As aparições fantasmagóricas em the turn of the screw / the innocents: linguagem e simbolismo

Abstract

The aim of this research is to discuss within the novel The turn of the screw (1898), by Henry James, the language and the symbolism related to the phantasmagoric apparitions throughout the story, as well as to analyze how these aspects are translated into the film adaptation The innocents (1961), by Jack Clayton. The novel revolves around the phantasmagoric apparitions, however, the narrative is built in a way in which there is a variation between what the governess sees and what she supposes the children see. It is well known that, within Gothic literature, the atmosphere created around the situation involves the multiplicity of factors which are described in the setting – light, place, time of the day – for this reason, it is important to take into consideration how these ghosts are characterized not only in terms of language, but also, where and why they appear along the narrative. The study of film adaptation, using this topic as a guide, proposes to discuss how these apparitions were transposed to the cinema, taking into account all the aspects mentioned above. It is important to remember how important language is in The turn of the screw, due to its dense language and ambiguous nature, not making clear who sees, how they see and why they see those ghosts, thus mixing perspectives and points of view.