The Uncanny Nature of “Heart of Darkness”

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Steven Terrill 11/24/2013 Dr. Jackson The Uncanny Nature of “Heart of Darkness” While not the originator of the idea of The Uncanny, Sigmund Freud has done more than his fair share in elaborating the theory. Ernst Jentsh defined The Uncanny experience in his 1906 essay On the Psychology of the Uncanny as a “intellectual uncertainty,” in which the observer does not know how to handle what they are perceiving. In 1919 Freud expanded on this subject creating a system of measurement and coining the term “Cognitive Dissonance,” which is the feeling of discomfort described by Jentsh’s “intellectual uncertainty,” in which the introduction of something that is familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time creates a repulsion; the Cognitive Dissonance. The more familiar something is and the more unfamiliar it is creates a greater cognitive dissonance. Modern examples of this phenomenon stem from the robotics and computer graphics worlds in which more and more realistic robots are being created that still look enough like a robot to haunt your dreams, and more detailed computer images are being created to mirror human life but are still computerized enough to haunt your dreams. Modern examples aside, some of the most memorable Uncanny moments can be found within literature. Heart of Darkness holds examples of the Uncanny that are still assessable even in the modern era. One of the first instances of the Uncanny in Heart of Darkness is when Marlow is first offered his job. Upon arriving at the office he is presented with two women, seemingly mirror images of each other, one old, and one young, both knitting in black. In the narrative, Marlow finds himself observing how uneasy the women make him feel, and how ominous the situation feels to him. I attribute this feeling of dissonance to the Greek myths of the Fates, three old women, similar sisters, who weave with black
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