In the words of critic Lynda Zwinger, “sexuality is that which in the text fails to appear and through which the text cannot but be read” (663). in Haralson 97), sexuality must be central to any reading of The Turn of the Screw because it is present in every single character from the absent uncle to the overtly sexualized Peter Quint. Despite its “evanescent, fleeting qualities” (qtd.

To ignore the very real presence of this basic human force in his work constitutes a purely ignorant reading. James does not deal with the explicit nature of sexuality or passion, instead alluding to it powerfully between the lines of his text. James’ work consistently manifests “the question of sexual identity as a question” (qtd. The function of sexuality is perhaps the most puzzling aspect of The Turn of the Screw and haunts the reader as much as Peter Quint and Miss Jessel haunt the governess. Though it is difficult to ascertain precisely what the implication of the sexual content is, it is clear that that sexuality should and does play a large part in the reading of this popular ghost story. This is how Henry James crafted his exquisite ghost story The Turn of the Screw is every bit as evanescent as its perplexing phantasms. Despite all this, The Turn of the Screw remains one of James’ most ambiguous novels in both plot and language, and it is incredibly difficult to retreat from the text with any definite conclusions. His treatment of sexual passion is an open invitation for readers to read into his text in ways that are profoundly disturbing and baffling it is also seen as his attempt to defend English realism from the attack of early modernism. Though it is difficult to ascertain the precise definition of sexuality and sexual identity as pertains to James and this tale, it is nonetheless clear that it extends much further than a simple and vulgar reading for Freudian objects in the text. The place of sexuality in the novels and short stories of Henry James is one of the most disturbing and contentious aspects of his work, especially regarding The Turn of the Screw. Screwing Around With The Turn of the Screw

(No, that doesn’t mean it was plagiarized in the least. Lisa Long’s “Henry James” seminar in the fall of 2007.

Edmund wilson turn of the screw