Turn Of The Screw

While learning about them from personal experience may be difficult, applying known facts from factual texts to informational texts can deepen one’s understanding of apparitions and apparitional experiences. Apparitional Experiences: A Primer on Parapsychological Research and Perspectives helps the reader understand the basics of apparition; what types there are, their characteristics, and the characteristics/situations of who sees them. This article explores the different reasons apparitions show up, what they are expected to look like based on research, as well as stories of those who have seen apparitions. Through reading the article, it makes it simpler to understand the feeling of an apparitional experience, and relate to the character.

Characteristics of the apparitions were key in the story Turn of the Screw, not only for the visualization of the story, but also to display a meaning that is only significant when the apparitions had the characteristics that they did. When recalling the first encounter with Miss Jessel, the governess wrote, “Suddenly..on the other side of the Sea of Azof, we had an interested spectator. The way of this knowledge gathered me was the strangest thing in the world-the strangest, that is, except the very much stranger in which it quickly merged itself” (James 24). According to Apparitional Experiences, “many apparitions are described by witnesses as being solid looking and life-like” (Williams 5). This correlates directly to the governess’ sights of Miss Jessel, who appears to be solid as well as lifelike, so much so she didn’t realize it was a ghost until she had further information and thought of it. Due to the life-like characteristics of the apparition, the governess was not only fearful, but befuddled as well. The life-like “spectator” seemed to stare at the governess, creeping her out in the first place. The reader is able to visualize as well as understand the governess’ feelings because of the described characteristics of the

Based on this, it’s logical to think that the characteristics of apparitions, as well as characteristics of those who saw them, between the stories would be similar. In Woman in Black, Arthur Kipps was assigned the job of taking care of the recently deceased Alice Drablow. Starting at Alice’s funeral, and continuing throughout the story, he had many encounters Jennet Humphrey, the deceased sister of Alice, who was back for revenge. The apparitions appeared around Alice’s estate, as well as the town in which she was from. Although Jennet was after Alice, not Kipps, she appeared to him many times, as he was the missing link between the