1. Can we trust the narrator? Henry James often toys with his readers by giving them a narrator who is not wholly reliable. What Maisie Knew, for example, is told from the point of view of a child too small to really understand what is going on around her. Perhaps his most famously unreliable narrator …
If the child gives the effect another turn of the screw, what do you say to two children-?” p. 3 Douglas to the crowd before he promises to tell his story. “There were plenty of people to help, but of course the young lady who should go down as governess would be in supreme authority.” p. …
Henry James, Jr. was born in New York, NY, on April 15, 1843. His father was an eccentric intellectual, also named Henry James. His grandfather, known as William of Albany, at one time owned much of Schenectady, New York. However, that wealth was split between many children, so Henry, Sr. had to be prudent with …
Beauty versus evil Throughout The Turn of the Screw, there are many references to the connection between physical appearance and morality. Traditionally, external beauty was assumed to be connected to internal beauty, and literary representations of physical perfection as representing moral perfection abound. Conversely, ugliness was often connected to moral turpitude. However, during the turn …
Ghosts as a metaphor for evil in people At first, it seems the governess is just concerned with the actual, physical presence of the ghosts. However, as the novel progresses, she is clearly increasingly concerned that the ghosts represent evil in the children. She tells Mrs. Grose that the ghosts want to get to the …
Douglas Douglas is the man who tells the governesss tale at the Christmas Eve gathering. Douglas knew the governess, who had been his sisters governess after she left Bly. He describes her as “a most charming person.” Flora Flora is a beautiful little girl who the governess loves at first. But as time goes by, …
Chapter 23 The governess and Miles agree that they are alone, except for “the others.” The governess asks him whether he likes Bly, now that he has had the freedom of it for a day. Miles replies by asking whether she likes it. She says that she enjoys his company and stays on only …
The Turn of the Screw: Novel Summary: Chapter 23 – 24 Read More »
Chapter 21 The next morning, Mrs. Grose informs the governess that Flora is ill. She has been very much affected by the governess accusing her of seeing ghosts; she resents the imputation of untruthfulness. The governess fears that Flora will never speak to her again. It appears that Flora is terrified that the governess …
The Turn of the Screw: Novel Summary: Chapter 21 – 22 Read More »
Chapter 19 The governess and Mrs. Grose go looking for Flora. The governess is convinced that the girl must have taken the boat across the pond, and they walk around to the other side of the pond, where they find the boat and shortly afterwards find Flora, also. Mrs. Grose embraces Flora in relief, …
The Turn of the Screw: Novel Summary: Chapter 19 – 20 Read More »
Chapter 17 The governess starts to write her letter, but cannot make much progress. She gets up and makes yet another nocturnal visit to Miless room. She assures him he will be sent to school, saying that she was unaware that he wanted to go, since he had never said a word to her …
The Turn of the Screw: Novel Summary: Chapter 17- 18 Read More »
