With Walter Benjamin¿s notion of the optical unconscious as its starting point, this monograph develops a theory of the acoustical unconscious that refers both to the broadening of acoustic apperception via radio and film, and to a particular mode of reading that amplifies a word¿s discursive sonority over its signification. Through discussions of Tieck, Arnheim, Eich, and Kluge, it shows the significance of Benjamin¿s reflections on sound.