Harry Chen

103122003
Peng Yi
Thesis Writing and Methodology
Summary on gender criticism
For its ambiguous language and narration, The turn of the Screw
has become the most discussed and debated work in the modern
literary. Although the discussion and debates circling around this
novella are different in each period and times, the most intriguing
questions readers wonder are focusing on whether the ghosts exist,
whether governess has psychotic problems and how Miles dies in
the story. Even though readers and critics might feel hard to avoid
encountering those questions while reading the story, they also
bring up the different ways and approaches to explain the story, as
Priscilla L. Walton gives us an example on reading the story in
gender studies perspective. The focus on Waltons essay is the
gender complexity on Jamess text. As she observes, besides the
changes of social hierarchy, the gender experimentations also rose,
sexual boundaries were tested, and alternative sexualities were
explored in the late 19th century. In order to understand the anxiety
and ambiguity in the story, we also have to know the historical
context.
As Walton by using Mary Pooveys reading of Jane Eyre points out
that governess in mid-19th were caught in a sexual double bind and
the anxiety toward the ambiguity of the governess, as a position in
between servants and nobles. She then cant be trusted by both
groups. The ambiguous position of the governess further evokes the
sexual anxiety and fears to the society. In Waltons reading of the
prologue, she focuses on the admiration toward the governess and
the listeners understanding and assumption between the governess
and Douglas. As Walton further examines the prologue, she finds
that Douglass description of the governess emphasizes her
inexperience and sexual susceptibility, and also her obvious
affection and admiration toward the uncle. As Walton points out that
although Douglas seems to establish governesss love as pure, and
beautiful (asexual), the listeners by response show the different
impression of governesss love as young, untried, nervous. Then
Walton moves on to discuss the intimate dialogues between the
narrator and Douglas by looking into the special connection
between the two and she then suggests that a possible hetero- and
homosexual undertone within the story.
As reading the governesss depiction of Quint as very erect, as it
struck me, she then indicates the implication of her sexual desires
and possession of a potential dangerous sexuality. By looking into
those descriptions in the narration, Walton also suggests a desire of
her possessing the male subjectivity. She then tries to profess the

male gaze to seize the male position. Also, Walton in the next
section talks about the representation of Miss Jessel, the governess,
Flora, and Mrs. Grose. As she observes, Miss Jessel is due to her
sexuality a representation and symbol of a fallen women. In this
perspective, we then can understand the battles with the ghosts as
her struggling with her own sexual proclivities. And as Walton reads
it, she asserts that the governess is in the dilemma between
defining herself against Miss Jessel, and supplanting male-authority
figure Peter Quint. And since she can never usurp a male position,
she must perform as a female subject. In the next section, Walton
focuses on Floras relationship with Miss Jessel, Mrs. Grose and the
governess and each of them pertain and symbolize a different social
meaning which makes Floras sexuality a battle field. In her reading,
Floras negative feeling toward the governess is then sexual
tensions toward the indeterminate sexual figures which in between
Miss Jessel and Mrs. Grose.
In the last section, Walton then focuses on Miless death and the
meaning behind his sexual subjectivity. In her reading, although the
governess finally professes the male gaze, she still cant bring the
positive effect on Miles since she can never usurp Quints position
and she suggests that Miless death can be read as the governesss
ineffectual attempt to usurp Quints position. Moreover, the death of
Miles can be also seen as an embodiment of male anxieties ensuing
from a womans refusal to play her patriarchal inscribed role, and
the dangers of coming out, the becoming of a gay man.

Summary of the story

In the form of a frame story, it is narrated by an unknown person
who inherits the manuscript from Douglas. The prologue starts as a
story telling event in an evening, and listeners are around the
hearth to listen to the gruesome story. Douglas as friend of the
governess is then asked questions by the curious listeners about the
governess. Although the Douglas is the story teller, the book is

narrated by another and the story is from the governesss

manuscript.as narrator introduces in the prologue, the governess is
a young women came from a poor family accepting this job to take
care of two children, Flora and Miles, who under the charge of their
constantly absent uncle which governess seems to have affection
with. When she got to the country house, Bly, she learnt that Miles
was in the boarding school. Without the presence of Miles, she only
met Mrs. Grose and the little Flora. At the first sight of seeing Flora,
she was obsessed with her beauty and innocence. After few days in
this country house, she received a letter from Miles school stating
that he had been expelled. Despite the strong words in the letter,
the governess found it incredibly incoherent with the little child she
met in presence. Being unable to figure out the reason of him being
expelled, she thought it might be the Masters problem of
appreciating such a prodigious kid like Miles. On an afternoon, the
governess was hanging around the estate, she saw a strange man,
later confirm by Mrs. Grose as Peter Quint, a dead former servant.
After this event, the governess was convinced there were ghosts in
Bly. And in one event which the governess sees that Quint was
looking for someone but not her, she then suddenly realize the
purpose of Quint which is for Miles. After knowing Quint is here for
Miles, she tried hard to protect the children from the corruption of
Quint. After few conversations with Mrs. Grose, she learnt that Quint
had had a special relationship with her predecessor Miss. Jessel
before. Convinced that those two had a vicious intention to
contaminate Flora and Miles, the governess was getting more and
more cautious on every act of Miles and Flora. She deeply believed
that Miles and Flora were influenced by the evil spirits and were able
to see them as well. Although she strongly believed they had been
associated with Miss Jessel and Quint, she couldnt confront the two
directly with her assumption under the convention that mentioning
ghost to children is not acceptable. Therefore, the governess then
had to find out the truth by different approaches. One time, when
the governess was with Miles charmed by the talent and prodigy of
Miles after she realized the disappearing of Flora. The governess
was convinced its a trick of Miles and Flora in order to distract the
governess. Remembering her once saw Miss Jessel by the lake and
presumably talking with Flora, she and Mrs. Grose then went out to
lake side searching Flora. The governess was convinced Flora was
with Miss Jessel the whole time, so she confronted Flora. The
confrontation led to the uncontrollable break down of Flora, and
Flora also got sick after this event. Feeling not able to protect Flora
anymore, the governess then asked Mrs. Grose took Flora away from
Bly and kept her away from Miles due to the fears they might
conspire strategies worsening the situation. After Flora was taken
away, the governess then found out the letter for the uncle was
stolen by Miles. Confronting with Miles at the end, she learnt the
truth of Miless expulsion from the boarding school. At the moment,
she then saw the ghost of Peter Quint and following by the Miless

mysterious death.