Governess

In Henry James’ short horror story, The Turn of the Screw, James challenges the reader’s conception of reality and reliability. Moreover, the ambiguity of truth permeating the Governess’ psyche acts as a central motif throughout the story. Whist his work prompted many literary critics to provide their own explanations, not all interpretations are of equal merit. In this regard, one can consider Wayne C. Booth’s reader-response perspective on The Turn of the Screw deserving of such merit.…

INTRODUCTION The turn of the screw is a gothic ghost story novella written at the end of Victorian era by Henry James. Henry James(1843-1916) was English essayist, critic and author of “The Ambassadors”(1903), “Portrait of a Lady”(1881) and “The Turn of the Screw”(1897). James finished The Turn of the Screw in November 1897, and the story was published in Collier's Weekly between January and April of 1898. This American-born novelist became one of his generation’s most well-known writers…

"How has the Gothic genre maintain relevance?" (1000 Words) Despite the Gothic genre originating from the 18th century, and being most prevalent during the 19th century, it has still managed to maintain its relevance in the contemporary 21st century, as Gothic composers are still able to appeal to the human senses and emotions through their incorporation of a myriad of Gothic conventions and motifs. These conventions, evident in texts such as Edgar Allan Poe’s narrative poem and short story, The…

apparitions, making it seem like the Governess could be hallucinating each haunt. One instance is when Mrs. Jessel appears to the Governess after she and Mrs. Grose find Flora. After the Governess tells Mrs. Grose to look at the spot where she sees Mrs. Jessel, Mrs. Grose “looked, even as I did, and gave me, with her deep groan of negation, repulsion, compassion… a sense, touching to me even then, that she would have backed me up if she could,”while Flora fixes the Governess with a “small mask…

One symptom of mental illness shown by our narrator are volatile mood swings that foreshadow her future unpredictability. Before she arrives at Bly manor, the governess describes her state of mind as “doubtful again...sure I had made a mistake,” (James 6). Yet upon moments of disembarking, her mood switches extremes and becomes joyous and enthusiastic; this instability of emotion is a clear warning sign that the…

Critical Lens Essay Harper Lee, in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird wrote, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” In other words, to fully understand someone’s point of view, you must put yourself into their situation. This statement holds true in most literary settings, as to make sense of a character’s actions and thought process; you must consider their situation and their past…

Flora and Miles, and a governess. He reads the tale from a manuscript, then suddenly shifts to the protagonist, the governess, speaking from her point of view. The time set is around the 1840s and in a country home named Bly in Essex, England. The protagonist, a twenty year old women, who is well rounded character yet also sensitive and emotionally explosive. James makes you question anything that happens, he makes you stop and think if this…

Perspective and outlook in someone's life can be altered by the experiences they endure, and Bronte went through quite a lot. Not realizing what it truly entailed, she served as a governess for around 9 months. These events she experienced contribute to her struggle for happiness. In her works the inner experiences of her struggles can be seen to be the subject of her novels; in that being said her writing was influenced by what she…

Jane began showing signs of self-reliability when she decided to become governess to Adele Varnes at the Thornfield Estate. She used her experience as a teacher at Lowood as qualification to take the next step and leave her comfort zone to live amongst strangers. Jane specifically stated, “What do I want? A new place, in a new…

writes that the essay “begins a new chapter in the history of the criticism of The Turn of the Screw” (Parkinson Chapter 3). Parkinson directly quotes Wilson when he writes "the young governess who tells the story is a neurotic case of sex repression, and the ghosts are not real ghosts at all but merely the governess 's hallucinations” (Parkinson Chapter 3). As Parkinson highlights Wilson’s point it becomes even more convincing of the idea of a psychoanalytic reading of The Turn of the Screw.…