Book Cover of The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw

by Henry James

Christmas Eve. Guests round a fireside begin telling each other ghost stories. One of them relates a true incident involving the governess of his little nephew and niece. Strange events begin to take place, involving the housekeeper, a stranger who prowls round the grounds, a mysterious woman dressed in black and an unknown misdemeanor committed by the little nephew. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James was published in 1893 and it remains one of the best-known and admired works of this great American writer. One of the factors that makes it so appealing is that the structure and ending are open to the reader's interpretation. Over the years, many critics, readers and scholars have provided their own theories about the ending and all of them may be valid from a certain viewpoint. However, the real “horror” in this book is the nameless, ambiguous sense of evil that pervades the story and brings out all that is deeply frightening to us. Henry James came from a distinguished family. His father was a philosopher, while his brother William James was a famous developmental psychologist. His sister, Alice was also a writer, but is known mostly for the personal diaries she kept in the last years of her life. Though James was born in America, he considered England to be his spiritual home and constantly traveled between the two countries. His novels focus on the interaction between Europeans and Americans. He was also a brilliant literary critic and prolific letter writer. The Turn of the Screw was his second novel and in it he gives expression to his life long interest in ghost stories and Gothic themes. However, he avoided the conventional screaming/slashing type of horror and preferred to keep the fear factor extremely subtle and understated, which paradoxically increases the sense of horror! He seeks to invest the ordinary, everyday happenings of daily life with a sinister significance and this is what makes The Turn of the Screw so extraordinarily effective. Henry James' elaborate and often roundabout way of describing events makes the unraveling of the mystery even more difficult. Hence, the reader has plenty of work to do in James' novels and nothing is provided on a platter! James himself constantly revised the story and made several changes. Though these are minor in nature, they add to the complexity of the plot and give readers many more facets from which to try to find the right solution. The Turn of the Screw is certainly a great read if you enjoy mysteries and ghost stories.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1898

Authors

Henry James image

Henry James

America, Britain

Henry James was born in New York City on April 15, 1843, into a wealthy and intellectually stimulating family. His father, Henry James Sr., was a Swedenborgian philosopher and his mother, Mary Roberts...

Books by Henry James

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Frau in Weiß Band 1 Cover image

Frau in Weiß Band 1 by Wilkie Collins

The Woman in White follows the story of Walter Hartright, an art teacher, who becomes entangled in the lives of two sisters: the beautiful and innocen...

alte Haus Cover image

alte Haus by Friedrich Gerstäcker

The old house next door has always been shrouded in mystery and strange stories. The servants in the Hechner house are convinced that it is haunted, a...

Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 06 March 1896 Cover image

Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 06 March 1896 by Various

The Black Cat was a monthly literary magazine that published original short stories, often with uncanny or fantastical themes. This particular issue f...

Monk: A Romance Cover image

Monk: A Romance by Matthew Lewis

Matthew Gregory Lewis's *The Monk* is a groundbreaking gothic novel that delves into the dark recesses of human desire and the seductive power of the...

Vampir Cover image

Vampir by Wladyslaw Reymont

In Wladyslaw Reymont's "Vampir", Zenon, a man of reason, is persuaded by his friend Yoe to attend a séance. The event thrusts him into a world of spir...

Frankenstein (El Moderno Prometeo) Cover image

Frankenstein (El Moderno Prometeo) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Frankenstein es una novela gótica que explora las consecuencias éticas de la ambición científica y la naturaleza de la creación. El científico Víctor...

Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 09 June 1896 Cover image

Black Cat Vol. 01 No. 09 June 1896 by Various

"Black Cat" is a gothic horror magazine from the 19th century that featured short stories about the uncanny and fantastic. It published original mater...

Les Misérables, Volume 2 Cover image

Les Misérables, Volume 2 by Victor Hugo

Les Misérables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century...

Evil Guest Cover image

Evil Guest by Sheridan Le Fanu

In Sheridan Le Fanu's 'The Evil Guest,' a sense of unease pervades a desolate and remote dwelling. The arrival of an unexpected visitor throws the hou...

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (Edition 1831) Cover image

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (Edition 1831) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is a gothic novel that explores the themes of scientific hubris, the nature of humanity, and the consequences o...

Reviews for The Turn of the Screw

ALL REVIEWS: Really Favorable (1)

No reviews posted or approved, yet...