The Uncanny

It is expected that "The Uncanny" will read somewhat "scientific" or "philosophical" because it was written by Freud. It's written in a middle style I suppose, and Freud sets it up nicely. He starts by discussing aesthetics ...

"it is only rarely that a psycho-analyst feels impelled to investigate the subject of aesthetics, even when aesthetics is understood to mean not merely the theory of beauty but the theory of the qualities of feeling."

And then leads the reader into the subject of the uncanny..

"The subject of the ‘uncanny’ is a province of this kind. It is undoubtedly related to what is frightening — to what arouses dread and horror; equally certainly, too, the word is not always used in a clearly definable sense, so that it tends to coincide with what excites fear in general. "

Freud defines the uncanny.. this is important right from the start. Freud has not yet "lost" his reader in a sense. He is making sure to keep the reader on the same page as him, in small simple steps, that that the reader understands clearly, and the reader will understand clearly and follow Freud's writing. He does not mask his point with overly flourished language, he gets straight to the point. Which is important.

In his study of the ‘uncanny,’ Jentsch quite rightly lays stress on the obstacle presented by the fact that people vary so very greatly in their sensitivity to this quality of feeling."

Here Freud uses knowledge from another individual. This helps the tone of the piece because it does not make it all about Freud per-say. It gets the reader to trust that he knows what he is saying. The point is for the reader to understand, not for Freud to show off his knowledge.

When Freud goes into the original meanings of the words I find it a bit exhausting, but it's expected from him.