The Turn of the Screw

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Debate: Did the Governess Truly Encounter Supernatural Elements at Bly?”

In this activity, students will participate in a debate on the validity of the governess’s claims within the novella.

In the article “American Gothic: From James to Jackson” by Melbourne Theatre Company, author Melanie Sheridan raises the question: “Is [James’s story] a ghost story or a psychoanalytic portrait of mental illness?” For this Activity, you will participate in a debate where you argue for one of the contrasting sides of the above question. Working with your partners, be sure to develop a cohesive argument that supports your team’s position, including opening and closing statements and rebuttals. Have students rehearse their statements beforehand, then hold the debate where other students can observe. Finally, in a post-debate in-class discussion, consider how the themes of Ambiguity and The Limits of Knowledge, Sexuality and The End of Innocence, and The Social Control of Female Identity link into the central argument, particularly in the representation of the governess of a mentally unstable and “hysterical” woman.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity invites students to consider the central question in James’s novella in the context of an argumentative exercise. As this question has generated discussion among audiences since the novella’s initial publication, this debate should be viewed primarily as an exercise in oral presentation and the formulation of finding textual evidence to support argumentation. For further information on structuring the Activity, please see this guide from Harvard University.

Differentiation Suggestion: For more of a writing-focused exercise, this Activity may be reframed to an argumentative essay, in which students must argue for or against the above point.