Henry James was one of the famous writers during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was known as an innovative and independent novelist. One of James' novels, "Turn of the Screw" (1898), has caused a lot of controversy among many critics, and each of them has had a particular interpretation. James' creative writing built a close connection between his novel and his readers. The reactions of the readers toward the Gothic novella, "The Turn of the Screw" can be researched psychologically by analyzing how James developed his story using questionable incidents, an unreliable narrator, unexpected changes, an interesting prologue, and effective images and words. It has been debated by critics, if it is a psychological therein, or a true story. .
In the Henry James novella, "The Turn of the Screw," I believe it is the psychological implications of the story that has been illustrated by Sigmund Freud who wrote about it in The Interpretation of. The young woman (Governess) in this story can be seen as being highly imaginative or deranged, depending on how the text is being read. The influences of James's writing on his readers can be explained clearly from a psychological perspective. Readers have their individual perceptions and experiences which are defined as ego. Sigmund Freud pointed out that under the effects of the external world, the ego starts to react in various forms such as storing, adapting, learning, or fighting against external events. The external world includes all the things happening outside human minds such as activities in real life, in movies or in books. When readers react to the behaviors of the Governess and other characters in "The Turn of the Screw," it means their ego responds to the story that is the external world in this case. Since the perception and experiences of each person are different from the other, the reactions to this novel are varied.
