82 pages • 2 hours read
Henry JamesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Do the contents of the Prologue increase or decrease your trust in the governess as a reliable narrator? Why?
Taking into account the governess’s gender and social class, explain why her name is never revealed.
In the Prologue Douglas says the governess was in love, but her narrative “won’t tell” with whom, “not in any literal vulgar way” (5). Whom did she love? The uncle? Miles? Someone else? In what ways is her love a central part of her story, as Douglas suggests it is?
By Henry James