ABSTRACT
As is well known, Freud introduced the concept of the uncanny into psychoanalysis in 1919 and used The Sandman as a prime illustration for his definition. We propose to reverse the order of Freud’s approach, interpreting Hoffmann’s tale first and proceeding to deduce the nature of the uncanny from it. This will produce changes because The Sandman departs significantly both from Freud’s interpretation of it and from his general conception of the uncanny. Our intent is not to criticize Freud’s theory of the uncanny, only its applicability to The Sandman. Moreover, we think the designation uncanny describes aptly the emotional atmosphere of Hoffmann’s text, even though the source of the uncanny feeling in the story differs from the one Freud posited. The crux of our argument can be summarized briefly: Freud sees in The Sandman an example of the frightening return of a repressed infantile complex (castration); we perceive the return of a family secret. Our reading not only entails a new psychoanalytic definition of the uncanny but has implications for the study of Freud’s works in general. The reading points to a discrepancy between Freud’s detailed lexical account of the word “uncanny” in German (at the beginning of his essay) and his independent theory of the uncanny. Furthermore, we find that the psychological substance of The Sandman is in accord with the meanings of the German word unheimlich (uncanny) as listed by Freud, but not with his interpretation of them in terms of his theory of the return of the repressed. These findings raise a host of other issues we can only mention here. What kind of significance should we attach to potential inconsistencies and methodological paradoxes in Freud’s work? How important is it to note that Freud chose to exemplify his theory of the uncanny with a literary text that arguably does not corroborate it? Why is it useful to conjecture that Freud may have selected The Sandman for a reason different from the one he stated or even intended?1
