"[James] is the most intelligent man of his generation." -T. S. Eliot "The economy of horror is carried to its last degree."-Edith Wharton "The most hopelessly evil story that we could have read in any literature"-The Independent Henry James' The Turn of the Screw (1898) is one of the most gripping psychological novellas ever written; a grim tale that could equally be a tale of madness or a tale of the supernatural. The depths and meaning of this story has been one of the most fascinating literary debates in all of ...
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"[James] is the most intelligent man of his generation." -T. S. Eliot "The economy of horror is carried to its last degree."-Edith Wharton "The most hopelessly evil story that we could have read in any literature"-The Independent Henry James' The Turn of the Screw (1898) is one of the most gripping psychological novellas ever written; a grim tale that could equally be a tale of madness or a tale of the supernatural. The depths and meaning of this story has been one of the most fascinating literary debates in all of literature. The intriguing asymmetry of The Turn of the Screw, between the seen vs. unseen, the internal v. the external, and good vs. evil, rises this book beyond what can be described as a simple ghost story. The novella begins on Christmas Eve with the recitation of a letter. The story quickly shifts to the perspective of a governess, who is the subject of the strangely ambiguous story. She had been employed by a dashing bachelor to take care of his niece and nephew in a remote country home. To her surprise, she is requested not to reach the uncle of the children under any circumstance. She is smitten by Flora, the little girl, but receives a letter that the boy, Miles, has been expelled from his school and would not be able to return. One evening, strolling outside, the governess is shocked to see a man in the tower of the house, and later in a window. When she describes him to Mrs. Grouse, the maid, she is informed that the description matches that of a former valet, who had died. Later, while at the lake with Flora, the governess sees a second apparition, that of the governess who proceeded her. As the ghosts eventually occupy the house, the governess develops a fearful obsession of the corruption of the children by the terrifying spirits. This gripping work of the unknown and moral decline is one of the most haunting pieces of fiction in the western canon. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Turn of the Screw is both modern and readable.
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Not your usual ghost story, this, written by Henry James, is a terrifying journey into the unknown. A new governess comes to care for two young children, Miles and Flora, and soon finds herself defending them against possible possession by the spirits of their former governess and the evil Quint, the former valet to the children's absentee father. As the seeming possessions escalate, the new governess fights against them with every ounce of her will. While the children insist that nothing is amiss, the governess continues to become even more steadfast in her determination to save the children from the demons trying to possess them, insisting to the children that they own up to the hauntings, to their cooperation with the spirits, and to the evil with which they are being afflicted.
What makes this story so compelling is the study of the psychology of the characters, particularly that of the governess. What makes the story a "whodunnit" is the interplay between the ever more vigilant governess, the children, and the spirits themselves. Are the ghosts really there? Or is the new governess, in her terror and belief, bringing her own brand of evil into the lives of two innocent children? Who, indeed, is the possessor?
For anyone who loves a good ghost story, full of atmosphere and gloom, or for those who love a good psychological character study, "Turn of The Screw" remains one of the gems of either genre.
