Mental Health and Happiness in James's "Osborne's Revenge"

Abstract

Abstract:Since Edmund Wilson's reading that linked The Turn of the Screw with the governess's mental health has become widely recognized, the novella is often read from that perspective. A similar motif can be seen in "Osborne's Revenge" (1868), in that both works deal with a letter from the dead. This essay argues that "Osborne's Revenge" can be read as an early model of The Turn of the Screw. In "Osborne's Revenge," James contemplates the mental health of both the writer and reader of the letter and its effect on happiness.