(후기) 2/21 The turn of the screw & The Aspern papers

[포틴]

Style characteristics (ChatGPT):
Henry James's writing style in The Aspern Papers is often described as elaborate, intricate, and psychologically dense, marked by long, winding sentences that layer perceptions and ambiguities rather than straightforward declarations. His prose favors negatives and double-jointed constructions to convey nuance, such as "I remember my emotions in their order, even including a curious little tremor that took me when I saw the niece not to be there," which builds perspectival complexity over simple exposition. This late-19th-century English contrasts modern clarity (e.g., Hemingway's directness) by emphasizing focalization—internal musings and speculation—creating obscurity that mirrors life's interpretive limits. James prioritizes "showing" through limited viewpoints and verbs of perception, evoking ambiguity in motives and emotions without categorical resolutions.
 
Discussion Questions:
1. How did you like the story in general? What stands out fresh to you or difficult to read/comprehend?
2. How far is it acceptable for a scholar or critic to go in the pursuit of “literary truth,” and at what point does the narrator’s research become moral trespass?
3. The three major characters—the confident male narrator, the formidable Juliana, or quiet Miss Tita—have their own interests/goals and assets to achieve the goals. What are those? Who succeeded in reaching the goal and who failed?
4. In the struggle over the papers, who actually holds the power, and how does the story complicate assumptions about gender and authority?
5. How does the Venetian setting—with its decaying palazzo, hidden garden, and atmosphere of secrecy—reflect the characters’ inner lives and the theme of guarding versus revealing the past?
 
주최자(Fourteen)가 시간을 착각하고 늦어서 모든 내용을 못 담았습니다. 

희진(Livi)
- Juliana possesses the legacy and her goal is to protect it against the man. 
- (to #4) Ms. Tita is the final winner in the sense that using her indurance and negotiation skill, she secured money although not being able to marry the man. Her approach takes a reasonable approach.

- The story first comes a bit difficult to read, but I enjoyed the latter half of the story. I gasped when facing 'publishing scondrel' part!

Sun

- I don't understand why the two women take the narrator as a tenant (without giving away the legacy of Jeffery Aspern).

- The whole story could be summarized as the blinded (stupid) narrator is being exploited by the two women?

- The extended question from #2 above: What would you do if you have unknown Yoon Dong-Joo's love letters in your possession? Destroy them? People (including me) like those personal letters written by Van Gogh and F. Kafka. This question has haunted me while reading the story.

Julie

- (to #4) I could feel the 'male dominancy' here--try to control or manipulate the two women. There was a twist in that setting though in the sense that his goal is denied.

영희(Sylvi)

- Juliana seems to want her niece to lead a secured life (by granting her enough money), not necessarily geting her married with the narrator.

- Henry James's writing isn't difficult to read even though it was written almost 200 years ago.

Fourteen

- The story is rich in psychological tensions and conflicts, a typical Henry James' way of constructing/building a story.

- It seems that technically nobody truly succeed in achieving his/her goals. Ms. Tita wants to get out of Venice through the man--whether she truly loves him or not. She could settle with more money, but thinking how she will lead her remaining life being stuck in the same palazzo, little hope is visible.

- Anyone who wants to read more of Henry James, I would recommend 'Daisy Miller.'