DEFINITIONS OF THE DOPPELGÄNGER TECHNIQUE.
The doppelganger is a literary technique in which a double (or look-alike) appears in the story as a representation of evil.
2. The doppelganger technique is a literary technique by which a character is duplicated (usually in the form of an alter ego, though sometimes as a ghostly counterpart) or divided into two distinct, usually opposite personalities. The use of this character device is widespread in nineteenth and twentieth-century literature and indicates a growing awareness among authors that the "self " is really a composite of many "selves ".
EXAMPLES.
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief "oh, no!" it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; -- just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches of the wall.
DEFINITIONS OF THE IMP OF THE PERVERSE.
1. The Imp of the Perverse is a metaphor for the tendency to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation for the sole reason that it is possible for wrong to be done. The impulse is compared to an imp (a small demon) which leads an otherwise decent person into mischief. The phrase has a long history in literature, and was popularized (and perhaps coined) by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story, "The Imp of the Perverse.".
2. The perverse (as provided by the Oxford English Dictionary Online): A. Contrary to what is morally right or good; wicked; evil; debased; B. Contrary to an accepted standard or practice; incorrect; mistaken; wrong.
EXAMPLES.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.