America 1885-1915
By Savannah Layfield
To comprehend The Turn of the Screw requires the reader to have at least a basic understanding of the political and social history of the period in which the work was written. Henry James lived in both America and England throughout the writing of The Turn of the Screw; however, this essay will cover only some of the political and social events that surrounded him while writing in America.
The late nineteenth century, when James was writing the novella The Turn of the Screw, was an important movement in the women’s movement in the United States. By campaigning for social change, women during this period became more aware of their political power and significance. Women began to protest and demand the right to vote. The cause, women’s suffrage, or simply the “suffrage movement,” as it came to be known, grew rapidly. Despite the great political and social activism of women during this period, women would not receive this right to vote until June of 1919 (Digital History). Women did, gain social power prior to this in several in several distinctive ways; but the two most relevant to the novella are the temperance movement and the rise of séances.
The temperance movement’s focus was to encourage the nation to consume less liquor. The emphasis for the temperance movement becomes clearer when one considers that at the time Americans consumed three times the amount of liquor they do today. This movement became so politically powerful that it was the driving force for passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which forbade the production, transport, and sale of alcohol. Perhaps more important than the temperance movement itself were the people who fronted it: women. Women were the driving force behind this movement, and in a way it was in this movement that they found their voice (The Temperance Movement).
A less know event, but an event that is directly relevant to the writing of The Turn of the Screw, was the rise of séance and female mediums. Spiritualist were a type of medium, they traveled from place to place to read fortunes, give messages from dead relatives, and conjure spirits. Spiritualists were primarily women and this job gave them an escape from domestic life. Over the years the table at which spiritualist worked became a place of equality because men and women, as well as the rich and the poor sat on the other side of the table (Parizo.)
These events surely influenced James, the tone, and content of turn of the screw, and should be studied on a basic academic level in order to fully grasp the classic novella The Turn of the Screw.
Works cited
Parizo, Chris. "Spiritualism and the Rise of the Feminist Movement." N.p., 13 July 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.<http://www.thecontrarianmedia.com/2011/07/spiritualism-and-the-rise-of-the-feminist-movement/>.
"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
"Samuel Gompers Papers." Samuel Gompers Papers. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. <http://www.history.umd.edu/Gompers/bio.htm>.
"The Temperance Movement." The Temperance Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1054.html>.
"19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote." America's Historical Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.< http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13&title.raw=19th%20Amendment%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution:%20Women's%20Right%20to%20Vote>.
The late nineteenth century, when James was writing the novella The Turn of the Screw, was an important movement in the women’s movement in the United States. By campaigning for social change, women during this period became more aware of their political power and significance. Women began to protest and demand the right to vote. The cause, women’s suffrage, or simply the “suffrage movement,” as it came to be known, grew rapidly. Despite the great political and social activism of women during this period, women would not receive this right to vote until June of 1919 (Digital History). Women did, gain social power prior to this in several in several distinctive ways; but the two most relevant to the novella are the temperance movement and the rise of séances.
The temperance movement’s focus was to encourage the nation to consume less liquor. The emphasis for the temperance movement becomes clearer when one considers that at the time Americans consumed three times the amount of liquor they do today. This movement became so politically powerful that it was the driving force for passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which forbade the production, transport, and sale of alcohol. Perhaps more important than the temperance movement itself were the people who fronted it: women. Women were the driving force behind this movement, and in a way it was in this movement that they found their voice (The Temperance Movement).
A less know event, but an event that is directly relevant to the writing of The Turn of the Screw, was the rise of séance and female mediums. Spiritualist were a type of medium, they traveled from place to place to read fortunes, give messages from dead relatives, and conjure spirits. Spiritualists were primarily women and this job gave them an escape from domestic life. Over the years the table at which spiritualist worked became a place of equality because men and women, as well as the rich and the poor sat on the other side of the table (Parizo.)
These events surely influenced James, the tone, and content of turn of the screw, and should be studied on a basic academic level in order to fully grasp the classic novella The Turn of the Screw.
Works cited
Parizo, Chris. "Spiritualism and the Rise of the Feminist Movement." N.p., 13 July 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.<http://www.thecontrarianmedia.com/2011/07/spiritualism-and-the-rise-of-the-feminist-movement/>.
"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
"Samuel Gompers Papers." Samuel Gompers Papers. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. <http://www.history.umd.edu/Gompers/bio.htm>.
"The Temperance Movement." The Temperance Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1054.html>.
"19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote." America's Historical Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.< http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13&title.raw=19th%20Amendment%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution:%20Women's%20Right%20to%20Vote>.
