The Turn of the Screw

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider what you know about the position of a “governess” in households. Which types of families typically employed governesses? What were the main responsibilities of a governess? How did this role accentuate both women’s role in the public sphere as well as a woman’s ability to work?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with a growing sociological phenomenon of the late 19th century: the role of the governess in middle- and upper-middle-class households. A governess was a young unmarried woman whom families would hire to teach their children both academics and social behaviors. The position of the governess held a unique social function in that it was one of the few stigma-free employment positions offered to women—most other forms of work resulted in a loss in social standing. However, as a form of employment, it was still rooted firmly within the private sphere of domesticity which ultimately connects with the novel’s theme The Social Control of Female Identity. The character of the governess was introduced in 19th-century literature, often as protagonists, and their roles carried certain common qualities—they were proper ladies, but outsiders—ambitious and capable, but alone in the world.