Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
James’ text is a frame narrative that revolves around individuals trying to tell ghost stories during Christmas Eve. The Governess’ story is evidenced by a manuscript and is seemingly non-fiction. In summary, the Governess is hired by a wealthy “Uncle” to tutor two children, Miles and Flora. As the story progresses, the Governess starts noticing sightings of Quint and Miss Jessel, who are both dead and former staff members at the Uncle’s mansion. Mrs. Grose, who is another worker at the mansion and a friend of the governess, cannot see the ghosts. Compared to Mrs. Grose, the Governess seems like someone who is hallucinating or imagining things (that is if you believe that the Governess’ point of view is unscientific, false, and illogical). However, if you believe the Governess is telling the truth (because the Governess was able to describe Quint and Miss Jessel’s appearance in such detail, that, Mrs. Grose was able to recognize them even though the Governess had never met them), the story seems like a factual account of reality. James’ story depicts gothic horror because it involves death (e.g., the mysterious death of Miles at the end of the novel), ghosts, and the story is set in an isolated, scary mansion.
Both Texts Require the Reader to Critically Think About Clues or Details to Form Conclusions About the Text's Overall Meaning
-
-