English 104 - Introduction to Narrative
01 Blog: Turn of the Screw
Churches
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jim Light
After pondering the many intriguing sources of imagery and symbolism in The Turn of the Screw brought up in class discussion, I found myself recalling the instances of “going to church” within the novel. The theme piqued my interest, so I searched the book and found two significant instances of...
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Posted by jlight on September 23, 2003 at 01:37 AM
Miles' Expelling
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Europa Yang
Early on, the governess has a misunderstanding over the “deep obscurity,” as she calls it, of Miles’ expelling from school. She is befuddled by the discrepancy between the condemning letter from the headmaster and both her and Mrs Grose’s high opinions of Miles. Swayed by her emotions and eager optimism,...
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Posted by eyang on September 21, 2003 at 03:32 PM
Governess as Novelist
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jeb Bobseine
The Turn of the Screw is a study by Henry James of the novel. A writer must be aware. It is this awareness which allows one to write of that which they don’t know. In this case the governess writes of what isn’t true, of the fantastical; she creates her...
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Posted by jbobsein on September 16, 2003 at 09:48 AM
window frames
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jennifer Bernstein
The windows which so often physically frame the governess are crucial to the novel because, to her, they highlight the separation of the known from the unknown, the innocent from the experienced, and her young questioning self from the two children and apparitions. Thus, it is not surprising that it...
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Posted by jbernste on September 16, 2003 at 09:33 AM
Misread Situation by the Governess
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Meredeth Lammert
Towards the end of The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, the governess misreads the situation between Miles and herself. She believes that Miles has been spending an extra time with her because he desires to confess everything, meaning his expulsion from school as well as the relationship between...
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Posted by mlammert on September 16, 2003 at 09:31 AM
The governess' misinterpretation
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Liz Button
The most blatant misreading the governess makes of a situation is her take on the Miles' midnight expedition onto the grounds. When she explains the incident to Mrs. Grose, she tells her of Miles' comment that she should, "think, you know, of what I might do!" The governess asserts...
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Posted by ebutton on September 16, 2003 at 09:24 AM
The Governess Sees Nothing
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Mike Stratton
The Governess is delusional, she convinces herself that the children in her care are evil. She believes that actions taken by the children are diabolical plans to be reunited with the evil spirits, which she believes corrupted them. The actions of the children are in fact normal behaviors construed by...
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Posted by mstratto on September 16, 2003 at 09:09 AM
Visual Framing
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Monica Ruzicka
The governess’s introduction to Bly yields her first instance of self-framing. In the excitement of her new position, she gives an account of examining herself in a mirror, stating that “for the first time [she] could see herself from head to foot” (12). This instance not only allows the...
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Posted by mruzicka on September 16, 2003 at 08:06 AM
Misreading Mrs. Grose
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Alex Smith
Throughout The Turn of the Screw, Mrs. Grose has helped to feed many of the governess’ exaggerated, illogical, and irrational ideas. Though the governess misreads many situations on her own, it is through discussions with Mrs. Grose that her emotions and thoughts are transformed in her mind into a reality....
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Posted by asmith9 on September 16, 2003 at 02:55 AM
The Misreading of the Children
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Torri Parker
In “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, the governess is a character of great ambiguity. The audience must determine if, or rather distinguish between what she explains is a reality or an illusion. At the commencement of chapter 13, the governess is reflecting on the actions of...
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Posted by cparker on September 16, 2003 at 02:51 AM
Turn of the Screw
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Greg Pearson
It is not surprising that a person so single-mindedly bent on discovering a paranormal conspiracy begins to see evidence of one everywhere. So certain is the Governess of the obvious truth of her elaborate theory that for her it becomes a foregone conclusion, controlling how she interprets everything around...
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Posted by gpearson on September 16, 2003 at 02:00 AM
The Affection of the Governess
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Eric Davich
The governess physically “frames” herself to be in love with the master. She is so fixated on the idea of meeting him again that she imagines encountering him “He did stand there!” (pg. 23) while taking an afternoon stroll when in fact she encounters another man. The governess will soon...
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Posted by edavich on September 16, 2003 at 01:57 AM
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Eli Maitland
The governess is physically framed early on in the story when she first arrives at Bly, and sees her own reflection in a full length mirror. It is the first time in her life she has ever seen a complete reflection of herself. This is significant because in a way...
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Posted by emaitlan on September 16, 2003 at 01:48 AM
Flora and Mrs. Jessel
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jeff Nolin
In chapter 18 of Turn of the Screw, Miles and Flora appear to try to ease some of the recent tension between them and the Governess by being especially considerate to her. The Governess, however, interprets this as Miles creating a diversion so Flora could be with Miss Jessel without...
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Posted by jnolin on September 16, 2003 at 12:57 AM
Framing by Windows
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Nicole Colucci
After entering Flora’s room late at night to find the child gazing through the window at an apparition, the Governess immediately seeks another window through which she, too, can witness the meeting. She first considers the window in Miles’s room, contemplating whether she will find him engaging in a...
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Posted by ncolucci on September 16, 2003 at 12:54 AM
The Governess' Opposite Views
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Kelsey Hughes
The governess had always intensely felt that she needed to shield and guard Flora from the ghosts and threats around her. “I was there to defend and protect these little creatures… we were united in our danger” (39). She had always seen Flora as an innocent, perfect child up to...
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Posted by khughes2 on September 16, 2003 at 12:53 AM
The Turn of the Screw
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Ryan Hurd
“The Turn of the Screw” English 104 Ryan Hurd 9/16/03 There are several examples in, “The Turn of the Screw” where the governess overanalyzes or misreads information or dialogue given to her by the other characters in the book. There are three simple actions that Miles makes on page 115,...
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Posted by rhurd on September 16, 2003 at 12:49 AM
Misread Situation
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Julie Calareso
“They’re talking of them - they’re talking horrors!” This exclamation, uttered in sheer paranoia by the governess, is just one of many instances in Turn of the Screw where the governess overreacts and misreads both characters and situations. One afternoon, the governess observes Flora and Miles reading to each...
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Posted by jcalares on September 15, 2003 at 11:59 PM
Disillusioned
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jin-Sun Kim
“But it was a comfort that there could be no uneasiness in a connection with anything so beatific as the radiant image of my little girl, the vision of whose angelic beauty had probably more than anything else to do with the restlessness…” (12). In the beginning of the novel,...
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Posted by jkim3 on September 15, 2003 at 11:52 PM
Did Flora Really See Miss Jessel?
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Drew Fulton
In The Turn of the Screw, Henry James leaves the reader feeling skeptical about the integrity of the narrator, the governess, who says “I scarce know how to put my story into words that shall be a credible picture of my state of mind.” (p39) Due to this, we...
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Posted by afulton on September 15, 2003 at 11:46 PM
Desire
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jannelle Richardson
The Governess “frames” herself by her desires. The governess envisions herself married to her employer, which is the leading motive for accepting the position at Bly. The governess fantasizes her employer will fall madly in love with her and make her, his wife. However the job’s main description is for...
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Posted by jrichar2 on September 15, 2003 at 11:36 PM
Framing in Thresholds and Windows
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Alex Krippner
In Chapter 10 the governess is almost physically framed by the passageway between the children’s bedrooms and her own, as well as in the threshold of Miles’ doorway. The fact that she is standing in the doorway both listening at and watching the children’s doors clearly illustrates her suspicions regarding...
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Posted by kkrippne on September 15, 2003 at 11:26 PM
A misread situation
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Alix Roy
When Flora and the governess take an outing to the lake at Bly, the governess sees the ghost of Miss Jessel for the first time. While the governess contemplates the view in front of her, Flora plays on the edge of the bank, seemingly unaware. The governess misreads the situation...
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Posted by aroy on September 15, 2003 at 11:25 PM
A misunderstanding of Flora
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Erica Michel
Throughout the novel the governess misreads and misjudges many of the characters, particularly Flora. In chapter twenty, after Mrs. Grose and the governess have rescued Flora across the lake, the governess notices Mrs. Jessel standing on the bank. When the governess confronts Flora and asks if she sees her former...
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Posted by emichel on September 15, 2003 at 10:51 PM
Illusions of Innocence
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Katie Mitterling
From the beginning of her occupation at Bly, the governess is fed lies about Miles, deliberately deluded about his demeanor, staunchly refusing to believe the warning signs. The governess’s first impression of Miles comes not from the initial meeting, but from Mrs. Grose’s opinion of the boy. “‘Oh, miss, most...
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Posted by kmitterl on September 15, 2003 at 10:27 PM
when you assume
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Dro Joseney
In Henry James’ novel Turn of the Screw, the character of the governess is a very dynamic character. It’s as the reader’s feelings about each character solely depend on how she feels about the character. It is a weird feeling because part of a reader’s feeling about any of the...
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Posted by cjoseney on September 15, 2003 at 10:27 PM
Under The Spell
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Sophie Wiss
One of the first things that the governess notes being aware of at Bly is the ability to see herself framed in one of the many full-length mirrors throughout the house. The governess is, for the first time in her life, aware of her physical self. And as she records...
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Posted by swiss on September 15, 2003 at 10:26 PM
"When the mind is imaginative..."
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Matthew Roy
As dicussed in class, the wild emotions and imagination of the governess often leads her to misread situations and characters. One example comes during a pivotal scene in chapter six when the governess spots "a figure whose right of presence" is "instantly and passionately questioned" (p. 41). Soon after spotting...
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Posted by mroy on September 15, 2003 at 10:12 PM
Theatrical Deceit
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Britta Bene
The Governess is an extremely inexperienced, insecure, and frustrated woman who has created her own stylized world of anxiety, deceit, and paranoia. She has successfully lost herself in her initial haven of “music and affection and success and private theatricals” (55) only to find herself in a state of menacing...
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Posted by bbene on September 15, 2003 at 10:11 PM
The Net of the Flatterer
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Ryan Helminiak
To the end, the governess is subject to the delusion that Miles is innocent of wrongdoing that results in his expulsion from school. Even upon his confession of saying bad things to those he liked, the governess is still fooling herself by pitying Miles into a state of innocence. "Those...
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Posted by rhelmini on September 15, 2003 at 10:02 PM
Telling Misinterpretations
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Merrie Railsback
Throughout the novel, the Governess tends to jump to conclusions. Often, she seems to distort her perceptions in order for them to coincide with her own thoughts and emotions. One example of this is when she returns from church to find a woman sitting at her desk in the schoolroom....
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Posted by mrailsba on September 15, 2003 at 09:33 PM
Confusion
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Taneisha Wilson | Taneisha Wilson
In Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw the character of the governess is a complicated character. This complexity stems from the fact that the reader is not quite certain if the images the governess sees and describes are real or if she is just a sexually deprived young...
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Posted by twilson on September 15, 2003 at 09:30 PM
Out of line
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Aki Makino
Throughout the story, the governess seems to have misunderstood her position at Bly, which was to be a governess for Miles and Flora. This means she is an employee of the Master and Mrs Grose. However, the governess feels she is in charge of the whole apparition situation and has...
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Posted by amakino on September 15, 2003 at 09:09 PM
Envy of Miss Jessel
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Kira Chappelle
In chapter two of Henry James’s "Turn of the Screw" there is a brief misunderstanding between the governess and Mrs. Grose concerning the previous governess. The governess asks Mrs. Grose her, and Mrs. Grose replies, “The last governess? She was also young and pretty.” (18) What is so telling...
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Posted by kchappel on September 15, 2003 at 09:02 PM
Mirror Image
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Kendall Brown
Kendall Brown 9/15/03 As a narrative story, the Turn of the Screw is framed by the central character, the governess whose subconscious additions and subtractions form the opinions of the reader. The story is told with an almost egotistical self-confidence which seems to refute the notion that the events are...
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Posted by kbrown2 on September 15, 2003 at 09:01 PM
Misinterpretation
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Andrew Morrison
The Governess seems to misinterpret the scene when she finds Miles in the courtyard late at night. It only ‘seems’ to be a misinterpretation because this instance is one of various examples of the story’s “uncertainty of knowledge.” From the Governess’s perspective Miles had unwilling ventured out, drawn by Quint’s...
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Posted by amorriso on September 15, 2003 at 08:40 PM
Paranoia at Bly
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Molly McCarter
The governess is obsessed with the conspiracy within Bly. In her determination to convince those around her (namely, Mrs. Grose) of the terrors within the house, she often misconstrues situations in an effort to support her delusions. Her relationship with the children is particularly colored by this problem. She refuses,...
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Posted by mmccarte on September 15, 2003 at 08:38 PM
Flora's trip across the lake
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Niki Alvarez
Throughout the book “The Turn of the Screw” the governess seems to misinterpret many situations or conversations, but one that portrays her as a complete nutcase is the scene by the lake when Flora seems to have taken the boat to meet her doom. Why couldn’t Flora just have wanted...
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Posted by nalvarez on September 15, 2003 at 07:24 PM
A Misunderstanding Emotional Governess
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Ged Wieschhoff
As we have seen and discussed many times, the governess allows her emotions to dominate her thoughts and actions. At the beginning of chapter fifteen, the governess shares with us her anxiety resulting from Miles’ dismissal from school. She no longer wishes to be bothered by Miles’ questions, nor...
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Posted by gwieschh on September 15, 2003 at 06:36 PM
misrepresenting by the lake
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Dan Yingst
In The Turn of the Screw the governess is often guilty of grossly misrepresenting a situation often, resulting in hysteria and mad fantasies of conspiracy. One particular example that stands out as a bit of paranoid hysteria is when the governess spots what she thinks is the phantom of Miss...
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Posted by dyingst on September 15, 2003 at 05:49 PM
Misreading Mrs. Grose
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Tasha Graff
The governess gets used to how readily Mrs. Grose agrees with her, and when she (the governess) sees Miss Jessel for the second time by the lake, she is thankful that Mrs. Grose is there to witness the occasion, never once thinking that Mrs. Grose would not see the...
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Posted by tgraff on September 15, 2003 at 05:48 PM
Mirroring Quint
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Chris Johnson
Immediately after seeing Quint’s ghost through the dining room window, the Governess goes outside and stares into the house through the same window - being framed by it in exactly the same manner as Quint just had. This moment (along with Mrs. Grose’s show of fear upon viewing the...
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Posted by cjohnso2 on September 15, 2003 at 03:34 PM
Framestory
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jim Light
Frame ('frAm) 4 : to fit or adjust especially to something or for an end : ARRANGE (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) It has been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. This expression, though cliché, is insightful. But eyes—narrow and proportionally small to the whole body—allow little penetration...
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Posted by jlight on September 15, 2003 at 03:15 PM
Miles Misread
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Meghan Gillis
Throughout The Turn of the Screw, the governess misreads numerous occurrences. In the case of Miles and his dismissal from school, the governess not only misreads a character, but also the situation, ultimately leading to tragedy. The governess is an extremist, either viewing situations as good or evil. In...
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Posted by mgillis on September 15, 2003 at 02:49 PM
A Maid's Love Letter Representing Repressed Sexual Desires
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Alex Paul
While the governess misconstrues several situations throughout Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, one memorable example occurs following her return to Bly—alone—before the completion of a Sunday church service. The governess, so as to avoid explaining Miles’ absence from school to the master, decides to flee Bly immediately. Upon...
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Posted by apaul on September 15, 2003 at 12:14 AM
Assumptions
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Emily Sheffield
After being disturbed from her fantasies during her "hour to herself", the Governess becomes startled by the unexpected sight of a strange man standing atop the tower of the estate. Although she claims, at the top of page 27, to have "no account whatever of the visitor with whom (she)...
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Posted by esheffie on September 14, 2003 at 11:12 PM
"Who Knows?"
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jade Dunn
In one, integral moment – amidst a final whirlwind of the ongoing “narrative power” exchange - the letter is missing and young Miles is the accused perpetrator. Although the accusation holds water, the governess’s assumption of what the crime actually proves, does not. She hastily presumes that it was...
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Posted by jdunn2 on September 14, 2003 at 09:41 PM
The Mistaken Identity
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Jason Lewis
The governess in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw is prone to misreading various situations. One such occasion which was particularly interesting was when she returned to Bly after abandoning the children and Mrs. Grose at church to find a young woman seated at her desk. The governess took...
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Posted by jlewis2 on September 14, 2003 at 08:41 PM
Misunderstood situations
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Emily Hubbard
The governess often misconstrues situations in order to make herself seem more essential to the plot. Her worries are over things that she cannot control, but she engulfs herself in the problem anyway. When Miles is dismissed from school, the governess says that Miles has the right to say, “Either...
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Posted by ehubbard on September 14, 2003 at 07:20 PM
01 Blog
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Mark Phillipson
First blog: Must be posted before class on Tuesday, September 16. Make sure you assign your post to two categories: '01 Blog: Turn of the Screw' and 'your name'. Assigned postings should be 100 – 200 words long. Be concise and specific: quote details to back up your claims. Keep...
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Posted by mphillip on September 11, 2003 at 09:18 AM