Uncanny aesthetics in medieval thought: the case of the Dies irae

Abstract

The role of the “uncanny” in medieval Christian aesthetics is explored through a focus on Dies Irae sequence. While typically linked to modernity, the “uncanny” functioned as a persistent affective force in medieval liturgy and art, characterized by ambiguity, continuous tension, and resistance to resolution rather than transient emotions like fear. Gregorian chant is examined as a performative, embodied medium acting as a technology for emotional regulation and control. In this context, music serves not only as a representation of the divine, but as a tool for shaping the subject’s emotional and physiological experience. Aesthetic practices thus become instruments of subjectivation, engaging the faithful in a transformative, embodied encounter with the sacred. The Church, as both the origin of this unsettling experience and the sole mediator of divine reconciliation, reinforces its authority, positioning itself as the guarantor of spiritual resolution amidst eschatological uncertainty.