can anybody help me with a question:
to what extent the turn of the screw is a frame without a picture?
The turn of the screw is "a frame without a picture," in that the story can be interpretated in many ways depending on the reader. The frame is the background that the author has provided us with; the picture is the visual that we create in our minds using the background we've been given.
The frame, or background is the part of the story that's true; the picture is what you believe. The governess imagines ghosts; what do you think about the ghosts? Are they imaginary? Or are they real? You can't be wrong here; the only that matters is your own perception. Perception is what paints the picture, and the picture belongs to you.
James never completes the picture for us, but he does provide us with a wealth of background. We have a young, pretty governess, a rich family, a house, the house's resident ghosts, and a group of rather odd children. We have the puzzle's perimeter finished...... the frame is there, but in the end we're left hanging to write our version of the ending.......... so get out your paints and finish the picture. It can be whatever we want it to be.
