In telling a story one of the most successful devices for easily creating uncanny effects is to leave the reader in uncertainty whether a particular figure in the story is a human being or an automaton and to do it in such a way that his attention is not focused directly upon his uncertainty, so that he may not be led to go into the matter and clear it up immediately. Ernst Jentsch
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To create an element of uncannyness, an author can include a character that leaves the reader unsure whether he is real or not. For example, J.K. Rowling placed some of her characters under false names in her Harry Potter series. She made readers wonder whether certain characters were real people or not by giving them unusual names and disguises. The author also leaves the reader wondering about the character’s motivations, which only adds to the ambiguity.

Source: Zur Psychologie Des Unheimlichen

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