Alexina Gillis
Critical Theory
Project One
Sigmund Freud in Alice in Wonderland:
Sigmund Freud has been the originator of many controversial theories, many have been disagreed upon for decades. One I would like to focus on is his theory of the uncanny. Freud defines the uncanny as something that is not familiar to us, therefore it scares us or makes us uneasy. But, he also describes that something does not just have to be unfamiliar for it to be uncanny. To quote him directly from his essay “The Uncanny, Sigmund Freud”; “We can only say that what is novel can easily become frightening and uncanny; some new things are frightening but not by any means all. Something has to be added to what is novel and unfamiliar to make it uncanny” (Freud, 418). What he is saying is that there is an extra element that makes something uncanny other than unfamiliarity. He does not go on to say what this thing is, but he gives a few examples such as feeling disoriented in your environment.
He does go on to say that his definition is incomplete, therefore it is hard to say what really characterizes the uncanny. In modern day conversations, the uncanny can be pretty easily defined. After a quick Google search, an article titled “The Uncanny” by the Freud Museum of London states “Examples of situations that can provoke an uncanny feeling include inanimate objects coming alive, thoughts appearing to have an effect in the real world, seeing your double (the doppelgänger effect), representations of death such as ghosts or spirits, and involuntary repetitions.” (Jamie Ruers). These examples were pulled from Freud’s essay and show a better understanding of what he considered as the uncanny. These examples are, overall, things that would change an average persons’ understanding of the world.
A modern day example of these things could be Alice in Wonderland, a movie about a girl finding another dimension with talking animals and objects. Other things that popped up in a Google search of the uncanny were thoughts of resemblance, things that are “weird” or “eerie”. The term “uncanny” has a pretty serious meaning to it, but many people use it to describe things that just simply make them feel uncomfortable. The media has skewed the actual definition as it has with many other things, making it a popular buzzword that is thrown into conversations once in a while. It is amazing to think that something that was once being used as the topic of an essay from a well known neurologist, is now the same thing being used as an adjective in TikTok storytimes. The modernization of the world has also resulted in a simplification of its language. It is not uncommon to see topics or words used as buzzwords in the media which in turn cause them to loose or change meaning completely. This phenomenon is uncanny in itself. Things are not what they used to be. Some other examples could be: tea, ghosting, woke, shade, etc.
Freud speaks about other languages in his essay as well and shows how other languages and cultures have defined uncanny. He writes: “The Italian and the Portuguese seem to content themselves with words which we should describe as circumlocutions. In Arabic and Hebrew “uncanny” means the same as “daemonic,” “gruesome”’ (Freud, 419). This adds onto the idea of the uncanny being frightening. Even now, the uncanny is still seen as something that is simply just creepy. Looking at Freud’s theory of the uncanny and comparing it to a piece of work made in the modern day, one good example to compare his essay to is Alice in Wonderland.
This film has three different versions. However, it was initially a children’s book written by Lewis Carroll in 1865, with its sequel coming out in 1871. The film versions are Tim Burton’s 2010 version, Svankmajer’s version which combined puppetry and live action in 1988, and the original animation by Disney in 1951. There is also “Alice Through the Looking Glass” which is a sequel made in 2016. There are a total of four books in the series. But the focus will be on the movies for this comparison. The point of the story is that a young girl falls into a rabbit hole and this hole leads to a different world where she meets the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat who become her close friends. Both of these characters have uncanny qualities. The Mad Hatter has crazy, bright red hair and very pale skin. He dresses with a lot of accessories and wears a large top hat. He looks almost unreal, especially with the darkness around his eyes in contrast to his very pale skin.
The Cheshire Cat is a Cat, but he has massive eyes and pink and purple stripes. He has a smile that spreads across his whole face and is unsettling in itself. In Freud’s essay, he mentions inanimate objects coming to life as being an example of the uncanny. Talking animals have the same concept as this.
The Queen of Hearts or The Red Queen also has a fun wardrobe and has a head that is far too large for her body.
One thing that is done in almost all of the versions of Alice in Wonderland is the feeling the cinematography gives you. It puts the viewer into what feels like a dream. Like all of it is just slightly off. It is clear that Alice is attempting to navigate the new world that she is in, but it is all so fast paced it is hard to follow along, which is the point. The films are full of puzzles and things that make the viewer think. This is what gives it that uncanny feeling. That there is something just slightly not in place. All of these elements are necessary for that feeling. The language used is also somewhat confusing. They speak in almost a royal tone, some examples include “Off with their heads!” from the Queen of Hearts, “Oh, what a delightful child” from the Cheshire Cat, and “This is an unbirthday party!”, also from the Cheshire Cat.
All of these aspects come together to create that undeniable feeling of the uncanny. And, although the modern day version of certain words have made them lose meaning, uncanny has kept its meaning and Freud may have had a few good points in there (surprisingly), the proof is in Alice in Wonderland. The term uncanny is difficult to define or describe, and when reading Freuds’ essay on it, the reader is almost thinking “wow, dude, just spit it out”. How can one word be so difficult to describe? A good way to put it into perspective is by watching Alice in Wonderland. This helps the viewer to realize the uncanny is the uncanny because we can’t explain it.
Works Cited
“Alice in Wonderland.” IMDb, IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/quotes/. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.
“Alice in Wonderland: Adventures into the Uncanny – Part 1.” Ellen Cheshire, Cheshire, 5 May 2023, http://www.ellencheshire.com/post/2019/07/16/alice-in-wonderland-adventures-into-the-uncanny-part-1.
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland.
Contributor, Emma Robinson |. “Top 10 Buzzwords of the Decade That Will Leave You ‘Shook.’” The Red & Black, The Red & Black, 2 Dec. 2019, http://www.redandblack.com/culture/top-10-buzzwords-of-the-decade-that-will-leave-you-shook/article_c69ae29a-1039-11ea-bd00-5b057d0cda22.html.
Ruers, Jamie. “The Uncanny.” Freud Museum London, Freud Museum London, 22 Mar. 2022, http://www.freud.org.uk/2019/09/18/the-uncanny/.
“Sigmund Freud.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud.
Sigmund Freud, “The Uncanny”
Sprockets and Springes 
Interesting ideas. Knowing about Lewis Carroll’s interest in the paranormal and the workings of the mind also plays a role in his creative life. We know what books were in Carroll’s library at the time of his death. Quite uncanny.