The Turn Of The Screw Essay

The Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James published close to the turn of the century. The novella tells an undoubtedly gruesome tale of ghosts and the corruption of innocence. However, nearly a decade after its conception, some readers began to question if the story was really about ghosts at all, instead a tale of a sexually repressed young Governess too mad to even have the inkling to self-evaluate. Over a century has passed since the book first made its debut in 1898, and it continues to be discussed and pondered by a plethora of literary critics with no hope of reaching a conclusion. The reason for this is Henry James never meant for there to be a resolution to the problem.

When writing his works James often draws inspiration from the social issues of the time and those he comes in contact with. In the case of The Turn of the Screw James was …show more content…
The two interpretations rarely agree with one another and often one side will disprove the other side, unfortunately built on ignoring some of the important points made by the other (Dietrich). No matter the theory given, there are holes that can not seem to be …show more content…
This work stands out not only amongst the rest of James’s oeuvre, but the countless other stories that have earned the title of a “classic”. While no one can say with certainty what James intended when writing his work, and not all of its readers will agree on a theory. However, what all who have been cursed by the haunting uncertainty of the novella can agree that James refuses to come down on either side