Henry James Essays

Written Response- Henry James Turn of the Screw • Which assertion do you find to be most persuasive and why? Harold C. Goddard’s assertive implication (with roots to the Freudian theory) that the governess, the heroine of Turn of the Screw, suffers from psychological fixations and a hallucinatory narrative of ghosts derived from her passion of the employer is a detailed observation of the novels alternate, all be it underlined, narrative of Henry James asking questions and demonstrating themes such

When the credibility of a novel’s narrator has been compromised, the reader questions the reality that is presented to them. In Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, the story is told through the limited perception of the narrator, a young governess. Left in charge of two young children, she begins to see ghosts of former employees of the estate and seeks to protect the children, while becoming suspicious of their actions as well. Her behavior becomes erratic and the reader is forced to question whether

Downfall of the Governess in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James In the governess's insane pseudo-reality and through her chilling behavior, she managed to bring downfall to Flora and Miles, the children of Bly. With compulsively obsessive actions, irrational assumptions, and demented hallucinations, the governess perceived ghosts bearing evil intentions were attempting to corrupt and destroy the children she had taken the role of care for. In reality, the governess herself brought tragedy

The novel, Washington Square written by Henry James, takes place in Manhattan during the 1840s. “Washington Square” began for James with an anecdote told by the actress Fanny Kemble (Simpson). The main characters include Dr. Sloper who is a renown physician, his two sisters; Mrs. Penniman who is melodramatic and Mrs. Almond who is sympathetic, a coxcomb known as Morris Townsend, and Catherine who is the daughter of Dr. Sloper. These characters affect Catherine’s personality and have a great impact

Analysing the Female Characters in Henry James' Fiction ‘A woman it seems to me has no natural place anywhere; wherever she finds herself, she has to remain on the surface and more or less to control’ Discuss James’ representations of ‘places’ for women in his novels. There is an impressive range of female characters in Henry James’ fiction. Drawn to the world of wealth and leisure as a subject

influential as Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. Peering into and out of Bly's windows and mirrors, engaging with the text and the lingering trace of author Henry James, a crowd of real and virtual readers hope to catch a glimpse of a specter or to unravel a clever Freudian slipknot that will tell them something: They may be looking for that which they think James intended as the text's truth - a transcendental center - or maybe they subconsciously wish to see a

Narrative "frames" and Ambiguity in The Turn of The Screw            Since it was written, Henry James' The Turn of The Screw has been acclaimed by numerous critics to be one of the most immaculate, engrossing and terrifying ghost stories ever produced. Harriet Waters Preston described it as, "a sheer mortal horror, like the evil dream of a man under the spell of a deadly drug"1, and Gertrude Atherton said, "[it] is the most horrifying ghost story ever written!"2 I will argue that it

I. Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw” a young Governess is hired by a wealthy man who is the uncle to two children that live in Bly, the estate and setting in which the story takes place. In the ghastly tale by James, the Governess begins to notice things that are out of place. The old manor is home to a host of souls that have perished previous to her arrival, which leaves the governess on edge as she becomes more and more aware of the odd happenings in Bly. The story focuses on the haunting

In his novel The Europeans, Henry James tells the story of an American family that is visited by their European cousins. James uses these circumstances to depict the differences between Europeans and Americans. The Americans tend to be frightened of the Europeans, since they seem quite foreign within the puritanical American community. On the other hand, the Europeans are surprised by the Americans' provincial ways. Reaction to the unfamiliar is a central element of the novel. Each character's reaction

Is Henry James' The turn of the Screw a traditional ghost story? Ghost stories are found way back in history, some dating back to the Victorian times. The Victorians were known to be greatly interested in ghosts and the supernatural and showed this fascination through telling ghost stories. The telling of ghost stories was used as a way of entertainment especially around Christmas time and it was also very common for upper class Victorians to participate in seances where they would try