Thomas De Quincey and the Cognitive Unconscious

What is it about?

Thomas De Quincey is well-known for his interest in dreams and the unconscious. This is the first book-length study that considers these issues in De Quincey within the contemporary scientific context. It also uses modern cognitive theories to better understand nineteenth-century iterations on these topics.

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Why is it important?

This book presents a very different De Quincey than has been proclaimed in the literary discourse so far. It also brings to light theories of the unconscious from the nineteenth century that are very different from the common Freudian approach. This new approach to the De Quincey and to the unconscious questions a long history of criticism that is based on scientifically invalid and anachronistically imposed theories.