The concept of the double in literature has long enjoyed controversy. Originally, its purpose was to function purely as a comic device or to create an atmosphere conducive to the theme of mistaken identity. As the artistic and social milieu changed, the double came to embody unconscious desire in the form of a projected second self. Although its popularity as a theme seems to have waned in recent times, the double has re-emerged with a new twist as it has moved into the realm of postmodernism. Panamanian writer, Enrique Jaramillo Levi, has become synonymous with the concept although to date the theme has not been researched at all in its application to his work. This thesis deals with the treatment of this literary device in the work of Jaramillo Levi from a modern and postmodern perspective by using representative writers from around the world.