Freud's article, "The Uncanny," was written much earlier than its publication date of 1919. It is possible that it was written at the time of Freud's return from a trip to Italy or of the return from Athens in 1904. It seems to have been refurbished as a relief from the gestation required for Beyond the Pleasure Principle. The author makes some interesting conjectures about the two periods in Freud's life, first when he wrote the article, and then the time of his return to it in 1919. She considers the theme of the double, Freud's feelings concerning death, and his ambivalence toward his brother. The evidence of dissent within the psychoanalytic group and Freud's need to be the ego-ideal for the group may also have been involved in his working on the article.