ABSTRACT
The ‘uncanny’ (‘unheimlich’) is a concept that became a useful linguistic coin for thinkers in the fields of philosophy, cultural studies, literature, architecture and more. Before reviewing the literary illustration, the concept of the ‘uncanny’ is explored through Freud, Lacan and Heidegger. Each of them highlights different aspects of this concept, which are particularly relevant to the reading of literature. With the aid of Shai Agnon’s short story ‘Friendship’ ([1932] 1970), we shall see how reading literature revives the dialectic tension between the two opposing psychic and existential forces of the ‘familiar’ and the ‘uncanny’, allowing the reader to mobilize and work through his inner psychic equilibrium between the two, towards better integration and psychological growth.
