Das Unheimliche

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) frequently drew upon literary texts in formulating his psychoanalytic theory, as seen in the essay "The Uncanny," published in 1919, where he primarily examines the fantastic in literature through the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann. Freud begins with the semantic derivation of the word "uncanny" from "heimlich," which in turn derives from "heimisch," meaning familiar to us, but has become uncanny through repression. Freud's brilliant essay is still regarded as one of the most important texts for understanding fantastic literature.