The "Uncanny Aura" of Venus im Pelz
Masochism and Freud's Uncanny
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9855978 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Benjamin Jacob (0000-0003-1119-064X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 269-285 |
| Publication date | 2007-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Germanic Review Literature Culture Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0016-8890 • E-ISSN: 1930-6962 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3200/gerr.82.3.269-285 |
| OpenAlex | W1977540552 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
Venus im Pelz by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is notorious as the literary depiction of masochism. To date, critics and psychoanalysts have used Freud's theories of sexuality to critique Sacher-Masoch's novel and to offer various explanations for the existence of masochism. They have tended, however, to overlook the significance of the word "unheimlich" ("uncanny"), which recurs through the German text. This article explores the significance of the uncanny in terms of Sacher-Masoch's book. It turns away from Freud's theories of sexuality and instead compares motifs within this masochistic tale with those described in Freud's essay. Doing so reveals multiple layers of the uncanny within this masochistic tale. The suggestion is that this strong uncanny presence explains not only the death-driven forces behind masochism, but also the novel's enduring fascination
Art · Depiction · Literature · Psychoanalysis · Uncanny · German legal, social, and political studies · German Literature and Culture Studies · Philosophy · Psychoanalysis and Social Critique · Psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |