Figures of the Uncanny in "Parents" (Bob Balaban, 1989)

Authors

  • Jorge Belmonte Arocha Universitat de València
  • Silvia Guillamón Carrasco Universitat de València

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_tropelias/tropelias.2020344346

Keywords:

figures, uncounscious fantasy, the uncanny, horror comedy, cannibalism, sexuality, consumerism

Abstract

In Sigmund Freud's interpretation of the tale "The Sandman" (Der Sandmann, 1816), by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the concept of the uncanny is conceptualised linked to repression in the psychic life of the subject, which mantains in the uncounscious representations linked to the drives. These representations are repressed in the psyche for their unpleasant potential and materialize in thoughts, images, fantasies or figures. 

In this article we shall analyze how the concept of the uncanny is represented in the film Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989) through different figures linked to the psychoanalitic notions of fantasy, repression and the uncounscious. At the same time, through the hybrid genre of horror comedy, the film deeply criticices the middle-class family and the consumerist lifestyle of American society, as well as the imperialism and colonialism that have characterized the history of the United States.

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References

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Published

2020-07-17 — Updated on 2020-10-20

How to Cite

Belmonte Arocha, J., & Guillamón Carrasco, S. (2020). Figures of the Uncanny in "Parents" (Bob Balaban, 1989). Tropelías: Review of Literary Theory and Comparative Literature, (34), 196–212. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_tropelias/tropelias.2020344346

Issue

Section

Dossier
Received 2020-04-09
Accepted 2020-07-14
Published 2020-10-20