Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book proposes moving beyond the initial repulsion the double provokes to allow a better understanding of one’s inner and outer multiplicity. It aims to broaden the common understanding of the double without losing its specificity. The book focuses on nineteenth-century stories from the doppelgänger tradition in which the protagonist fatally encounters an intimidating double. It presents more contemporary works with multiple doubles that, rather than threaten the “original,” transform it and extend its boundaries. The book draws on one literary work which embodies a crucial aspect of the double. It considers the significance of the double in an age of identity politics. The double unveils the interdependency not only between me and the Other but also between different social and political groups.