves$

"*, acan)s Mirror


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shadow, the mirror image re(ers to death and is also considered

to 'e the em'odiment o( ones soul$ %t has 'ecome impossi'le to

thin& a'out the mirror without recalling the wor& o( Lacan$ Be(ore

his theories will 'e dealt with, one other philosopher 8or school o(

philosoph";, whose theories had impact not onl" on Lacan, 'ut

also on the theoriing o( 9the uncann":, should 'e mentioned

'rie(l"$

Martin ?eidegger, the phenomenologist, inspired Lacan

with his theor" o( 9project:, as he called it, which, in Sean

?omers words, argues that

As human 'eings we alwa"s perceive the world (roma specic situation and our most (undamental desireis to transcend or surpass that situation$ $$$N ?umansu'jectivit" or what we call e+istence involvesthis constant process o( projecting onesel( out on

to the world and into the (uture$ .or ?eidegger,there(ore, human consciousness is not an inner worldo( thoughts and images 'ut a constant process o(projecting outside, or what he called /e+Isistence$1

The phenomenological concept o( the sel( as sel(Iprojection and

perception '" the others helped Lacan theorie in his own wa"

a'out the (ormation o( ones sel($ This is how JacuesIAllain Miller

sums up the most important aspect o( Lacans theor" /?e too&

the unconscious not as a container, 'ut rather as something e+I

1

Sean ?omer, 5outledge /ritical (hinkers: Jac6ues Lacan, 8London

*outledge, 1@; 1$12


30/119

sistent outside itsel( that is connected to a su'ject who is a

lac& o( 'eing$16

Lacanian mirror stage theor" e+plains a childs (ormation o(

sel(Iconsciousness and o( its own sel($ The age o( -6 months, at

which the mirror stage ta&es place, is roughl" congruent with the

.reudian stage o( primar" narcissism$ %t is particularl" pertinent

to the present discussion o( the uncann", as it deals with

alienation, the sel(, and the other$ B" means o( the dou'le, one

acuires ones ego and perceives onesel( as an autonomous and

compact sel( the 9%:$ .or this to happen, the child needs to see

itsel( the wa" others see himUherH the mirror 8not alwa"s literall"

a mirror; and the childs dou'le in it are the vehicles o( this egoI

(ormation$ The 'iggest draw'ac& o( the process appears to 'e

the (act that the mirrorIimage is con(used with the actual sel(H

and, thus, in (act, the other ta&es the place o( the sel($ .or Lacan,

the ego is simultaneousl" the conseuence o( the image o(

wholeness and o( alienation$ At this point, some (urther aspects

o( the lacanian mirror stage must 'e considered in the conte+t o(

the dou'le$

Mladen Dolars article on Lacan and 9the uncann":, entitled

/9% Shall Be with >ou on >our =eddingI)ight: Lacan and the

ncann" sums up the concept o( the dou'le (rom the Lacanian

16JacuesIAllain Miller, /An %ntroduction to Seminars % and %%, 5eading

e"inars ) and )): Lacans 5eturn to -reud,eds$ *$ .eldstein, B$ .in& and M$

Jaanus, 8)ew >or& S)> #ress, -22@; --$3


31/119

perspective ver" well$ Dolar e+plores the (ollowing pro'lem ?ow

are we to account (or the (act that the dou'le /carries out the

repressed desires springing (rom the %dH and he also, with a

malevolence t"pical o( the superego, prevents the su'ject (rom

carr"ing out his desires all at one and the same timeR12Dolar

also approaches the pro'lem through the m"th o( )arcissus, 'ut

he includes Tiresiass prophec", which sa"s, that )arcissus

should grow to a ripe age i( he does not &now his sel($ The m"th,

Dolar argues, descri'es the alienation that ta&es place during the

mirror stage$ As he suggests, with the recognition o( onesel( in

the mirror, a loss o( sel(I'eing occursH and thus, this instance o(

dou'ling implies castration

So the dou'ling, in the simplest wa", entails the losso( that uniueness that one could enjo" in ones sel(I'eing, 'ut onl" at the price o( 'eing neither an egonor a su'ject$ The dou'ling cuts one o(( (rom a part,the most valua'le part, o( ones 'eing, the immediatesel( 'eing o(7ouissance$ 8Dolar -3;

=hat one actuall" loses according to Lacan is 9the real:,

which 'ecomes su'stituted (or 9the imaginar": and 9the

s"m'olic:H one loses the o'jective realit" that cannot 'e seen in

the mirror$ As one 'ecomes constituted as an image, the real

as ing 'ecomes hidden to onesel($


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o( the missing o'ject$ As Dolar puts it, /the dou'le is the same as

me plus $$$N the invisi'le part o( 'eing added to m" image 8Dolar

-3;$

The two mirror stage events o( integration and alienation

are con(licting (orcesH there would alwa"s 'e a sense o( rivalr"

'etween the two$ The other in the mirror constitutes the persons

e+istence it guarantees his wholeness, and it is how others see

him 'ut it also ta&es awa" his autonom"$ The untranslata'le

term 97ouissance:, which was alread" mentioned, is another o(

Lacans &e" ideas and means roughl" 9enjo"ment:H a &ind o(

enjo"ment in which pleasure and pain coe+ist together$ %t could

'e said that it is pleasure induced '" pain$ nli&e the .reudian

pleasure which is the degree o( nonIenjo"ment 8the lower level o(

tension the 'etter;, 7ouissance goes 'e"ond the pleasure

principle and commands us to enjo" limitlessl"$ Jouissancesee&s

to transgress the prohi'itions imposed upon mans desires$

According to Dolar, /the dou'le is alwa"s the (igure o( 7ouissance

8-3;$ ?e enjo"s the su'jects su((ering and is the cause o( it at

the same time$ As he commits crimes in the su'jects name andenacts su'jects desires, he commands the7ouissance 8-3;$

"*- The Double in iterature

%n his e+hausting stud", *an&s also lists man" instances o(

literar" wor&s which deal with the dou'le$ )aturall", the

literature he is mostl" interested in comes (rom his own cultural

31


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and linguistic milieu$ The section o( the present thesis dealing

with /The Sandman has alread" o'served that E$T$A$ ?o((mann is

the master o( the uncann"H and he is, dou'tless, ver" s&il(ul

when it comes to the portra"al o( the dou'le$ As i( pa"ing

homage to the writer, *an& starts the chapter on literature '"

li&ening the Ferman (ilmma&er ?anns ?ein Ewers to ?o((mann

Es ist &aum wei(elha(t, daV Ewers, der moderne E$Th$ A$ ?o((mann, wie man ihn nennt, u seiner.ilmidee haupts7chlich von seinem literarischen Ahn

und Meister inspiriert wurde, wenngleich noch andereWuellen und Ein(lXsse wir&sam gewesen sind$3

3er oelg2nger, -3$

An interesting thing happens here$ *an& uses the Ferman word 99'ei$elha$t:,

which translates as 9dou'tless:$ The word is relevant to the pro'lem o( the

dou'le, as it entails it in itsel($ The word indicates dou'ling, when the root o(

the word 99'ei$el: 89dou't:; is 99'ei: 89two:;$ A short et"mological e+curse

tells us that the Middle ?igh Ferman word 99'0vel#and the


34/119

There is no dou't that Ewers, also called the modernE$ T$ A$ ?o((mann, has primaril" drawn on and 'eeninspired '" the ideas (rom the wor&s o( his literar"(ore(ather and master, although, there have 'eenalso other sources and in(luences$ 8M" translation;N

The paragraph re(ers to Ewers as the (ollower, a (ilmI

producing descendant o( E$T$A$ ?o((mann, who is, in turn,

re(erred to as 9der Ahn: the (ore(ather$ The English translation

does not uite catch all the nuances o( this Ferman word, which

translates as the 9(ore(ather:, 'ut also leads to the word with thesame root 92hnlich:$ ;hnlichmeans 9similar: in Ferman$ The

(ilmIma&er, thus, almost 'ecomes the dou'le o( the (amous

writerH he is mar&ed '" his name 8/the modern E$ T$ A$ ?o((man;

and the similitude 8with re(erence to the past; is also implied$

The uestion o( what it means to have someone elses name and

to 'e li&e himUher must remain unanswered (or now, 'ut will 'e

e+amined in the course o( the thesis$

Although er oelg2ngerdoes not speci(icall" deal with

/The Sandman, there is no dou't that the theme o( the dou'le

has a prominent place in the stor"$ There is the a'omina'le

law"er 5oppelius, who returns as the %talian 'arometer seller

5oppola to 'ring calamit" into )athaniels li(e a di((erent name,

"et, the same ring to itH a di((erent occupation, "et the same

(igure and (eatures$ The repetition within the structure and

inspiration (rom ?o((mannH he is and is not the other$ There is no dou't that

?o((mann is the source o( inspiration, 'ut the singularit" o( Ewers is

ac&nowledged as well$ ?e is not just a ho((mannian dou'le$34


35/119

moti(s strengthens the general sense o( dou'ling$3- Stories '"

E$T$A$ ?o((mann that (eature the dou'le are man"H (or e+ample

/The Folden .lower #ot, /A )ew >ears Eve Adventure, /Die

Eli+iere des Teu(els$ /#rincessin Bram'illa, /Das Steinerne ?er,

Die Brautwahl and /Der Sandmann$ *ather than discussing them

in detail, let us have a closer loo& at an overview o( some other

dou'les in the conte+t o( the =estern literature$

%nterestingl", the emergence o( the moti( can 'e located

into an almost e+act historical moment$ The literature o(

*omanticism generates wor&s which (eature dou'les more than

ever$ #erhaps the Ferman transcendental idealist philosoph", the

especiall" wor&s o( ?egel, Schelling and .ichte, is accounta'le (or

this phenomenon$ %n /*omanticism #s"choanal"sis .ilm A

3- The dou'ling in ?o((manns stor" ta&es place on various levels$ Speech

utterances seem to (ind their dou'les in the course o( the stor"$


36/119

?istor" o( the Dou'le, .riedrich !ittler suggests that the

emergence o( the dou'le in the literature o( classical

*omanticism occurred due to the spread o( literac" and the

possi'ilit" o( identi(ication which the literature o( *omanticism

o((ered to its readers$ To support his claim, !ittler considers a

particular episode o( Foethes Wilhel" 1eisters Arenticeshi

which (eatures an instance o( dou'ling and its description$ ?e

concludes that the singularit" o( the e+perience o( literar"

characters was discarded in (avour o( the hero as ever"man and

o( the portra"al o( general characteristics applica'le to an"one

%n this =ilhelm Meister we see our own selves, as didthe count in the costumed nightmare on the so(aH weare not (roen in panic, however, 'ut pleased andamaed '" the magical (orce o( the enchanted mirrorthe poet holds up to us$31

As (ar as other wor&s o( 5ontinental literature are

concerned, the dou'le appears, (or e+ample, in ?ans 5hristian

Andersens tale /Shadow, Dosto"evs&"s /Brother !aramaov

and /The Dou'le, ?eines /*atcli((, and Maupassants /Le ?orla$

As regards English literature, it appears in various (orms in

Sha&espeareH (or e+ample, in (he /o"ed% o$ Errors, which is

'ased on the #lautine comedies$ The moti(, perhaps also due to

the in(luences (rom continental Ferman", 'ecomes ver" popular

during English *omanticism as well$ *ossettis (amous etching31 .riedrich !ittler, /*omanticism #s"choanal"sis .ilm A ?istor" o( the

Dou'le, Literature, 1edia, )n$or"ation %ste"s, ed$ John Johnson,

8Amsterdam FYB Arts, -22; 2$3@


37/119

depicts lovers who (aint when the" meet their dou'les$ #erhaps

the 'est &nown short stor" in English literature with the superego

t"pe o( dou'le as its main su'ject is Edgar Allan #oes /=illiam

=ilson$ r. Jek%ll and 1r. H%de'" *$ L$ Stevenson is another

literar" inuir" into the pro'lem o( the dou'le, this time, with an

emphasis on schiophrenia$ James Beatman, the (ictional

character (rom James ?oggs /Strange Letter o( a Lunatic, is also

given a taste o( the dou'les impishness$ At the turn o( the 1 th

centur", wor&s such as =ildes (he *icture o$ orian Gra%or his

short stor" /.isherman and his Soul appeared$ Joseph 5onrads

/Secret Sharer (rom -2- (eatures a "oung captain who saves an

escaped convict and graduall" (inds out that the" are not as

di((erent as the" appear to 'e$


38/119

collected, a re(erence could 'e made to the 'elie( o( the

inha'itants o( .iji, which sa"s that people have two souls one is

good and coincides with the re(lection in the mirrorH the other

one is evil and is em'odied '" the shadow$ The dou'le, thus, has

two (orms to choose (rom$

"*5 Some Final Thoughts on the Double

=hen thin&ing a'out the uncann" and the dou'le, the (act that

the dou'le does not mean just the ph"sical em'odiment o( a

human su'ject should 'e 'orn in mind$ This thesis will use the

conventional notion o( the dou'le as a precursor to and a

metaphor o( various &inds o( dou'ling$ The concept, thus,

represents dualit", am'iguit", opposition, and the other that the

original su'jects entail in themselves$

The politics o( the dou'le have 'een at wor& throughout

the histor" o( philosoph" dialectics, 'inaries, supplement, etc$

Deconstruction has managed to reveal the inherent semantic

dualities within language, which, despite 'eing contradictor",

coe+ist in a &ind o( s"m'iotic relationship and, what is more,

overlap$ The" uestion each other, 'ut the" also uestion their

own selves$ Thus, an"thing that deals with the uncann"

inevita'l" appears to 'e constantl" turning 'ac& onto itsel($

.reud himsel( cannot do awa" with dualisms and constantl"

introduces dou'ling$ The powers and instincts de(ined '"

ps"choanal"sis are alwa"s 'oth contrar" to and inherent in one

36


39/119

another Eros and ThanatosH the ego and the idH having and not

having a penisH and even dream censorship which, actuall", acts

as the interpreter o( dreams$ #s"choanal"sis is, thus, 'oth

thin&ing in 'inaries and deconstructing itsel(H it alwa"s returns to

itsel(, and the present thesis will 'e constantl" returning to

ps"choanal"sis$

?owever, using ps"choanal"tic methods can 'ring the

researcher 'ac& to the discipline, sometimes in even more than a

uestioning manner$ %ts sel(Ire(erencing interpretative methods

preclude other interpretations when the" practice the s"m'olic

oneI(orIone su'stitution A tower represents the male

reproductive organ it dou'les the penis 'eing di((erent and the

same at once$ Thus, while appl"ing the ps"choanal"tic concepts

in the process o( interpretation, the imperative to 'e war" o( the

de(initive su'stitutions li&e those o( Marie Bonaparte must 'e

o'served$33

Let me (inish this section in an anecdotal manner Thin&ing

a'out the dou'le, % have stum'led upon an interesting article in a

popular magaine$ Loo&ing 'ac& at the previous sentence, %

33%n (he )nterretation o$ rea"s, (or e+ample, .reud anal"ses a womans

dream in which she was una'le to put a candle into a candlestic&$ ?e

automaticall" connects the candle with male genitals /An o8vious s%"8olis"

8m" italics; has here 'een emplo"ed$ The candle is an o'ject which e+cites the

(emale genitalsH its 'eing 'ro&en, so that it does not stand upright, signi(ies

impotence on the mans part 8it is not her $ault; (he )nterretation o$ rea"s,

trans$ A$ A$ Brill, 8London =ordsworth, -22; 62N32


40/119

recognie, with amusement, 'ut also with a weird (eeling o(

apprehension, that it reminds me o( a passage (rom .reuds /The

ncann", which assumes and apologetic tone distancing .reud

(rom the products o( the popular culture /%n the middle o( the

isolation o( warItime a num'er o( the English trand 1aga9ine

(ell into m" handsH and, among other somewhat redundant

matter $$$ $ 8, 3@;N The idea that struc& me was that, when we

loo& into the mirror, we see ourselves in the past, as it ta&es

-@Zs (or light to reach the e"e$ Though a seemingl" insigni(icant

amount o( time, it still places us into the (uture, as it were$ =e

are, thus, to understand that our sight perceives what was,

rather than what is$ %t might 'e uite a distur'ing notion$ The

dou'le, either mirrored, pictured or even alive, will, thus, 'e

positioned in the pastI(uture economics in relation to the

perceiver$ =hat signi(icance, i( an", it might attain will also 'e

one o( the concerns o( the present thesis$

4


41/119

, (6illiam 6ilson): Father)s 'ame

As (ar as dou'ling in literature is concerned, #oes /=illiam

=ilson is pro'a'l" not a novelt", "et, in a review o( /?owes

Masuerade, #oe accuses ?awthorne o( plagiarism$ )ot that

?awthorne would appropriate the moti( as his own, 'ut #oe (inds

a stri&ing similarit" 'etween a scene concerning the dou'le in

/=illiam =ilson and a one in /?owes Masuerade$ 8=hich scene

it was is irrelevant at this moment$; #oe certainl" would not have

voiced this accusation had he &nown that ?awthorns short stor"

was pu'lished a "ear 'e(ore /=illiam =ilson34 %nthis stor" (rom

34Arthur ?o'son Wuinn, Edgar Allan *oe: A /ritical +iograh%, 8)ew >or& D$

Appleton I 5entur", -24-; 33@$ #oes li(e contains a lot o( uncann" material,

and he does not hesitate to use it as an inspiration (or his gloom" writing$

#oes 'iograph" could 'e, thus, also convenientl" used to interpret his wor&s$


42/119

#oes li(e, #oe is to ?awthorne as the su'ject is to his mirror

imageH what he thought he was the originator o(, preceded him$

Due to the perceptive (aculties, a dou'le tends to 'e displaced in

time$ So, what is so peculiar a'out /=illiam =ilsonR

The epigraph (rom 5ham'erlains *harronida, hovering

a'ove the 'od" o( /=illiam =ilson, spea&s (or itsel( and

prophesises the su'ject matter o( #oes stor" /=hat sa" o( itR

=hat sa" 5


43/119

epigraph hangs a'ove the te+t, as i( it did and did not 'elong to

it at the same time$ %t is the 'eginning 'ut also the concluding

statement, which, as i( on a tom' or a gravestone, emphasies

the sense o( (inalit"H it indicates death$ Although located at the

'eginning, it is the general dictum, a ma+imH this is what /=illiam

=ilson is a'out$

=hat is the grim conscience againR %t is a spectre [ that is

an apparition, a phantom, or a ghost, especiall" one o( a

terri("ing nature or aspect$ But the spectrum o( the meanings o(

the words does not end here$ The O>$ord English ictionar%

provides the (ollowing entries /-$ An unreal o'ject o( thoughtH a

phantasm o( the 'rainH 1$ An o'ject or source o( dread or terrorH

3$ A (aint shadow or imitation o( somethingH 4$


44/119

will$ The man is driven mad '" the (atalit" o( the apparition and

the impossi'ilit" o( escaping its surveillance$ At last, he &ills his

dou'leH 'ut, as he does so, he sees that he has actuall" wounded

himsel($ ?owever notorious the stor" might 'e, it raises certain

important issues connected with the dou'le and will serve as an

apt introduction into the (urther research$

/Let me call m"sel(, (or the present, =illiam =ilson 8==,

2@;, the narration starts$ .or the presentR This certainl" suggests

that there was a past which was, perhaps, assigned to a di((erent

name$ Be(ore the name, that is, 'e(ore 9=illiam =ilson:, there

was someone elseH the proper name mar&s the turning point$

=hat is so haunting a'out itR %t is a signi(ier which enslaves the

signi(ied within its (rame o( re(erence

Thence(orward m" voice was a household lawH and atan age when (ew children have a'andoned theirleadingIstrings, % was le(t to the guidance o( m" ownwill, and 'ecame, in all 'ut name, the master o( m"own actions$ 8==, 2@;

To paraphrase, he did what he willedH 'ut, as (ar as the name

was concerned, he was una'le to determine the course o( his li(e

an"more$ The dou'le, who possesses the ver" same name, ta&es

control over it$ =ilson is not its sole owner 'ut onl" a sharer$

/The uncann" is the crisis o( the proper it entails a critical

distur'ance o( what is proper 8(rom the Latinrorius, 9own:;,3@

reads the sentence (rom the opening paragraph o( )icholas

3@)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, -$44


45/119

*o"les 'oo& (he !ncann%$ =hat should denote singularit"

involves multiple re(erents$ =illiam =ilson is dispossessed o( his

nameH it is his own and strange to him at the same time$ The

name is alread" a dou'le in itsel( the (irst name and the

surname o( =illiam =ilson have the same root and mirror each

otherH and the" also mirror that which the" contradict the will o(

the su'ject$ 9The present: which =ilson mentions, is a(ter he has

&illed his dou'le, the event that made him di((erent 'oth

singular and dead to the world$

As various passages in the te+t show, =ilson is negativel"

o'sessed with his name$ =hat is more, he is panicIstric&en when

he hears it pronounced

% had alwa"s (elt aversion to m" uncourtl"

patron"mic, and its ver" common, i( not ple'eianpraenomen$ The words were venom in m" ear$ $$$N %(elt angr" with him 8second =illiam =ilson; (or'earing the name and dou'l" disgusted with thename 'ecause a stranger 'ore it$ 8==, -3;

The patron"mic is not pleasing to =illiam =ilson at all$ Besides

'eing common and vulgar, the name o( the (ather s"m'olicall"

reminds him o( the threat o( castration, i( we are to 'elieve .reud

and Lacan$ %t is the raised hand o( the (ather which pla"s the role

o( superego and constantl" watches over the desires and acts o(

the su'ject$ )ot onl" is =ilson under the continual surveillance o(

his own name, 'ut its degree is also dou'led '" =ilsons 'eing

shadowed '" another 'earer o( the same name$

40


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Let us return to the 'eginning and to the act o( naming

8/Let me call m"sel(O;$ The lines (ollowing the naming ritual

89the appellation:; almost recall the lamentation o( ?amlet,

though, this is largel" due to the use o( the word 9sullied: 8so

much spelled and misspelled in various editions o( and

commentaries on Ha"let3;

The (air page now l"ing 'e(ore me need not 'e sulliedwith m" real appellation$ This has 'een alread" toomuch an o'ject (or the scorn (or the horror (or the

detestation o( m" race$ To the uttermost regions o(the glo'e have not the indignant winds 'ruited itsunparalleled in(am"R et, it could 'e suspected that the proper name which was

'e(ore the present would have also deIproperied and wor&ed in

a similar manner as the (ictitious one does$

The te+t shares more similarities with Ha"let.%n the course

o( =ilsons stor", the Sha&espearean theme o( the wounded ear

is reIenacted, as in the alread" uoted passage /The words were

venom in m" ears$ The most telling instance (rom the enormous

num'er o( the earIwounding events in Ha"letis that o( 5laudius3/< that this too too solid (lesh would melt, U Thaw and resolve itsel( into a

dew, U$$$ ?ow wear", stale, (lat and unpro(ita'le U Seem to me all the uses o(

this world 8?amlet, -$1$-12-34;4@


47/119

&illing his 'rother, ?amlets (ather, '" means o( pouring poison

into his ear$ The poison 'ecomes a metaphor (or malign words

which hurt when the" enter the ear and hit the ultrathin

t"mpanum$ .or =ilson, the most pain(ul word is his own name

not onl" 'ecause it is an uncourtl" name, 'ut 'ecause an

uncann" cop" o( himsel( 8a 9spectre:, in (act, li&e ?amlets

(ather; pronounces it$

To hear onesel( spea& is pro'a'l" the strangest thing in

the world, as Derrida implies in eech and *heno"ena.?@/%s that

reall" me, is there not something wrong with the recorderR

Listening to ones own voice in a recording o(ten arouses disgust

and repulsion$ The resonation within the human s&ull trans(orms

the sound which is coming out o( ones vocal tractH and, thus,

one is una'le to hear the actual sound properties o( ones own

voice$ Although the wounding words come (rom mouth o( the

dou'le, it is, in (act, =ilson who spea&s$ =hen the dou'le spea&s,

=ilson hears him as he would hear himsel( (rom a tape recorder$

%t is him spea&ingH "et, the voice is e+ternal 8'ut also internal; to

his 'od" the dou'le supplements, 'eing 'oth outside and inside/M" louder tones were, o( course, unattempted, 'ut then the &e",

it was identicalH and his singular whisper, it grew the ver" echo

o( m" own 8==, -4;$

36Jacues Derrida, eech and *heno"ena and Other Essa%s on Husserls

(heor% o$ igns, trans$ David Allison 8Evanston, %llinois )orthwestern

niversit" #ress, -23; 2$4


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=hile the Lacanian mirror image constitutes the sel( onl"

as mediated through the e+ternalit" o( the world through

something that is outside ones 'od" and inaugurates the

dialectics o( wholeness and otherness the voice is the pure

(orm o( sel(Ia((irmation$ %t is the primar" means o( sel(Iperception

and comes (or an in(ant even 'e(ore sight$ Despite 'eing

distorted within ones head, it alread" comes in its wholeness$

The e"e can perceive onl" individual parts o( the 'od", and the

mirror image is onl" a mediated picture o( the sel(, which comes

with certain losses$ %t is impossi'le to see ones sight, 'ut

inevita'le to hear ones voice /The voice is consciousness32$

#erhaps this is what gives the voice o( the dou'le such a

gruesome characteristic$ %t provides the image o( the sel( in its

completeness$

=ilsons dou'les vocal cords cannot produce loud sounds

and, thus, produces onl" a whisper a distorted version o( the

normal voice at a lower level o( volume$ %t is the same product o(

the voice 'ut produces di((erenceH it conve"s an air o( secrec"$

.irst o( all, it is a speci(icall" targeted act o( speech and isdesignated onl" (or the speci(ic person to understand$ %t 'orders

on silence and on sound at the same time$ The echo o( =ilsons

voice, the en(ee'led imitation, is a (orm o( secret code a

language comprehensi'le to an"one, 'ut the two o( them$ %t is

enough to whisper the name 9=illiam =ilson: to wa&e the

32eech and *heno"ena and Other Essa%s on Husserls (heor% o$ igns, 6$46


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repulsionH the proper 'ecomes a common one =illiam, willH

=ilson, the son o( =ill$ %n a rather o'scene wa", the phallus could

'e recalled here$ Sha&espearean parallels might remind one o(

the (amous sonnet which pla"s on the meanings o( the word

9will:$4The imaginar" phallus the authorit" o( the (ather, the

s"m'ol o( the threat o( castration, and prohi'ition is inscri'ed

in =ilsons name$ Thus, not onl" is it one o( the most common

names, 'ut it also carries the 'urden o( phallogocentric

universalism$ =ilson is haunted '" the (igure o( his (ather just

li&e ?amlet is$

The constant supervision seems to descri'e the

relationship 'etween the ego, the id, and the superego$ The

topographical model o( the mind proposed '" .reud in the -21s

altered the strict division 'etween the conscious and the

unconscious and introduced mechanisms which per(orm di((erent

tas&sH 'ut, rather than 'eing separated, these overlap in some

parts$ )ow the revised version has a part o( the ego located

within the id and the superego stretching over 'oth o( them$ That

is e+actl" the am'ivalent nature o( the dou'le$ The ego ideal the superego emerges as a part o( the ego, whose (unction has

'een to tone down the demands o( the id$ %t e+ercises power

over the ego, and, thus, over the id as well$ Behind the origins o(

4Sha&espeares sonnet num'er -30 pla"s with the multiplicit" o( meanings o(

the wordUname 9will: /So thou 'eeing rich in Willadde to th" Will,U


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the ego ideal, .reud asserts, lie the dissolution o( the


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The other =illiam =ilson inter(eres with the su'jects will

and tries, mostl" unsuccess(ull", to manage his ego$ The dou'le,

as the realit" principle agent, purports to stop the (low o( desires

even 'e(ore the" are realied

>et, at this distant da", let me do him the simplejustice to ac&nowledge that % can recall no occasionwhen the suggestions o( m" rival were on the side o(those errors or (ollies $$$N H that his moral sense, atleast, i( not his general talents and worldl" wisdom,was (ar &eener than m" ownH and that % might, toIda", have 'een a 'etter and thus a happier man, had

% less (reuentl" rejected counsels em'odied in thosemeaning whispers which % then 'ut too cordiall"hated and too 'itterl" despised$ 8==, -4-0;

At other times, he admonishes retrospectivel" and instigates the

sense o( guilt$ This (unction is also per(ormed '" the (ather

element in the name, which serves as a constant reproach and

appeals to the conscience

pon m" entering, he strode hurriedl" up to me, and,seiing me '" the arm with a gesture o( petulantimpatience, whispered the words /=illiam =ilson inm" ear$ % grew per(ectl" so'er in an instant$ 8==,-6;

%( =ilson compared his dou'les voice to an echo 'e(ore, it was

more than appropriate$ An echo which the OErelates, is /an

e((ect that continues a(ter its cause has ceased is the voice o(

conscience, which remains a(ter the misdeed has 'een done$ %t is

an uncann" remainder$

The onl" time =ilson is sa(e is at night$


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dou'les room in the 'oarding school$ The reason wh" he is sa(e

is the (act that the other one is sleeping$ Another echo o(

.reudian theor" can 'e heard here %t is in dreams where the

unconscious is allowed to (ul(il its desires$ The restrictive

mechanisms rest during the night and dreaming provides at least

some space (or the cho&ed unconscious to voice itsel(

% arose (rom 'ed, and, lamp in hand, stole throughthe wilderness o( narrow passages, (rom m" own'edroom to that o( m" rival$ % had long 'een plotting

one o( those illInatured pieces o( practical wit at hise+pense in which % had hitherto 'een so uni(orml"unsuccess(ul$ %t was m" intention, now, to put m"scheme into operation and % resolved to ma&e him(eel the whole e+tent o( malice with which % wasim'ued$ 8==, -@;

The words, care(ull" woven together '" #oe, reveal the sl"

movements o( these unconscious desires which are tr"ing to

penetrate through the 9narrow passages: o( the censoring we'

o( the ego$ >et, =ilson is una'le to carr" out his plansH when he

reaches his dou'les room, the mere sight o( the (amiliar (ace

and the uncann" (eeling it arouses prevent him (rom carr"ing out

an" mischie($ Even though the unconscious parts o( ps"che a

enjo" certain degree o( (reedom during the night, the" are

una'le to 'rea& the limits set '" the guardian ego ideal, which

e+ercises censorship even at night$ During the da", =ilson then

e+periences the (ull range o( its /inscruta'le t"rann", (rom which

/to the ver" ends o( the earth he (led in vain 8==, --4;$

01


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At this point, a return to the sentences o( the (irst

paragraph will provide insight into some other am'ivalent

(eatures o( the dou'le


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a water" grave, and the /outcast o( all outcasts perhaps,

con(ined 'etween drin&ing and nonIdrin&ing, living and 'eing

dead$ This is a(ter the dou'le has 'een &illed, 'ut such is the

relationship o( the su'ject to his dou'le in general, and it is

o'serva'le almost in all cases o( dou'ling /The (eelings toward

him $$$N (ormed a motle" and heterogeneous admi+tureH some

petulant animosit", which was not "et hatred, some esteem,

more respect, much (ear, with a world o( uneas" curiosit" $$$

=ilson and m"sel( were the most insepara'le o( companions

8==, -1;$ The same applies to the ego, id, and superego, which

(loat (reel" within and without one another$ #arado+icall", the

removal o( the other does not cancel this state, 'ecause 'oth

poles o( the h"men economics are a((ected$

So (ar, it has 'een asserted that there operates a &ind o( a

h"menIli&e e+istence which unites the two oppositesH it is

suspended somewhere 'etween love and hate, the inner and the

outer, the conscious and the unconscious$ %t, thus, essentiall"

implies the uncann", which is 'oth the (amiliar and the

un(amiliar$ ?"men is the representation o( something that didnot ta&e place$ So, is the dou'le realR %s it not just a (orm o(

hallucinationR As alread" mentioned the dou'le can o(ten 'e

seen onl" '" the su'ject o( dou'ling

% had 'ut one consolation in the (act that theimitation, apparentl", was noticed '" m"sel( alone,and that % had to endure onl" &nowing and sarcasticsmiles o( m" namesa&e himsel($ 8==, -4;

04


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cannot 'e escaped 8once acuired, the re(erent 'ears all its

connotations;, there is alwa"s an implied possi'ilit"40$ Although

9h"men: alread" means marriage and uni(ication4@, piercing o(

h"men is usuall" demanded (or the marriage to 'e

consummated$ The act o( piercing instigates a (atal (usion

'etween the (ormerl" uni(ied opposing (orces$ %t mar&s the onset

o( the total coalescence o( the desire and its (ul(ilment, the

present and the (uture$

%n the case o( =illiam, the (irst indication o( piercing was

whispering ear wounding which strove to esta'lish the

a'solute unit" 'etween the ego and superego /Satis(ied with

having produced in m" 'osom the intended e((ect, he seemed to

chuc&le in secret over the sting he had in(licted 8==, -4;$ The

40Li&e the promise, which alwa"s implies the possi'ilit" o( not 'eing &ept, the

name comes with the inherent possi'ilit" o( de("ing it$ ?owever, the manner

in which =ilson attempts to reIproperie it dooms the stor" to end

catastrophicall"$ The shared name also 'rings us 'ac& to the primitive 'elie(s

which *an& descri'es in er oelg2nger$

#rimitive cultures 'elieved that the name was the essential part o(

ones personalit" as it has 'een shown, it certainl" is in =illiam =ilsons

case$ The 'elie(, however, also includes the conviction that i( there are two

children o( the same name in one (amil", one o( them has to die$ The death o(

one o( them is inevita'le$ This might also 'e at the cru+ o( =illiam =ilsons

pho'ia$ /#erhaps it was this latter trait in =ilsons conduct, conjoined with our

identit" o( name $$$ which set a(loat the notion that we were 'rothers$ 8==,

-1;N4@/The Dou'le Session, 12$

0@


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second, real instance o( piercing is the act o( murder, which

destro"s the coe+istence o( ego and superego and, thus, is

responsi'le (or the (act that the desire o( the su'ject and its

(ul(ilment will not 'e prevented (rom immediate merging$


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other, he in(licts death upon himsel($ %n concordance with the

h"menIli&e nature o( the uncann" and the dou'le, it could 'e

concluded that =ilson 'ecomes the livingIdead$ 8The pro'lem o(

the livingIdead will 'e dealt with in the last section o( this thesis$;

06


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- (The 7ello8 6allpaper): The Autobiographical

Double

/%t is ver" seldom that mere ordinar" people li&e John and m"sel(

secure ancestral halls (or the summer$4%s it a d7B vuR 5harlotte

#er&ins Filmans 'eginning is reminiscent o( and almost mirrors

.reuds reluctance to treat the su'ject o( the uncann" 8/%t is onl"

rarel" that a ps"choanal"st (eels impelled to investigate su'ject

o( aesthetics O;$


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The ver" (irst sentence and the title itsel( suggest that the

uncann" will 'e connected with o'jects, particularl" with the

house and the room the heroine is put into /Still % will proudl"

declare that there is something ueer a'out it, and later /There

is something strange a'out the house % can (eel it 8>=, 1;$

Despite her initial aversion towards the room, the unhomel"

slowl" 'ecomes homel" (or the woman here$ To an e+tent, this

trans(ormation occurs '" her accepting and entering the

discourse o( the uncann"$

So, what is so peculiar a'out the roomR Despite serving as

a sanatorium, the room loo&s li&e a prison or a torture cham'er46

/The windows are 'arred ON and there are rings and things ON$

%t is stripped o(( the paper in great patches all around the

head o( m" 'ed, a'out as (ar as % can reach 8>=, 3;, and /the

(loor is scratched and gouged and splintered, the plaster itsel( is

dug out here and there, and this great heav" 'ed, which is all we

(ound in the room, loo&s as i( it had 'een through the wars8>=,

0;$ The 'ed is nailed to the (loor as well$ %t certainl" does not loo&

li&e a place (or a patient to recover (rom a mental illness$ Thesetting o( the stor" is as i( cut out o( a gothic novel perhaps, o(

46More on the histor" o( madness, madmen, and sanatorium, especiall" in

connection with power and the means o( control 8'ecause that is what /The

>ellow =allpaper also re(lects;, can 'e (ound in Michel .oucault, Histor% o$

1adness, 8


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one o( the great stories a'out uncann" houses such as that o(

#oes shers$ The dou'le meaning o( the word 9house:

inaugurates our pursuit o( the dou'le in /The >ellow =allpaper$

The word designates the dwelling place 'ut also the (amil"

lineage 8perhaps the patriarchal lineage, as (eminist criticism

suggests;$ So, what do this house and this part 8'uilding 'loc&,

room $$$; o( this essa" houseR

This section o( the thesis proposes to loo& at the dou'le

(rom a slightl" di((erent perspective$ The interpretation o( this

wor& o( literature will (ocus on the concept o( 9auto'iograph":$

The auto'iographical aspects o( Filmans /The >ellow =allpaper,

together with the 8auto;I'iographical aspects o( the vision the

heroine o( the stor" has, will 'e dealt with$ This section proposes

to perceive the projection o( ones mind and li(e onto the paper

as ones dou'le$ Also, the interpretation will include a critical

reassessment and a comparison o( some critical points made '"

(eminist criticism and ps"choanal"sis$

The (irst uestion to 'e answered concerns the (orm o( this

piece o( Filmans writing$ The te+t ta&es a (orm o( an intimate

con(ession a diar"$ %t is written as a (irst person narrative, which

means that the 9%: o( the narrator is not omnipresentH the reader

sees onl" that which comes under authors personal o'servation$

The diar" constantl" ju+taposes the point o( view o( the diarist,

which is (avoured, and o( the other, em'odied in the person o(

@-


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her hus'and John /#ersonall", % agree, $$$N #ersonall", %

disagree, as opposed to /John said, $$$N John wouldnt hear o( it$

%s there an addressee o( this particular diar" or the diar" in

generalR .irst o( all, an assumption can 'e made that a diar"

serves as a con(idante a su'stitute (or a real person$ This is a

ver" convenient companion, as it never contradicts and is li&el"

to provide a silent acuiescence$ =hat is more, a diar" evades

the sight o( authorit", which does not have an" understanding (or

the con(essor, and would 'e li&el" to use the con(idential

in(ormation (or its own purposes$ %n the case o( /The >ellow

=allpaper, the authorit" is represented '" John, who demands

that his wi(e not write$42=riting a diar" seems to 'e li&e a silent

dialogue whose second participant is "et to come$

%( the diar" is designed to evade the scrutin" o( the other,

who then is its addresseeR The answer is


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that the mirror image is the image o( the past, due to the time

the light ta&es to reach ones e"e, can 'e recalled$; A diar"

captures the state o( its writer at a precise moment$ %t is an open

(orm, and ends onl" with its authors death$ The (act that a diar"

records ones li(e allows the reader to consider /The >ellow

=allpaper a uasi auto'iographical s&etch$0

9Auto08io0grah%: is writing a'out onesel(, '" onesel($ %t is

writing a'out the time o( li(e, in /the time o( li(es rcit.F >et,

once the page is signed, Derrida argues, 'e it '" the mere act o(

writing, auto'iograph" changes$ %t 'ecomes thanatograph"

writing a'out the dead in the time o( d"ing$ Auto'iograph" is, in

Derridas words, /a ris&" prejudgement, a sentence, a hast"

0A letter could 'e considered to 'e a (orm o( auto'iograph" as well, as it is

addressed to someone who, '" reading the letter, vindicates the senders

e+istence$ Most people want to share the events o( their lives and that is wh"

the" write letters$ Even (ormal letters are written in order to a((irm the

senders e+istence (or an institution /To =hom %t Ma" 5oncern, % would li&e to

ta&e this opportunit" to than& "ou (or $$$ perusing this letter and a((irming the

e+istence o( the 9%: which have just than&ed "ou$

/The Sandman, (or e+ample, 'egins with a letter addressed to

)athaniels (riend Lothar, in which )athaniel relates the incidents o( his

childhood a &ind o( an auto'iographical s&etch$ Later, the narration is ta&en

over '" an unnamed (riend o( his the thirdIperson omniscient narrator$ %n

terms o( genre, it thus changes (rom auto'iograph" to 'iograph"$

0-Jacues Derrida, (he Ear o$ the Other: Oto8iograh%, (rans$erence,

(ranslation, trans$ #egg" !amu(, ed$ 5hristie $ McDonald, 8)ew >or&

Schoc&en Boo&s, -260; --$@3


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arrest a ris&" prediction$01%n short, a piece o( writing, when read,

is attri'uted to a dead proper name /


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words 8'ut not e+clusivel"; count with the a'sence, and the"

wor&, whether the author is alive or not$ During a reading event,

his presence is reiterated and the e+istence ac&nowledged$ The

possi'le meaning o( the te+t can onl" 'e attri'uted to the dead

name, that is, the signature that stands (or the real author, who

might not 'e ph"sicall" present in the same wa" an"more$ 8Thus,

the signature is not necessaril" the same as the author$; These

are the aspects which also need to 'e considered when reading

/The >ellow =allpaper$ An auto'iograph" is (oremost a secret

contract with ones own sel(H it is not sanctioned '" an"one else,

to echo Derridas (he Ear o$ the Other$


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writing woman, should 'e e+amined$ =, -;

?owever, one must remem'er that the woman in uestion

su((ers (rom mental deterioration and is 'eing cured '" means o(

isolation (rom the e+ternal world and its impulses$ The entr"

provides several pieces o( vital in(ormation (or the readerH her

hus'ands pro(ession and the progress o( her disease are uite

clear$ But, the most interesting in(ormation is enclosed within the

parentheses00 .irstl", the entr" testi(ies to the con(idential

character o( auto'iographical writingH and, secondl", it con(irms

the argued 9deadness: o( writing 8which serves as a means o(

sel(Ivalidation;$ The paper is dead, and it is a great relie( to the

mind which enjo"s itsel( in a narcissistic wa" as the narrators 9%:

the journals sole addressee does$

%t has 'een asserted that the diar", and euall" the

auto'iograph", demands not to 'e read '" the otherH and, as (ar

as this prohi'ition is adhered to, the author e+ists onl" (or

00#arentheses are ver" (itting mar&ers (or this occasion, as the" share certain

traits with the uncann" and the genre o( auto'iograph"$ The" de(lect the

readers gae '" marginaliing the in(ormation the" contain, 'ut also attract

and challenge it, as the" impl" a ta'oo something secret, designated onl"

(or readers who are initiated into the pro'lematic$@@


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hersel($ >et, this &ind o( writing 'ears in mind the possi'ilit" that

the other does read it as well$ Thus, it also succum's to the logic

o( the uncann", which is, according to Schelling, that which

/ought to have remained secret and hidden 'ut has come to

light) 8, 340;$ pon the loo& at an" ordinar" diar" and its

con(essors, a voiced or an unvoiced wish that a particular person

reads a particular part o( the diar" can 'e detected /%( onl" he

&new how % love him, might 'e a t"pical e+ample o( such a wish

entered in a diar"H or /%( onl" he &new how loneliness ma&es m"

illness worse ever" da"$ Some diarists even shape the st"le o(

their diaries with (uture pu'lication in mind$ The su'dued wish to

'e read goes handIinIhand with auto'iograph" as well it is the

means o( ma&ing onesel( recognied$

=riting an auto'iograph" is, thus, essentiall" a narcissistic

enterprise, as ones attention is turned towards ones own ego$ %n

ps"choanal"tic terms, a person normall" uses the o'jectIli'ido to

derive pleasure (rom loving other thingsH the egoIli'ido, however,

needs attention as well, and its pleasure comes (rom 'eing loved

as it increases ones sel(Iregard$ The woman in the stor" su((ers(rom a lac& o( attention$ Despite Johns constant avowals o( love,

the womans sel(Iregard does not increase$ She does not have as

much attention as she would need$ %solation (rom the e+citations

o( the e+ternal world 'ans her (rom the presence o( other people,

which, actuall", ma&es her su((er more$ There(ore, there is no

dou't that she should direct her attention towards the weird@


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apparition in the wallpaper, which is actuall" the projection o( her

sel( her 8ps"cho;auto'iograph"$ %t is also necessar" to note

that, as we learn (rom .reud, (rom narcissism it is not (ar to

travel to paranoia$ Even though egoism serves, to an e+tent, as a

protection (rom (alling ill, at certain moments, li'ido has to turn

(rom the ego to o'jects in order not to have pathological

conseuences$0@ %llness is 'oth the conseuence o( not 'eing

loved and o( 'eing una'le to love$ The 'oundaries o( the

womans health" protection mechanisms are graduall" crossed$

A remar& o( .erencis which .reud uotes in /


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a radical alienation o( the sel( (rom an" contact with an other$ 06

Mastur'ation has certainl" a lot to do with ones sel($ %t creates a

ver" strange situation where the addressee o( se+ual pleasure is

at once its supplier$


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erotism, sel(Ilove and deriving pleasure (rom onesel( are all

lin&ed with auto'iographical writing$

As in mastur'ation, which gives total command, the writing

9%: o( an auto'iograph" projects the past onto the pages o( a

'oo&, 8altered; in such a wa" that it approaches the standards o(

its ego ideal$ The ego ideal can, thus, indirectl" shape the things

to 'e recorded, 'ut it can also contri'ute a retrospective critical

glance to the past wor& o( the ego$ A trap is thus laid (or the

reader$ ?owever, 'lan& spaces and gaps can 'e searched (or,

giving them their own in(ormational value$ Although an

auto'iograph" strives to satis(" the narcissistic ego ideal and

moulds the events o( li(e in a complacent wa", it also e+poses

the wor&ing o( the egoIideal '" means o( what it does not sa"$

Auto'iograph" could 'e li&ened to a shadow one o( the most

common (igures o( the dou'le it is an image which stands in the

past in relation to our 'od" and distorts it$ The te+t preserves all

the prints memories o( the narcissistic distortion imprinted in

the gaps$ The" can 'e deciphered '" the readerH and, thus, the

auto'iographical dou'le participates on 'iographical writing$

%( the auto'iographical writing o( the woman in the />ellow

=allpaper is to 'e perused, would it 'e understoodR 5ertainl"

not '" John who is a ph"sician$ ?e does not have a &een enough

ear02 to sign in the same wa" she does$ To sign, according to02 %n (he Ear o$ the Other, Derrida tal&s a'out the connection 'etween the

student, the universit" and the State$ Students are connected to theeducational institution via ears, as the" listen to what their alma mater, thatis, the State, dictates$ ?owever, the ear is also the place where transcri'ing,


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Derrida, is to assert ones own wa" o( understanding, to

interpret, to translate through the sophisticated mechanism o(

the ear$ B" means o( slippage auto trans(orms into oto

9otiograph": is what anothers ear ma&es out o( a te+t

The ear is uncann"$ ncann" is what it is dou'le iswhat it can 'ecomeH large or small is what it canma&e or let happen 8as in laisserI(aire, since the earis the most tendered and most open organ, the onethat, as .reud reminds us, the in(ant cannot close;Hlarge or small as well as the manner in which onema" o((er or lend ear$@

A digression will ena'le the dou'le and the

auto'iographical uncann" to emerge more clearl"$ /The >ellow

=allpaper is, li&e most good wor&s o( literature, dou'leI(aced$

ellow =allpaper has in man"

wa"s struggled with this dualit"$ .eminist critics have claimed

the primac" o( their interpretationH the" have sanctioned the

living o( the person in uestion '" their reading and glori(ied the

dead proper name 95harlotte #er&ins Filman:$ )ot that Filman

would not deserve to 'e a part o( the canonH it is rather the

ideological wa" in which the te+t has 'een read and the use o(

deciphering, and interpreting occur$ =hat is more, it can 'e closed when one/does not care to hear$ 83@3;@(he Ear o$ the Other, 33$

-


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the singular optics o( auto'iograph" to interpret the

contemporar" world that are uestiona'le$ )ot unli&e the

interpreters o( )ietsche, (eminists have overloo&ed and stopped

searching (or other evidence since their claim appeared to 'e

wellIdocumented 8a disease widel" applica'le to the academic

world in general;$ This is one o( the wa"s writing can 'ecome a

8dar&; dou'leH 8the process reuires a dead name under a te+t

and the person who charges the te+t with meanings;$ This not to

impl" an" connection 'etween (eminism and social nationalism,

it merel" considers interpretation and te+tual criticism as such$

/9But ellow

=allpaper: and the Shi(ting Light o( Scholarship, an article '" a

group o( Filman scholars, points out the wa" (eminist scholarship

o( the -2s and -26s interpreted the meaning o( this one o(

the most widel" read stories '" 5harlotte #er&ins Filman,

according to their own ideological 'ac&ground and its current

trends$ =hat is at sta&e here is also the credi'ilit" o(

auto'iographical writing and its narcissistic tendencies$

ellow

=allpaper (ound in Filmans auto'iograph" at (ace value$

.ollowing the empirical (acts o( a li(e and constructing a

ps"cho'iograph" o( the person does not alwa"s necessaril"

result in the correct interpretation o( the persons s"stem o(

thought, not to mention the correctness o( the interpretation o(1


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the persons milieu$ %n this, (eminists are not unli&e one o( their

(oresworn enemies, Sigmund .reud, whose ps"choI'iographical

readings o( wor&s o( art are 'iased and, more o(ten than not,

erroneous$@- More so, i( the source o( these 9(acts: is the

persons auto'iograph"$ (he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an:

An Auto8iograh%is certainl" written (rom Filmans perspective

or, perhaps, retrospective$ Some (acts were 9whitewashed: or

o(ten descri'ed as she thought and wished them to 'e, rather

than as the" reall" had 'een$ =hen reading an auto'iograph",

one has to approach it with dou't 8'ei$el ha8en@1;, which

means one has to e+pect a hidden dou'le$

The part o( Filmans auto'iograph" which deals with

writing and pu'lishing /The >ellow =allpaper asserts that the

reactions to her stor" had 'een hostile, especiall" on the part o(

male representatives o( medicine$ This was later used '" some

(eminist critics to claim the incapa'ilit" o( Filmans

contemporar" male readers to comprehend the uestion o( se+$

Even though there is a lot o( evidence that the men actuall" did

understand, that evidence is overloo&ed$ The article /But


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E+pects That revisits the evidence and loo&s at a letter to the

editor in (he +oston Evening (ranscrit 86thApril -621; which

asserts that the mental illness o( a woman is a su'ject hardl"

appropriate to 'e pu'lished@3

The stor" can hardl", it would seem, give pleasure toan" reader, and to man", whose lives have 'eentouched through the nearest ties '" this dreaddisease, it must 'ring the &eenest pain$ To others,whose lives have 'ecome a struggle against anheredit" o( mental derangement, such literaturecontains deadl" peril$ Should such stories 'e allowed

to pass without severest censureR8M$ D$;@4

Despite the o'vious tone o( a relative who nurses a close

person su((ering (rom mental deterioration, Filman chooses to

interpret the initials 9M$ D$: as a doctors signature$ Thus, she is

a'le to uphold her claim that her stor" 'rought a'out a lot o(

anger within the male scienti(ic circles$ 8As (ar as signatures are

concerned, 9M$ D$: could 'e an"oneH the author o( the letter

could as well 'e a (emale reader o( the magaine which

pu'lished /The >ellow =allpaper$ The gender o( the signature is

indetermina'le$; Filman, thus, creates the dou'le o( the person

in uestion$ There is also a 9deadl" peril: stemming (rom the

possi'ilit" that a reader does not capture the authorial intention

@3Julie Bates Doc&, Daphne *"an Allen, Jenni(er #alais, and !risten Trac", /9But

ellow =allpaper: and the

Shi(ting Light o( Scholarship$ *1LA ---$- 8-22@; @-$

@4

5harlotte #er&ins Filman, (he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an: An

Auto8iograh%, 8Madison, =isconsin niversit" o( =isconsin #ress, -22; -1$4


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hidden in the 8a; language 8which is the nature o( dead paper in

general;$ Thus, even Filman is not immune against the peril o(

'ecoming a 'iographer o( someone else$

As a part o( her de(ence, Filman uotes letters received

(rom other doctors and seems to 'e tr"ing to prove her point that

her personal e+perience, put down as a stor", has some value as

a scienti(ic (act$ She imagines that her writing has a purpose, and

that /The >ellow =allpaper convinced the doctor who treated her

that his methods were erroneous$@0%( the purpose o( the stor", as

Filman writes, is to show the (atal e((ects o( the treatment, then

it could 'e argued that the heroine o( /The >ellow =allpaper is

Filmans dou'le$ 5ertainl", the onl" proper name used in the

stor" 9=eir Mitchell: points toward the possi'ilit" that Filman

is voicing her displeasure with the treatment which Dr$ Mitchell

has ordered /John sa"s i( % dont pic& up (aster he shall send me

to =eir Mitchell in the (all$ But % dont want to go there at all

8>=, @;$

Dr$ Mitchell does not use his ear properl" either, and his

healing methods o( mental disorders are ver" unli&e the

ps"choanal"tic approach, whose emphasis is not on the 'od"$

*ather than tracing the repressive (orces and the unconscious

content, Mitchell puts the material 'od" into isolation$


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respect, closer to the

8auto;'iograph" o( ones ps"che$ .reuds own auto'iograph"

gives us insight into h

The Double - Diploma Thesis Finished

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