Analysis Of The Novel Felmans - 2199 Words

Felman’s analysis, while devastatingly lucid, is simply too strong. To close a text to any further analysis and interpretation would be an unacceptable step too far. Nevertheless, her critique of psychoanalytic and moralistic analyses remains useful. A text as shot through with ambiguity as Turn of the Screw resists any sort of prescriptive analysis of the Governess’s psyche, regardless of how tempting such an analysis may be. The acceptance of this fact leaves the intrepid critic locked outside of the very narrative voice that related, in such intimate first-person detail, the story of The Turn of the Screw. The critic is left to analyze what is external to the governess. Power Structures and Ideology: Master and Governess In the strictest sense, the Governess—the principal character in Turn of the Screw—comes into being when the young woman accepts her position of employment at Bly Mansion. The â€Å"youngest of several daughters of a poor country parson† (4) agrees to take care of Miles and Flora, the orphaned â€Å"nephew†¦and niece† (4) of a â€Å"gentleman† referred to only as â€Å"the master† by his subordinates. As a requirement of her acceptance, the young woman acquiesces to a â€Å"prohibitive† (6) condition set forth by the Master: That she should never trouble [the Master]—but never, never: neither appeal nor complain nor write about anything; only meet all questions herself, receive all moneys from his solicitor, take the whole thing over and let him alone. She promised to do this,Show MoreRelatedEssay Finding Meaning in The Turn of The Screw, by Henry James2788 Words   |  12 Pagesis present in the text whether a reader notices it or not. For formalists, a texts essential effect lies in the text alone and is completely independent of a readers response to elements that create effect in him. Likewise, Lustigs precise analysis of form and subsequent deconstructionist reading of The Turn of the Screw does not mention what a possible readers process might be when faced with the twists of Bly. But for whom is the effect valuable, if not the reader?    As Iser explains