Freud was fascinated by the mysteries of creativity and the imagination. The groundbreaking works that comprise The Uncanny present some of his most influential explorations of the mind. In these pieces Freud investigates the vivid but seemingly trivial childhood memories that often "screen" deeply uncomfortable desires; the links between literature and daydreaming; and our intensely mixed feelings about things we experience as "uncanny." Also included is Freud's celebrated study of Leonardo Da Vinci-his first exercise in psychobiography.
The Uncanny (Penguin Modern Classics)
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"[Freud] ultimately did more for our understanding of art than any other writer since Aristotle." (Lionel Trilling)
About the Author
Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Moravia; between the ages of four and eighty-two his home was in Vienna: in 1938 Hitler's invasion of Austria forced him to seek asylum in London, where he died in the following year.
His career began with several years of brilliant work on the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. He was almost thirty when, after a period of study under Charcot in Paris, his interests first turned to psychology, and another ten years of clinical work in Vienna(at first in collaboration with Breuer, an older colleague) saw the birth of his creation, psychoanalysis. This began simply as a method of treating neurotic patients by investigating their minds, but it quickly grew into an accumulation of knowledge about the workings of the mind in general, whether sick or healthy. Freud was thus able to demonstrate the normal development of the sexual instinct in childhood and, largely on the basis of an examination of dreams, arrived at his fundamental discovery of the unconscious forces that influence our everyday thoughts and actions. Freud's life was uneventful, but his ideas have shaped not only many specialist disciplines, but the whole intellectual climate of the last half-century
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Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is one of the twentieth century's greatest minds and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. His many works include The Ego and the Id; An Outline of Psycho-Analysis; Inhibitions; Symptoms and Anxiety; New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis; Civilization and Its Discontent, and others.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a remarkable contribution from Freud that is almost entirely ignored by psychology on account of its lack of applicability. But that is a tragedy, because this is a work of first-rate thinking. Freud explores the `Uncanny,' the no longer being at home, and traces its dimensions through literature, dreams, and childhood memories. He also contributes a brilliant speculation into Leonardo Da Vinci, later coined as an exercise in `psychobiography', in which he magnificently uses a single memory to investigate the conflicts and dilemmas of Leonardo's childhood and subsequent artistry and genius. This is a crucial text in Freud's vast body of work, I urge you to read it.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Uncanny is actually a collection of Freud's essays, all of which are of good quality, easily read (Freud is a talented writer and his essays are engaging and well written) and interesting to behold. The five essays are: Screen Memories, The Creative Writer and Daydreaming, Family Romances, Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of his Childhood, and The Uncanny.
Each of these is an interesting take on a field which is both easily accessible to anyone with little to no knowledge of Freud's other works/psychoanalytic theory, and a welcome expansion of application and insight for anyone who has read extensively on Freud. One of the most interesting aspects of these essays is their interest in both the historical and the creative, areas of specialty where Freud demonstrates the applicability of his theories to litereary and historic academia.
The essays are relatively short, engaging and enlightening. Many readers may have a bias against Freud's methodology and conclusions; however, he shows himself to be both a product of his times, and also a nuanced and considerate man, who is willing to accept that his theories are neither complete nor applicable in all situations. While this is the case, he nevertheless is working well within the confines of his psychoanalytic theory, and as such there is certain predictability in all of his findings and explanations. Freud's concern with childhood memories and the resulting transfiguration of memories concerning sexuality during a (male) child's early years is the primary variable, to the exlusion of almost all else. Though Freud's work may have certain oversights and fixations, it nevertheless provides an interesting alternative or augmentative method to understanding psychology, creativity and the uncanny (not to mention Leonardo's sexuality).
Each of these is an interesting take on a field which is both easily accessible to anyone with little to no knowledge of Freud's other works/psychoanalytic theory, and a welcome expansion of application and insight for anyone who has read extensively on Freud. One of the most interesting aspects of these essays is their interest in both the historical and the creative, areas of specialty where Freud demonstrates the applicability of his theories to litereary and historic academia.
The essays are relatively short, engaging and enlightening. Many readers may have a bias against Freud's methodology and conclusions; however, he shows himself to be both a product of his times, and also a nuanced and considerate man, who is willing to accept that his theories are neither complete nor applicable in all situations. While this is the case, he nevertheless is working well within the confines of his psychoanalytic theory, and as such there is certain predictability in all of his findings and explanations. Freud's concern with childhood memories and the resulting transfiguration of memories concerning sexuality during a (male) child's early years is the primary variable, to the exlusion of almost all else. Though Freud's work may have certain oversights and fixations, it nevertheless provides an interesting alternative or augmentative method to understanding psychology, creativity and the uncanny (not to mention Leonardo's sexuality).
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Boy
Format:Paperback
OK, question: How many other writers or thinkers could possibly explain such mysteries as modern man's ongoing religious impulse and the roots of homosexuality - explaining them with panache, clarity, and a fearless, refreshing indifference to PC thinking - and, on top of all this, explain these mysteries - mysteries that continue to confound the vast majority of today's "leading" "thinkers" - as mere ASIDES in essays in which his main intent is to explain other DEEPER mysteries??
Answer? None.
Welcome to Planet Freud.
This exceptional (and beautifully packaged - take a closer look at that front cover!) little slice of the man's work is thoughtfully arranged in such a way that each essay effectively builds upon and enriches the next in subtle, yet essential, ways.
The first essay, "Screen Memories," systematically reveals how many of our earliest childhood memories - perhaps even most of them - are significantly transformed by our later perceptions of them, and are therefore hardly memories at all as we generally conceive of them. But these "screened" memories are indeed important, but in a way that is hidden by the screening process.
For instance, think back to your first major childhood memory. Do you picture yourself in this memory, as if you were seeing yourself from an outside perspective? Well if so, this "memory" of yours is actually more a complex blend of fact and fantasy than a memory per-se. This screen memory is no mere benign or random distortion of the childhood memory in question, but is in fact an ingeniously disguised repression of a much more significant memory than the screened version would have you believe.
In another piece, Freud dissects the act of creative writing, and explains the central appeal of fiction - especially that of the more outre or disturbing sort - for readers AND writers.
In "Family Romances," the good Doctor puts forth a theory for why certain stories are more universally appealing than others. A few prime latter-day examples of how dead-accurate this theory is? STAR WARS, HARRY POTTER, and THE SOPRANOS.
His highly entertaining interpretation of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's childhood memories - most likely a screen memory, as it turns out - leads to fascinating "psycho-biography" of one history's most celebrated and enigmatic geniuses.
The titular piece is a fascinating and complex - and at times self-devouring - meditation on what it means to experience the rarified sensation of uncanniness. Not surprisingly, the explanation involves the emergence of repressed memories...
All in all, I'd say THE UNCANNY would be a perfectly good introduction to Freud for those who've never actually read any of his works.
Uncannily good, in fact.
Answer? None.
Welcome to Planet Freud.
This exceptional (and beautifully packaged - take a closer look at that front cover!) little slice of the man's work is thoughtfully arranged in such a way that each essay effectively builds upon and enriches the next in subtle, yet essential, ways.
The first essay, "Screen Memories," systematically reveals how many of our earliest childhood memories - perhaps even most of them - are significantly transformed by our later perceptions of them, and are therefore hardly memories at all as we generally conceive of them. But these "screened" memories are indeed important, but in a way that is hidden by the screening process.
For instance, think back to your first major childhood memory. Do you picture yourself in this memory, as if you were seeing yourself from an outside perspective? Well if so, this "memory" of yours is actually more a complex blend of fact and fantasy than a memory per-se. This screen memory is no mere benign or random distortion of the childhood memory in question, but is in fact an ingeniously disguised repression of a much more significant memory than the screened version would have you believe.
In another piece, Freud dissects the act of creative writing, and explains the central appeal of fiction - especially that of the more outre or disturbing sort - for readers AND writers.
In "Family Romances," the good Doctor puts forth a theory for why certain stories are more universally appealing than others. A few prime latter-day examples of how dead-accurate this theory is? STAR WARS, HARRY POTTER, and THE SOPRANOS.
His highly entertaining interpretation of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's childhood memories - most likely a screen memory, as it turns out - leads to fascinating "psycho-biography" of one history's most celebrated and enigmatic geniuses.
The titular piece is a fascinating and complex - and at times self-devouring - meditation on what it means to experience the rarified sensation of uncanniness. Not surprisingly, the explanation involves the emergence of repressed memories...
All in all, I'd say THE UNCANNY would be a perfectly good introduction to Freud for those who've never actually read any of his works.
Uncannily good, in fact.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great!
i love it. a great gift for friends. color is wonderful. very convenient. it tells me a lot about what is uncanny
Published 5 months ago by Bo Chen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of The Uncanny
I'm going to start this review out by saying... I think Freud was a little bit of a whackadoodle. Just putting that out there. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lydia
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