Last week I gave you a bit of an overview of what this spooky little curriculum is about with my Introduction to the Uncanny post. This week we’re really delving into it with Unit 2: Doppelgängers, Doubles, and the Uncanny Valley. Tomorrow I’ll share my thoughts on one of horror’s satirical classics, Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives, and how it connects to our theme, but first, your reading list:
Primary reading:
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin – Ira Levin’s 1972 novel is the main topic of my essay for this unit, and I think most people are somewhat familiar with its plot anyway, so I won’t go into too much detail here. But it’s a classic of a number of genres: science fiction, feminist literature, and more, and a quick read to boot. A must read.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – Often the “evil twin” is something that is forced on the protagonist without consent. But sometimes, as in Stevenson’s classic, it is a dark foil that allows a virtuous character to live out their most base and sinful desires. Of course, there are consequences.
Us (dir. Jordan Peele) – Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out draws influence from The Stepford Wives, but his second film Us offers a different take on the doppelgänger. Lupita Nyong’o is sympathetic as Adelaide and chilling as her “tethered” mirror image, Red. It feels like a classic horror story as the nice suburban family is terrorized by their evil twins. As the film goes on, the backstory of the “tethered” begins to be revealed, and Us forces us to alter our perspectives on which side of the mirror we’re on.
Companion (dir. Drew Hancock) – A Stepford Wives for the modern age, Iris is the perfect girlfriend to her boyfriend Josh, because he made her that way. But unlike in Stepford, this is the beginning of the story rather than the finale. Iris’s survival depends on crossing the uncanny valley, seeming (and perhaps becoming) real. This film is gory in places but not overly scary, ideal for the horror-curious but jump scare-averse.
Secondary reading:
Doppelgänger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein – Many people believe that everyone has a doppelgänger somewhere in the world. In some ways, Naomi Klein found hers, given the frequency with which she is confused with Naomi Wolf. To her chagrin, given that Wolf has descended from feminist commentary into unhinged conspiracy theory, while Klein continues to take a fact-based approach to her writing (remember this helpful rhyme: “If Naomi be Klein, you’re doing fine. If Naomi be Wolf, oh, buddy. Oof”). It’s a fascinating look at what Klein calls “the Mirror World” in a world beyond fiction.
The Age of Instagram Face by Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker – Are we Stepford-ing ourselves? Culture writer Jia Tolentino’s article explores the way plastic surgery allows women to transform themselves into an uncanny valley, cyborgian amalgam of on-trend beauty standards, and how social media encourages them to create their own perfect doppelgängers through apps and filters. More horrifying than any horror novel.
Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronovsky) – In Black Swan, rival ballerinas compete for the role of innocent Odette and sensuous Odile in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, and each embodies the characteristics of one element of this dual role. But lines begin to blur as their relationship becomes tense (and sometimes erotic), and they — and we, the audience — begin to question where one dancer ends and the other begins.
Klara & the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro – The uncanny valley is usually unsettling; hence, its name. But in Ishiguro’s novel, Klara is the heroine, a sweet and loyal AF (Artificial Friend) companion to a young human girl. There is a dystopian element to the novel that goes beyond the existence of robots “living” amongst humans, but it makes the story melancholy rather than frightening. The novel is a good choice for a reader interested in themes appearing outside of the horror genre.
