Turn

how the 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…

attention, request their wants, and take turns. However, initiating joint attention, requesting, and turn-taking behavior are often significantly impaired in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These three communicative behaviors have been linked to important developmental outcomes in children with ASD. It has been found that social reciprocity is one of the core deficits of autism, which has led some researchers to believe that improving turn taking and initiating joint…

dualistic systems of language and representation, are typically situated on the side of irrationality, silence, nature, and body, while men are situated on the side of reason, discourse, culture, and mind” (Showalter 3-4). Henry James’s governess in The Turn of the Screw exemplifies a woman represented in exactly this way. Subtle clues in the novella’s language and organization lead to conclusions to be drawn about exactly how stable the governess’s mental state is, and, thus, how credible her…

activity, and extremely foolish, and irrational behavior. While there are many infamous examples of such insanity throughout numerous works of literature (Othello and Tell-Tale Heart come to mind), one isn’t completely certain that the protagonist of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James suffers from madness or not. Though the ambiguity of the text renders the question of the governess’s sanity inconclusive, by analyzing her behavior throughout the story readers can clearly infer the instability…

many conflicts that occur within societies due to the nature of their economic standpoint. Henry James’ novella Turn of the Screw, exemplifies how the different social statuses affect the characters in the story. Although James did not intend to write this story from a Marxism standpoint, there are many instances that show the conflicting social classes throughout the story. In The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, he demonstrates the tension between the working class and the higher class to…

Some external factors that may have influenced the way Leo turned out was definitely his participation in extracurricular activities. Despite his slow-to-warm up temperament, Leo was always ready to engage in activities that were associated with what he loved to do or with what deeply interested him. My son was persistent on the idea of joining the boy scouts since he was fascinated with the nature and the outdoors which is why we always took trips to the mountains and played in our backyard.…

“Woman who pushed husband to his death from a 25th-floor window found dead in prison cell” ( Lindsey Bever 2011) Why do people turn to crime? Is it depression? Is it poverty? Is it peer pressure? Statistics show that people with depression is three times more likely to turn to a criminal activity. Notwithstanding, people who experience peer pressure are more likely to turn to criminal activity in consideration of the influence to do those things by their peers. Poverty can affect people,…

the story, without altering the word itself. Many critics, like Barbara Bengels, say that The Turn of the Screw’s uniqueness comes from its ability to perplex the reader and create doubt in their minds. Bengels strengthens this argument by looking at the devolution of words, specifically “charm”, in the novella. By analyzing the relationship between words and their definitions in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, readers…

The Turn of the Screw has been considered most notable for introducing gothic ghost stories into the public’s view. The story also presented an opportunity to explore the affect which an author’s personal relationships, specifically those that didn’t coincide with societal ideas of morality, had on their work. It additionally draws attention to the significance of child abuse and the attention we afford the humanity of children. Each idea intersected at the idea of adults finding youthful beauty…

In Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, the reader is pulled in two directions as he or she decides for himself or herself if the ghosts are projections of the governess’ unconscious or if they are truly haunting both Miles and Flora. These two differing viewpoints are a direct result of James’ use of ambiguity of the text, which contribute to the overall eerie and uncanny feeling produced. The development of the uncanny and use of ambiguity within the text opens up a new perspective of the text…