In “Severance,” the Gothic Double Lives On

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Feb 27, 2025

The podcast dives into the intriguing theme of identity as portrayed in 'Severance,' where characters grapple with their split selves, dubbed 'innies' and 'outies.' It traces the historical roots of the double from classics like 'Jane Eyre' to modern cinema, revealing how the concept persists in our fractured lives. In a world of curated online identities, the discussion highlights how avatars can amplify feelings of alienation. With wit and depth, the hosts explore psychological implications and cultural reflections surrounding our search for wholeness.

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ANECDOTE

Doubles in Literature and Film

Classic examples of doubles include Frankenstein's monster, reflecting the creator-double dynamic.
"The Apprentice" showcases Trump as Roy Cohn's "Frankenstein's monster", highlighting mentor-mentee doubling.

insights

INSIGHT

Severance and the Double

"Severance" explores the double trope, reflecting anxieties about fragmented identities.
Season two expands on the show's philosophical questions, exploring power dynamics between "innies" and "outies".

insights

INSIGHT

Doubles in the Oscars Race

The Oscars race features films exploring the double trope, including "The Substance" and "A Different Man".
These films explore themes of aging, identity, and alternate versions of the self.

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The Duality of 'Severance'

01:37 • 19min

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Exploring Identity and Duality in Cinema

20:10 • 4min

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Exploring Doubles and Identity in Storytelling

24:39 • 9min

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Exploring the Complexity of Doubles in Literature and Identity

33:28 • 6min

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The Digital Doppelganger: Identity and Alienation

39:04 • 11min

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Exploring the Duality of the Double

Erich Kästner's "Lisa and Lottie" is a children's book that tells the story of twin sisters who are separated at a young age and later meet again. The story explores themes of identity, family, and the importance of sibling relationships. The twins' contrasting personalities and experiences highlight the complexities of growing up and finding one's place in the world. The book's heartwarming tale of reunion and reconciliation makes it a beloved classic of children's literature.

Passing

Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen's "Passing" is a novel exploring the complexities of racial identity and the experience of passing as white in the early 20th century. The story follows two light-skinned Black women, Irene and Clare, who navigate the social and psychological challenges of living in a racially divided society. The novel delves into themes of self-discovery, betrayal, and the psychological toll of concealing one's true identity. Larsen's masterful prose and insightful exploration of race and identity make "Passing" a powerful and enduring work of American literature.

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Written in epistolary form, the novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant and ambitious scientist who, driven by Enlightenment-era ideas of progress and science, creates a living being from dead body parts. However, upon seeing the creature come to life, Frankenstein is horrified and abandons it. The creature, shunned by society due to its appearance, seeks revenge against its creator, leading to a series of tragic events. The novel explores themes of guilt, loss, and the emotional and moral consequences of scientific hubris, blending elements of Gothic and Romantic literature.

The Double

A Petersburg Poem

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Double tells the tragic and comic tale of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, a humble office clerk in 19th-century Saint Petersburg. Golyadkin's life is disrupted when he encounters a doppelganger who is his exact double in appearance but confident, aggressive, and extroverted. As the double begins to take over Golyadkin's life, their relationship evolves from friendship to bitter enmity. The novella delves into themes of identity, sanity, and the internal psychological struggles of Golyadkin, leaving the reader to question whether the double is real or a figment of Golyadkin's imagination.

William Wilson

Edgar Allan Poe

The story follows a man who calls himself William Wilson, who is haunted by a double with the same name, appearance, and birthdate. This double represents his conscience and moral sense, thwarting his plans driven by ambition, anger, and lust. The narrative delves into psychological self-splitting, exploring themes of identity, guilt, and the inseparability of body and mind. The story culminates in a tragic confrontation during a masquerade party, where the protagonist ultimately kills his double, symbolizing the destruction of his own conscience and humanity.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

The story, narrated largely through the perspective of Mr. Gabriel John Utterson, a London lawyer, revolves around the mysterious and sinister figure of Mr. Edward Hyde and his connection to the respectable Dr. Henry Jekyll. As the narrative unfolds, it reveals Jekyll's secret: he has created a potion that allows him to transform into the evil Mr. Hyde, embodying his repressed desires and darker impulses. The novella delves into themes of dual identity, the struggle between good and evil, and the social hypocrisy of Victorian society.

Jane Eyre

Edmund Morrison Wimperis

Edmund H. Garrett

Jant van der Weg-Laverman

Charlotte Brontë

The novel follows Jane Eyre from her childhood at Gateshead Hall, where she is mistreated by her aunt and cousins, to her education at Lowood School, and later her employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she falls in love with her enigmatic employer, Edward Fairfax Rochester, but discovers a dark secret about his past that forces her to make a difficult choice. The novel explores themes of love, independence, and social justice, and is known for its realistic portrayal of the inner life of a woman during the Victorian era.

“Severance” is an office drama with a twist: the central characters have undergone a procedure to separate their work selves (“innies,” in the parlance of the show) from their home selves (“outies”). The Apple TV+ series is just the latest cultural offering to explore how the modern world asks us to compartmentalize our lives in increasingly drastic ways. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz trace the trope of the “double” over time, from its nineteenth-century origins in such works as “Jane Eyre” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” to the “passing” novels of the nineteen-twenties and thirties. Today’s Oscar front-runners are rife with doubles, too, including those seen in the Demi Moore-led body-horror film “The Substance” and “The Apprentice,” in which a young Donald Trump fashions himself in the image of his mentor, Roy Cohn. At a time when technological advances and social platforms allow us to present—or to engineer—an optimized version of our lives, it’s no wonder our second selves are haunting us anew. “I think the double will always exist because of the hope for wholeness,” Cunningham says. “It's such a strong desire that the shadow of that whole self—the doppelgänger—will always be lurking at the edges of our imagination.”

Read, watch, and listen with the critics:

“Severance” (2022—)
“The Substance” (2024)
“A Different Man” (2024)
“Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley
“The Apprentice” (2024)
“Passing,” by Nella Larsen
Key and Peele’s sketch “Phone Call”
“Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Brontë
“Lisa and Lottie,” by Erich Kästner
William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”
“The Uncanny,” by Sigmund Freud
Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac”

New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.

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