Letters as Uncanny Objects in Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa (1748)

Abstract

This article reconsiders Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa by examining how the novel’s letters generate a disturbing atmosphere that closely resembles what Freud describes as the phenomenon of the uncanny (das Unheimliche). It argues that the letters function as uncanny objects through transforming Clarissa’s two painful experiences in the novel, namely the manipulation and coercion caused by her own family, and the betrayal and violation by her seducer, into recurring sources of her stasis and alienation. Employing Freud’s principles of the double, the omnipotence of thoughts, and repression, this article examines Clarissa’s disturbed inner world that undermines her sense of safety and leads to her decision to withdraw from it through death. From this perspective, the uncanny in Clarissa emerges from the letters themselves: they gather traces of Clarissa’s past and return them to her in unpredictable ways. Ultimately, the article suggests that letters function as uncanny objects that actively produce and structure trauma. This places the epistolary form at the center of the novel’s psychological impact and turns epistolary subjectivity into a source of anxiety rather than control.

Keywords

• Samuel Richardson
• Clarissa
• the uncanny
• epistolary form
• letters
• Freud

Samuel Richardson’ın Clarissa (1748) Adlı Eserinde The Uncanny (Das Unheimliche) Nesneler Olarak Mektuplar

Abstract

Bu makale, Samuel Richardson’ın Clarissa adlı eserini, romandaki mektupların Freud’un “the uncanny” (das Unheimliche) olarak tanımladığı olguyu nasıl ürettiğini inceleyerek yeniden ele almaktadır. Çalışma, mektupların yalnızca anlatısal araçlar olmadığını, aynı zamanda Clarissa’nın yaşadığı iki temel travmatik deneyimi-aile baskısı ve zorlayıcı evlilik dayatması ile Lovelace’ın ihanet ve ihlali-tekrar eden bir yapıya dönüştüren nesneler olarak işlev gördüğünü ileri sürer. Freud’un ikiz (double), düşüncelerin her şeye kadirliği ve bastırmanın geri dönüşü kavramlarından yararlanan bu çalışma, Clarissa’nın iç dünyasının nasıl giderek güvensizleştiğini ve bu sürecin onu ölüm yoluyla geri çekilmeye yönelttiğini analiz eder. Bu bağlamda the uncanny (das Unheimliche), yalnızca olaylardan değil, mektupların kendisinden kaynaklanır; mektuplar geçmiş deneyimleri yeniden dolaşıma sokar ve onları değişmiş biçimlerde Clarissa’ya geri döndürür. Böylece mektuplar travmayı yalnızca yansıtmaz, onu sürekli yeniden üreten ve yapılandıran bir işleve sahip olur. Bu durum, mektup biçimini romanın psikolojik etkisinin merkezine yerleştirir.

Keywords

• Samuel Richardson
• Clarissa
• the uncanny
• mektup biçimi
• mektuplar
• Freud

References

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