Comment on the significance of letters in any TWO of the set novels.

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Comment on the significance of letters in any TWO of the set novels.

For centuries, letters have been an important method of communication; whether it is an official document or a love letter. There are several important things a letter can do; it can provide instruction, pass on information or allow someone to express themselves more freely. In both ‘The Turn of the Screw’ and ‘A Handful of Dust’ it can be argued that letters play a significant role in the action of the novels. There are several incidents where a simple handwritten note can change the atmosphere of the text; for example, when Brenda writes Tony a letter of farewell in ‘A Handful of Dust’. There are also numerous situations which incorporate the writing of a letter or, more importantly, the recipient’s reaction to it. The letters in the texts take a variety of different forms; some are personal letters or notes; like those exchanged between Brenda and Tony in ‘A Handful of Dust’. There is an official letter from Miles’s school in ‘The Turn of the Screw’ and, a slightly more modern alternative, telegrams are sent from Beaver to Brenda in ‘A Handful of Dust’. Developed thought in relation to the significance of letters in both these texts helps the reader to understand how they have an impact on what is actually happening; often, the consequences of a particular letter may seem unimportant at the time but could be viewed as noteworthy a few chapters later; this is certainly the case when Beaver sends a telegram to Tony telling him he plans to visit Hetton that weekend in ‘A Handful of Dust’. Episodes such as the end of ‘The Turn of the Screw’; where the letter written by the Governess is used as a ploy to encourage Miles to reveal the truth about his expulsion, illustrate how a letter can also have an immediate impact.

The parts of ‘The Turn of the Screw’ which lead directly back to the influence of a letter are; the letter sent to obtain the manuscript of the story, the letter Governess receives from her master containing a letter from Miles’s school, the whereabouts of the children’s letters to their uncle, the incident with Miss Jessel, the governess’s decision to write to Master and the resulting confession from Miles when this letter goes missing.

The introduction to ‘The Turn of the Screw’ could often be overlooked by a reader. However, it contains the first reference to a letter in the text and it is one of some importance. Henry James writes, ‘I knew the next day that a letter containing a key had, by the first post, gone off to his London apartments.’ (1); the letter is a request that the manuscript of the actual story be sent to his home in the country. This is significant because it points out that the story has been written by the governess herself and this can call into question to reliability of what she says throughout the text. Another issue this raises is the nature of the relationship between Douglas and the governess and comparisons could be drawn between this and her relationship with her former young male charge, Miles.

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The first letter the governess receives after her arrival at Bly, the family estate in the country, is significant as it informs her of Miles’s expulsion from school. At first, the governess recognises the writing as that of her employer and is thrilled at the thought of correspondence from him. However he simply writes, “This, I recognize, is from the head-master, and the head-master’s an awful bore. Read him, please; deal with him; but mind you don’t report. Not a word. I’m off!”(2). The letter, therefore, has a double impact. Firstly, it forces the reader to ask why the ...

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