According to Grace, her research was motivated by a puzzle, an unusual feature of James' novel.
"I dedicated my UROP to developing a piece of literary scholarship on Henry James’s 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw. My essay offers an intervention in the field that opens up new ways of considering the relationship between narrative authority and various late Victorian social contexts. I re-examine the narrator's language in light of the anti-theatrical attitudes of Victorian England. James intends the story that we read to be the governess's manuscript, so why does he allow a woman to employ violently theatrical language?
I contend that this lends her additional layers of authority. She writes as a playwright would, controls the household like a director controls a production, and performs in the role of a leading lady. She may hold the highest authority in the novel, however, her clear connection to theater undermines her legitimacy and heightens the unease James develops in his narrative.
I have loved working on this project and am grateful for the opportunity to learn about the development and publication of scholarly works first-hand. Thank you to the ELWS faculty who offered their time, resources, and expertise to guide me through this process.