Let’s Talk About Sex
By Ashleigh Ray
Many critics discuss the link between sexuality and the novella, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. One particular critic, Priscilla L. Walton, in her article discusses the ghosts of the novel, the spirits of the former Miss Jessel and Quint, in relation to sexuality and sexual orientation. While I agree with Walton, her discussion of the topic is limited, and in this essay I expand upon her research. In the novella, the governess’s reactions to the ghosts and their sexuality mirrors those of the Victorian society James wrote his book in, and through her actions and reactions, James delivers a message that is relevant in even today’s society.
Sexuality, although a taboo subject, has always been something to experiment with and explore, even more so in the Victorian Era. During this era, people were more forward with their sexual endeavors, leading to historians and critics to deem it a time of “gender experimentations” (Walton 349). Despite this attitude during the time, society still viewed sex and sexuality negatively, especially homosexuality, looking down on people who did not abide by their socially accepted sexual norms. In 1855, the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed, criminalizing men who engaged in same-sex relations. Even though this law infuriated multiple individuals, many people probably did not share in their defense of homosexuality. While sexual exploration continued on, the women of the Victorian Era were rallying together to achieve their right to vote, creating this new image of the “Victorian Woman” who creates a place for herself in a patriarchal society. Even with these revolutionary women in the spotlight, women who explored their sexuality like the men of the era were looked down upon. At the time, sex and passion were associated exclusively with “the male, with prostitutes, and women of the lower classes” (Degler 1468). A high society woman would not dare be promiscuous for fear of the shame and humiliation that would follow were she found out. “Sexual appetite was a male quality” and not a becoming trait of an up-and-coming woman of the nineteenth and twentieth century; it made her resemble a man (Degler 1468).
Priscilla L. Walton analyzes the effect these Victorian social norms had on James’ novella in her article “‘He took no notice of her; he looked at me’: Subjectivities and Sexualities in The Turn of the Screw.” The governess of the novel serves as a representation of the “problematic nature of single women and their sexuality” (Walton 349). One of Walton’s claims in her article is that the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are actually representations of the governess’s battle with sexuality. In the prologue, Douglas mentions the governess’s sex appeal when he talks about her before beginning the narrative. He “draws attentions to her attractions by admitting his own infatuation with her” and “emphasizes her inexperience and sexual susceptibility” when he describes her to his audience (Walton 350-351). Walton states that in the rest of the novella, the governess “attempts to define herself against the sexualized whore figure Miss Jessel, while trying to supplant the male-authority Peter Quint” (Walton 356). Walton briefly mentions the possibility that the governess’s plight with the ghosts could similarly be her “struggling with her own sexual proclivities,” stuck choosing between homosexuality and heterosexuality. Likewise, Walton refers to Miss Jessel as “a woman fallen” (Walton 354). In her reading of the novella, Miss Jessel serves as an example of “the dangers inherent in rejecting a patriarchally inscribed role,” the role of the modest, submissive woman (Walton 354). When Mrs. Grose describes Miss Jessel to the governess, she describes her as infamous because of her promiscuous relationship with Quint. Walton considers the idea that “Miss Jessel’s fall is due…to her own sexuality” (Walton 355). It is her promiscuity and her sexual acts that society judges so severely, exemplified in the text by Mrs. Grose’s harsh words about Miss Jessel’s sexual acts behind closed doors. Mrs. Grose even says, “Poor woman – she paid for it!” (James 59). Miss Jessel’s complete story is never told, but from the snippets received from Mrs. Grose, albeit a biased retelling, Miss Jessel practiced unrestrained sexuality, and from Walton’s perspective, this habit was the cause of her undoing.
I agree with Walton’s argument that the ghosts represent promiscuous sexuality, and it is with that sexuality that the governess struggles; however I intend to explore the topic further. After the governess’s first encounter with Quint’s ghost, Mrs. Grose says “Quint was much too free…too free with everyone!” implying that Quint was a man of many sexual partners, one of which was Miss Jessel (James 44). Miss Jessel’s promiscuity is insinuated after the governess sees her ghost by the lake. The governess says that Miss Jessel’s relationship with Quint “must have also been what she wished,” stating that the two of them both wanted and acted out a promiscuous relationship (James 55). Moreover, when governess and Mrs. Grose discuss the “something between them,” the “them” being Miss Jessel and Quint, the two women refer to Quint as a “hound,” saying that “he did what he wished with…them all,” including Miss Jessel (James 54-55). These lines are only a few of the many statements surrounding Miss Jessel and Quint’s promiscuity.
However, the governess’s anxiety towards their sexuality and the sexual orientations they represent is evident throughout the text as well. Quint’s ghost represents the traditional, patriarchal male-female relationship, him being the male and assuming positions of power when he appears to the governess, a female. In his first encounter with the governess, he stands “at the very top of the tower” across from where she stands on path (James 27). This perch signifies his traditional role over women as a dominating, high-and-mighty male. In Walton’s criticism she mentions that Quint also appears at night, “looking straight in…from the wasit up, [at] the window,” closely observing the governess and Miles (James 34). By her evaluations, this situation also serves as an example, Quint’s position in the window representing the patriarchal attitude of men as the observer rather than the observed, the subject rather than the object. Also, because Miss Jessel is a ghost, and as argued by Terry Castle and Walton, lesbians are often depicted as ghosts in literature, she may represent the governess’s inclination towards homosexuality (Walton 355). Although there are few examples of the governess acting in a homosexual way, she does often kiss Mrs. Grose, the first time being after Mrs. Grose asked, “Would you mind, Miss, if I used the freedom –” and trailed off, only to have the governess finish her question saying, “To kiss me? No!” (James 24). The governess initiates the action, “[taking] the good creature in [her] arms” and kissing Mrs. Grose (James 24). In this scene, the governess takes the position that is normally associated with males, and by doing so she reveals to the reader that she could potentially be attracted to the female sex.
In her criticism, Walton only discusses how the ghosts represent sexuality and also have the potential to represent the governess’s choice between sexualities (Walton 355). However, upon closer inspection, we can also see that the governess’s reaction to their unrestrained sexuality and to the fact that they are depictions of two sexual orientations parallels the Victorian society’s reaction to sexuality. In the novella, the governess resists both sexualities, forcing her way between the two options of heterosexuality and homosexuality, creating a sense of sexual ambiguity. In the scene at the window, the governess takes Quint’s place looking in through the glass. She describes her thoughts in the moment saying, “it was confusedly present to me that I ought to place myself where he stood” (James 35). Her taking on Quint’s position is a symbol of her resisting Quint’s patriarchal sexuality by becoming the observer, like most men, instead of the observed, like most women. For the governess, herself a representation of the hard-working and rights-seeking Victorian women, the traditional model of sexuality between male and female, where the male is the dominating force in the relationship, doesn’t leave much room for the “constructive female sexuality” prevalent in Victorian times (Walton 356). Victorian women, at this time, were leaving home to work for themselves and becoming more independent. With women taking on a more dominant place in the world, they wanted to also take a more dominant position in their relationships. However, womanhood as defined by a male-controlled society is very modest; a woman takes care of the home, takes care of the children, takes care of her husband. These new, independent, constructive Victorian females couldn’t find a place for themselves in this “patriarchally defined womanhood” (Walton 356). So instead, Victorian women resisted this belief, and like these Victorian women, the governess resists as well.
Nevertheless, the governess’s attitude changes when she deals with Miss Jessel’s ghost. If you recall Castle’s claim that lesbians are often depicted as ghosts, Miss Jessel can be seen as a representation of homosexuality despite her heterosexual actions when she was alive. In the novella, beyond just resisting the idea of the homosexuality Miss Jessel’s ghost represents, the governess condemns Miss Jessel, shouting at her, “You terrible, miserable woman,” emulating society’s condemnation of homosexuality (James 99). Although she is actively wary of both ghosts, the governess does not react this way towards Quint, making her outburst towards Miss Jessel all the more significant. Towards Quint’s ghost, the governess is cautious and guarded, a reaction similar to society’s in regards to unrestrained sexuality. Towards Miss Jessel’s ghost, she is exceedingly accusing and harsh as depicted in the quote above. This scene resembles the way society reacted towards homosexuality. For example, people became so concerned with sexual experimentation that a man lying with a man, or a woman lying with a woman, was too far from their comfort zones. As I mentioned above, the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed, a symbol of the Victorian society’s opinion that homosexuality was out of the question.
Furthermore, even just sexuality in general makes the governess uncomfortable, especially unrestrained sexuality like that practiced by Miss Jessel and Quint, further mirroring society. Victorian men and women are known for being modest. “The nineteenth century was afraid of sex, particularly when it manifested itself in women,” stated Degler in his article “What Ought To Be and What Was: Women’s Sexuality in the Nineteenth Century.” Sexual appetite in a male was to be “properly channeled,” whereas a sex drive in women was “not only scandalous…but it would have been contrary to all observation” (Degler 1468). The governess’s attitude is a perfect representation of Victorian society’s puritan-like views of sex. During one of the many times Mrs. Grose and the governess discussed the ghosts, the governess questioned Mrs. Grose’s knowledge, pressing her for information about Miss Jessel and Quint. In that moment, she refers to Quint and Miss Jessel as wretches, letting her disdain for the couple seep into her words and alter her vocabulary (James 61). By using the word “wretches” when discussing the couple’s promiscuity, the governess reveals that she thinks of them as rogues because of their sexual exploits. As another example, during another one of their discussions, the governess adopts a “sudden sickness of disgust” upon hearing from Mrs. Grose that Quint slept around while he was alive (James 44). Not only does she regard sexuality with a tentative eye, but she is also disgusted to learn of someone who was exceedingly sexual, a man with multiple sexual partners during his lifetime.
There are a number of reasons why James could have made the governess reflect so much of the Victorian world around him. I argue that James was making a statement through his novella to the rest of the world. Throughout the novella, Quint serves as a representation of a sexually unrestrained male, a person much different than what was socially accepted. In the end of the novel, Miles dies after he was “dispossessed” by Quint and the sexual change he represented. As soon his body is free of Quint’s ghost, Miles falls into the governess’s arms, dead (James 149). James is maybe saying that the sexual exploration present at the time was a good thing and even warranted during the Victorian era. The modest idea of sex had to change with the changing of other cultural aspects, like for example, women gaining suffrage and taking on a more masculine position in civilization. To get rid of the newfound sexuality, as happens when Quint’s spirit leaves Miles body, would be to, in a way, “kill” the changing ideas and views of the newer generations. Society overreacted to the sexual exploration and discouraged the change when they should have encouraged and helped develop it. Readers today can still learn from James’s message. Present-day civilizations and cultures still cannot decide whether to allow homosexuality to flourish as it may. People rally against the idea when, like James believes, they should accept it as another evolutionary change.
The governess is a complex character, full of ambiguity in her avoidance of sexuality. James utilizes his main character in the best of ways, making a worldly and timeless statement through her actions and reactions. The ghosts of Miss Jessel and Quint, representations of unrestrained sexuality and different sexual orientations, make the governess, a reflection of society, anxious and test her own sexual boundaries and ideas. Nonetheless, she resists as much as she can, as did Victorian society during the time of sexual exploration. This results in the death of Miles and a break in her sanity. James makes the claim that rather than denounce and demean sexuality, people should support the experimentation and consider it a necessary adaptation to the new cultural changes. If they do not, society cannot move forward still holding onto the ideals and the comforts of the past.
Work Cited
Degler, Carl N. “What Ought To Be and What Was: Women's Sexuality in the Nineteenth Century.” The American Historical Review , Vol. 79, No. 5 (Dec., 1974), pp. 1467-1490. Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association.
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. New York: Heritage Press, 1949. Print.
Walton, Priscilla L. “‘He took no notice of her; he looked at me’: Subjectivities and Sexualities of ‘The Turn of the Screw’.” Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism: The Turn of the Screw. 3rd ed. (2010): 348 – 359. Print.
Sexuality, although a taboo subject, has always been something to experiment with and explore, even more so in the Victorian Era. During this era, people were more forward with their sexual endeavors, leading to historians and critics to deem it a time of “gender experimentations” (Walton 349). Despite this attitude during the time, society still viewed sex and sexuality negatively, especially homosexuality, looking down on people who did not abide by their socially accepted sexual norms. In 1855, the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed, criminalizing men who engaged in same-sex relations. Even though this law infuriated multiple individuals, many people probably did not share in their defense of homosexuality. While sexual exploration continued on, the women of the Victorian Era were rallying together to achieve their right to vote, creating this new image of the “Victorian Woman” who creates a place for herself in a patriarchal society. Even with these revolutionary women in the spotlight, women who explored their sexuality like the men of the era were looked down upon. At the time, sex and passion were associated exclusively with “the male, with prostitutes, and women of the lower classes” (Degler 1468). A high society woman would not dare be promiscuous for fear of the shame and humiliation that would follow were she found out. “Sexual appetite was a male quality” and not a becoming trait of an up-and-coming woman of the nineteenth and twentieth century; it made her resemble a man (Degler 1468).
Priscilla L. Walton analyzes the effect these Victorian social norms had on James’ novella in her article “‘He took no notice of her; he looked at me’: Subjectivities and Sexualities in The Turn of the Screw.” The governess of the novel serves as a representation of the “problematic nature of single women and their sexuality” (Walton 349). One of Walton’s claims in her article is that the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are actually representations of the governess’s battle with sexuality. In the prologue, Douglas mentions the governess’s sex appeal when he talks about her before beginning the narrative. He “draws attentions to her attractions by admitting his own infatuation with her” and “emphasizes her inexperience and sexual susceptibility” when he describes her to his audience (Walton 350-351). Walton states that in the rest of the novella, the governess “attempts to define herself against the sexualized whore figure Miss Jessel, while trying to supplant the male-authority Peter Quint” (Walton 356). Walton briefly mentions the possibility that the governess’s plight with the ghosts could similarly be her “struggling with her own sexual proclivities,” stuck choosing between homosexuality and heterosexuality. Likewise, Walton refers to Miss Jessel as “a woman fallen” (Walton 354). In her reading of the novella, Miss Jessel serves as an example of “the dangers inherent in rejecting a patriarchally inscribed role,” the role of the modest, submissive woman (Walton 354). When Mrs. Grose describes Miss Jessel to the governess, she describes her as infamous because of her promiscuous relationship with Quint. Walton considers the idea that “Miss Jessel’s fall is due…to her own sexuality” (Walton 355). It is her promiscuity and her sexual acts that society judges so severely, exemplified in the text by Mrs. Grose’s harsh words about Miss Jessel’s sexual acts behind closed doors. Mrs. Grose even says, “Poor woman – she paid for it!” (James 59). Miss Jessel’s complete story is never told, but from the snippets received from Mrs. Grose, albeit a biased retelling, Miss Jessel practiced unrestrained sexuality, and from Walton’s perspective, this habit was the cause of her undoing.
I agree with Walton’s argument that the ghosts represent promiscuous sexuality, and it is with that sexuality that the governess struggles; however I intend to explore the topic further. After the governess’s first encounter with Quint’s ghost, Mrs. Grose says “Quint was much too free…too free with everyone!” implying that Quint was a man of many sexual partners, one of which was Miss Jessel (James 44). Miss Jessel’s promiscuity is insinuated after the governess sees her ghost by the lake. The governess says that Miss Jessel’s relationship with Quint “must have also been what she wished,” stating that the two of them both wanted and acted out a promiscuous relationship (James 55). Moreover, when governess and Mrs. Grose discuss the “something between them,” the “them” being Miss Jessel and Quint, the two women refer to Quint as a “hound,” saying that “he did what he wished with…them all,” including Miss Jessel (James 54-55). These lines are only a few of the many statements surrounding Miss Jessel and Quint’s promiscuity.
However, the governess’s anxiety towards their sexuality and the sexual orientations they represent is evident throughout the text as well. Quint’s ghost represents the traditional, patriarchal male-female relationship, him being the male and assuming positions of power when he appears to the governess, a female. In his first encounter with the governess, he stands “at the very top of the tower” across from where she stands on path (James 27). This perch signifies his traditional role over women as a dominating, high-and-mighty male. In Walton’s criticism she mentions that Quint also appears at night, “looking straight in…from the wasit up, [at] the window,” closely observing the governess and Miles (James 34). By her evaluations, this situation also serves as an example, Quint’s position in the window representing the patriarchal attitude of men as the observer rather than the observed, the subject rather than the object. Also, because Miss Jessel is a ghost, and as argued by Terry Castle and Walton, lesbians are often depicted as ghosts in literature, she may represent the governess’s inclination towards homosexuality (Walton 355). Although there are few examples of the governess acting in a homosexual way, she does often kiss Mrs. Grose, the first time being after Mrs. Grose asked, “Would you mind, Miss, if I used the freedom –” and trailed off, only to have the governess finish her question saying, “To kiss me? No!” (James 24). The governess initiates the action, “[taking] the good creature in [her] arms” and kissing Mrs. Grose (James 24). In this scene, the governess takes the position that is normally associated with males, and by doing so she reveals to the reader that she could potentially be attracted to the female sex.
In her criticism, Walton only discusses how the ghosts represent sexuality and also have the potential to represent the governess’s choice between sexualities (Walton 355). However, upon closer inspection, we can also see that the governess’s reaction to their unrestrained sexuality and to the fact that they are depictions of two sexual orientations parallels the Victorian society’s reaction to sexuality. In the novella, the governess resists both sexualities, forcing her way between the two options of heterosexuality and homosexuality, creating a sense of sexual ambiguity. In the scene at the window, the governess takes Quint’s place looking in through the glass. She describes her thoughts in the moment saying, “it was confusedly present to me that I ought to place myself where he stood” (James 35). Her taking on Quint’s position is a symbol of her resisting Quint’s patriarchal sexuality by becoming the observer, like most men, instead of the observed, like most women. For the governess, herself a representation of the hard-working and rights-seeking Victorian women, the traditional model of sexuality between male and female, where the male is the dominating force in the relationship, doesn’t leave much room for the “constructive female sexuality” prevalent in Victorian times (Walton 356). Victorian women, at this time, were leaving home to work for themselves and becoming more independent. With women taking on a more dominant place in the world, they wanted to also take a more dominant position in their relationships. However, womanhood as defined by a male-controlled society is very modest; a woman takes care of the home, takes care of the children, takes care of her husband. These new, independent, constructive Victorian females couldn’t find a place for themselves in this “patriarchally defined womanhood” (Walton 356). So instead, Victorian women resisted this belief, and like these Victorian women, the governess resists as well.
Nevertheless, the governess’s attitude changes when she deals with Miss Jessel’s ghost. If you recall Castle’s claim that lesbians are often depicted as ghosts, Miss Jessel can be seen as a representation of homosexuality despite her heterosexual actions when she was alive. In the novella, beyond just resisting the idea of the homosexuality Miss Jessel’s ghost represents, the governess condemns Miss Jessel, shouting at her, “You terrible, miserable woman,” emulating society’s condemnation of homosexuality (James 99). Although she is actively wary of both ghosts, the governess does not react this way towards Quint, making her outburst towards Miss Jessel all the more significant. Towards Quint’s ghost, the governess is cautious and guarded, a reaction similar to society’s in regards to unrestrained sexuality. Towards Miss Jessel’s ghost, she is exceedingly accusing and harsh as depicted in the quote above. This scene resembles the way society reacted towards homosexuality. For example, people became so concerned with sexual experimentation that a man lying with a man, or a woman lying with a woman, was too far from their comfort zones. As I mentioned above, the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed, a symbol of the Victorian society’s opinion that homosexuality was out of the question.
Furthermore, even just sexuality in general makes the governess uncomfortable, especially unrestrained sexuality like that practiced by Miss Jessel and Quint, further mirroring society. Victorian men and women are known for being modest. “The nineteenth century was afraid of sex, particularly when it manifested itself in women,” stated Degler in his article “What Ought To Be and What Was: Women’s Sexuality in the Nineteenth Century.” Sexual appetite in a male was to be “properly channeled,” whereas a sex drive in women was “not only scandalous…but it would have been contrary to all observation” (Degler 1468). The governess’s attitude is a perfect representation of Victorian society’s puritan-like views of sex. During one of the many times Mrs. Grose and the governess discussed the ghosts, the governess questioned Mrs. Grose’s knowledge, pressing her for information about Miss Jessel and Quint. In that moment, she refers to Quint and Miss Jessel as wretches, letting her disdain for the couple seep into her words and alter her vocabulary (James 61). By using the word “wretches” when discussing the couple’s promiscuity, the governess reveals that she thinks of them as rogues because of their sexual exploits. As another example, during another one of their discussions, the governess adopts a “sudden sickness of disgust” upon hearing from Mrs. Grose that Quint slept around while he was alive (James 44). Not only does she regard sexuality with a tentative eye, but she is also disgusted to learn of someone who was exceedingly sexual, a man with multiple sexual partners during his lifetime.
There are a number of reasons why James could have made the governess reflect so much of the Victorian world around him. I argue that James was making a statement through his novella to the rest of the world. Throughout the novella, Quint serves as a representation of a sexually unrestrained male, a person much different than what was socially accepted. In the end of the novel, Miles dies after he was “dispossessed” by Quint and the sexual change he represented. As soon his body is free of Quint’s ghost, Miles falls into the governess’s arms, dead (James 149). James is maybe saying that the sexual exploration present at the time was a good thing and even warranted during the Victorian era. The modest idea of sex had to change with the changing of other cultural aspects, like for example, women gaining suffrage and taking on a more masculine position in civilization. To get rid of the newfound sexuality, as happens when Quint’s spirit leaves Miles body, would be to, in a way, “kill” the changing ideas and views of the newer generations. Society overreacted to the sexual exploration and discouraged the change when they should have encouraged and helped develop it. Readers today can still learn from James’s message. Present-day civilizations and cultures still cannot decide whether to allow homosexuality to flourish as it may. People rally against the idea when, like James believes, they should accept it as another evolutionary change.
The governess is a complex character, full of ambiguity in her avoidance of sexuality. James utilizes his main character in the best of ways, making a worldly and timeless statement through her actions and reactions. The ghosts of Miss Jessel and Quint, representations of unrestrained sexuality and different sexual orientations, make the governess, a reflection of society, anxious and test her own sexual boundaries and ideas. Nonetheless, she resists as much as she can, as did Victorian society during the time of sexual exploration. This results in the death of Miles and a break in her sanity. James makes the claim that rather than denounce and demean sexuality, people should support the experimentation and consider it a necessary adaptation to the new cultural changes. If they do not, society cannot move forward still holding onto the ideals and the comforts of the past.
Work Cited
Degler, Carl N. “What Ought To Be and What Was: Women's Sexuality in the Nineteenth Century.” The American Historical Review , Vol. 79, No. 5 (Dec., 1974), pp. 1467-1490. Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association.
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. New York: Heritage Press, 1949. Print.
Walton, Priscilla L. “‘He took no notice of her; he looked at me’: Subjectivities and Sexualities of ‘The Turn of the Screw’.” Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism: The Turn of the Screw. 3rd ed. (2010): 348 – 359. Print.
