So it is unlikely that, as some critics claim, it was merely meant to be a simple ghost story with no deeper meaning or symbolism. However interpretation of the tale has sometimes been taken to the opposite extreme as well, with critics reading far too much in certain dialogue, passages and references than the author likely ever intended. Ultimately, Sigmund Freud would probably have a field day interpreting the sexual repression of the critics who have analyzed this novella so intently. Works Cited

Cefalu, Paul a. "Rethinking the Discourse of Colonialism in Economic Terms: Shakespeare's...

28 (2000): 85-119.
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw: And Other Short Novels. New York: New American Library. 1962.

Liddell, Robert. A Treatise on the Novel. London: J.Cape, 1947.

McCormack, Peggy. Questioning the Master: Gender and Sexuality in Henry James's Writings. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press. 2000.

Otten, Terry. After Innocence: Visions of the Fall in Modern Literature. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. 1982.