Doppelganger Definition and Origin

Doppelganger Definition and Origin

• "Doppelganger" coined in 1796 by Jean Paul Richter, meaning "double walker" or "double goer"
• Initially referred to the person witnessing their double, later the double itself
• Part of the broader phenomenon "autoscopy," the experience of seeing oneself externally, often linked to hallucinations or out-of-body experiences

Importance of Doppelgangers

• Often viewed as ominous figures
• In Scottish folklore, meeting one's double signifies death, a 'fetch' from the land of the dead
• Represent psychological conflicts, symbolizing rejected aspects of the self
• Can dominate the original person, leading to loss of control and identity

Themes of the Doppelganger

• Repressed Desires: The doppelganger manifests hidden urges/fears, a projection of the subconscious, externalizing what one refuses to acknowledge.
• Split Identity: Relevant to bilingual/bicultural individuals—the foreign culture offers a space for a secret second life, highlighting struggles with identity while existing between worlds.
• Counterfactuals: Doubles can reveal alternative life paths and imagined possibilities
• Marriage and Relationships: Lovers can see reflections in each other and a sense of unity
• Free Will and Autonomy: Doppelgangers raise questions about personal control, central to horror/psychological thrillers where characters battle their doubles.
• Crisis of Uniqueness: When two are exactly alike, who is the real one, questioning identity and uniqueness.
• Technological and Digital Doubles: Modern versions explore social media as a doppelganger, curated versions reflecting identity crisis online.

Freud and the Uncanny

• Freud's "uncanny" (unheimlich): something familiar and unfamiliar at once, unsettling
• Often connected to what was familiar but is now strange, like encounters with repeating numbers or symbols in different contexts

Automata and AI: The Human-Machine Uncanny

• Uncanny arises when figures look human but have slight imperfections, impacting robots, dolls, and AI.
• Severed body parts are exceptionally unsettling.

The Student of Prague (1913) - Plot Summary

• Follows Balduin, a Prague student, seeking wealth and status
• A mysterious figure offers a fortune for "anything" in his room
• Balduin's reflection walks away, and the doppelgänger negatively impacts his life
• Balduin eventually tries to kill his double, ending by killing himself

Why Is Balduin's Double Frightening?

• Exposes the moral cost of desires for wealth and status
• Demonstrates loss of autonomy and free will
• Deepens the crisis of identity

The Deal with the Devil

• Scapinelli represents a Faustian bargain, exchanging the self (identity) for power/wealth
• Reflects folklore where doppelgängers symbolize doom

Historical Significance of the Student of Prague

• First German art film, early feature-length horror film
• Part of the "autorenfilm" movement, adapting literature/theater
• Allegory for German class struggle: a middle-class protagonist aspiring to climb socially

Peter Wegner's Vision

• Believed film was the ideal medium for depicting doppelgängers
• Recognizing the power of trick photography for visual depictions

Allegory for Pre-WWI Germany

• Represents a divided psyche within Germany struggling with identity

The Cinematic Doppelganger

• Cinema's inherent ability to create visual doubles (editing, special effects)
• Doppelganger films feel more real/physical than books

Conclusion

• Doppelganger explores identity crises, repressed desires, threats to control
• "The Student of Prague" established the groundwork for future horror/psychological thrillers
• Modern technology (AI, clones, social media) maintains the contemporary relevance of the doppelganger theme.