Presentation Questions:

Both of my questions for today’s presentation are related to understanding ‘the uncanny’ as a word/ as a concept.

First of all, what is the relationship between ‘uncanny’ and ‘fear’?  During my first reading I failed to see the difference, but based on the the way that Jason explained it in his lecture, I think of it more as ‘uncanny’ is a type of fear? I don’t know how much a discussion question this is- it’s probably more of an issue of clarification.

As for my second question, which I now realize is basically essay topic #10, I wanted to know what you guys think about how using words from other languages affects our understanding. In Freud’s “The Uncanny”, and otherwise.

Freud uses the German words ‘heimlich’ and ‘unheimlich’ to explain the feeling that is ‘uncanny’. Again, while I was reading, I was pretty confused- but I confused even after lecture! The cyclical nature of the words makes it difficult (for me, anyways) to grasp what exactly Freud was talking about.

In general, I find it interesting to use words from different languages to describe concepts, because some languages have words that are unique to them/ that don’t translate well. However, if it is a word that is hard to explain, it can add a layer of confusion!