The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw and The American by Henry James are both amazing pieces of literature that share the same author yet differ stylistically and rhetorically. Both The American and The Turn of the Screw are written in a style unique to Henry James, but have certain rhetorical devices and style choices that differ from the other. The Turn of the Screw and The American are often considered different on account of their unique content and use of rhetorical devices, yet they still share the same…

patriarchal societies. Historically, Western society has proven exemplary at excluding female voices; leaving literary interpretation from the perspective of feminist theory limited, at least somewhat, to work written by men. Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw affords the opportunity to explore feminist ideals with the interesting, and arguably, rare perspective of a female protagonist. James even gives the main character a voice with the use of first person narration. However, even as a first…

The symbol of light is found to be very important in the story The Turn of the Screw. As the light confronts the dark, as the symbol of candlelight fights against the twilight. The governess is the one who always has the candle with herself, she symbolizes the good in the story, where on the other side, the dead servant Mr.Quint and children symbolize the dark side. On few occasions, usually at night, the governess’s lighted candle disappeared, the situations were followed by ghosts apparations…

To start, the framework of the Turn of the Screw cannot follow Propp’s structure exactly, but it does have a loose organization. It can also fit Aristotle’s sense of framework. There is a sequence of events that occur - the prologue, the arrival of the governess, the change in dynamic when…

In the Turn Of The Screw by Henry James, Peter Quint looked after Miles, who lived at his Uncle’s house with his sister after his parents died. Miss Jessel was a governess who looked after his sister Flora. Peter Quint was Miles tutor, however his relationship with him was a little too close to Miles suggesting a sexual relationship between the two. Miles meet Peter when he came to live with his uncle after his parents died. His uncle does not want to deal with Miles so he hires people to take…

beginning of the twentieth-century. After being genuinely hurt by the fact his play Guy Domville was decried in London in 1885, he wrote The Turn of the Screw two years later, drawing its inspiration from large mansions where he stayed in Sussex. Member of the Society of Psychical Research, Henry James was attracted by spirits and ghost. He wrote The Turn of the Screw from a story of the archibishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson, who believed in malevolent spirits who wanted to allure young…

Turn of the Screw in it’s most simplest form is a Victorian ghost story that centers around a governess who has no support from her employer and the children that she is attempting to save from the preserved ghosts. However, when we delve deeper into the meaning behind the story we find a complex display of societal dictations that control the characters interactions, their motives, and their thoughts. The Marxist reading of this storyline helps us to see these different classes, by looking at…

In The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, the governess’ sanity is constantly questioned. James initially displays the governess as a lovely agreeable woman, then adds aspects to her character that may be seen as insane. However, as a whole, the governess’ actions and character traits confirm her sanity. The governess is sane because she tries to protect the children and makes rational decisions. Furthermore, she is not the only one that senses the ghosts. Since the governess’ only goal is…

event is scary because their reaction or lack of reaction can determine whether the horror stems from an unstable main character or an actual creature or monster. Henry James and Shirley Jackson understand this well; in both The Turn of the Screw…

Literary Techniques and the Horror of The Turn of the Screw One purpose of Henry James’ gothic novella The Turn of the Screw is to instill fear in the reader. There are several features of this work that make the story horror inducing; first, James’ deals with the idea of the corruption of innocence of children. In the story’s opening chapter, the observation is made that the corruption of a child in a ghost story “adds a particular touch” (James 115). Fear is also associated with the…