Dark Doubles and Dual Audience: What Uncanny Doppelgangers in Children’s Literature Teach Readers

Abstract

The doppelganger motif in all its varieties has been used in narratives of different countries, centuries, and literary or cinematic genres. Primarily, it is employed in suspenseful genres like the thriller or gothic horror, which many consider unsuitable to young children. Accordingly, research on uncanny doppelgangers in literature focuses on adult fiction. Studies on the motif’s use in children’s stories mostly turn to “logical” doppelgangers, namely identical twins. Although research has been conducted on the purpose and type of frightening elements in children’s literature, many instances in which antagonists fit the doppelganger motif and Freud’s notion of the “uncanny” have been overlooked. The motif’s significance for young readers is thus underexplored. The present thesis contributes to filling this gap by comparing children’s literature to studies by Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank, who discuss uncanny doppelgangers in romanticism, and by further using narratological concepts, author interviews and reader reviews to evaluate the motif’s meaning for a story and potential messages it sends to readers. An analysis of two canonical children’s books, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002) and Michael Ende’s Momo (1973), demonstrates that in both adult and children’s literature, uncanny doppelgangers can be traced back to a psychological issue of the self. However, as children’s literature is inherently educational, it further uses the motif to transmit messages regarding the importance of personal values and conquering one’s own fears, thereby making the story more optimistic than romantic doppelganger narratives—and appealing to a dual audience of adults and children. This suggests that children’s writers adopt the original psychological and social implications of the uncanny doppelganger motif, but add a twist to ensure positive messages and a happy ending.