The Turn of the Screw Analysis

Nautical imagery occasionally appears as a symbol for – well, we're not quite sure what, but going from everything else in the story, it probably has to do with confusion and lack of knowledg...

After the Prologue, the entire story takes place on the grounds of Bly, a remote and extensive country estate. The house is old and creepy, and from the very beginning has the air of a haunted plac...

We have two first person narrators throughout the course of the story. Our first narrator (who may or may not be Henry James himself, but either way, is certainly a stand-in for the figure of the a...

The Turn of the Screw is one of the great horror stories of all time—since its publication, it's been incredibly influential on the genre as a whole. The most amazing thing about it is the way in...

James cultivates a tone of honest, direct discourse in the Governess's manuscript; in so doing, he works to preserve the fictional frame of the story—remember, we're supposed to believe that this...

This story is a fascinating example of the difference between tone and style. While James adopts a highly emotional, somewhat melodramatic, and intensely personal tone in writing the Governess's na...

This title's meaning is exposed on the very first page of the story; after hearing a ghoulish tale in which a child is menaced by some ghostly terror, a party guest suggests that the fact that the...

Hmm, good question – what is up with this ending? Basically, the story leaves us right in the middle of things. If you're stumped by the rapid-fire sequence of events of the last chapter, don't w...

The Governess arrives on the scene at Bly (Chapter One)The beginning of the story is set up very neatly for us; first, Douglas gives us the critical background information on the Governess in the...

The PrologueSo, as you've probably noticed, this is a pretty unconventional story. A large part of the story's thrill comes from the experience of reading, rather than the actual events of the ta...

The short-lived idyll of the Governess's new life at Bly ends abruptly with the unsettling first two appearances of Peter Quint – we know that something's very wrong when Mrs. Grose reveals that...

The Turn of the Screw was actually adapted into a popular opera by superstar English composer Benjamin Britten in 1954. (Source)Interestingly, the story may have been inspired by an actual (possibl...

Sex isn't overtly mentioned in this novel—it is, after all, a Victorian story about children. But The Turn of the Screw gets a "P" added to that "G" simply because of the implied ick factor. Ther...

Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho (4.1)Henry Fielding, Amelia (9.4)David and Saul, Biblical figures (18.3)Mrs. Jane Marcet (10.5)