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Paperback
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
Henry James' short novels provide an overview of his entire career and serve as an excellent introduction to his singular art and imagination. This collection includes The Turn of the Screw, Daisy Miller, The Beast in the Jungle, An International Episode, The Aspern Papers and The Altar of the Dead. Major course adoption potential.
The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharing ghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the guests tells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernatural visitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only she suspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling the two orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil purpose. The household staff don't know what she's talking about, the children are evasive when questioned, and the master of the house (the children's uncle) is absent. Why does the young girl claim not to see a perfectly visible woman standing on the far side of the lake? Are the children being deceptive, or is the governess being paranoid? By leaving the questions unanswered, The Turn of Screw generates spine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers.
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| Henry James at his best! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Love love love love this book. Not for the faint of heart - must love literature and be a dedicated reader to truly appreciate this book!
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| James Meets Edgar Allan Poe |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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So unlike the usual "young love" novel of this author, the drama of this novel centers upon mind games involving apparitions - with the reader never knowing in full detail if the governess to whom the ghosts communicate exist or are merely figments of her deteriorating mind.
Basically a text of solitude's ability to fertilize fantasy, the reader experiences the growing paranoia of the governess as she attempts to understand who the haunting figures are, and for what reasons they keep coming to her. Drip by drip, step by step, the novel unfolds slowly to describe how she further becomes belabored by the experiences of intrusion created by fanciful appearances by allegedly former employees of the lord's home - who each left for reasons of totally unknown disrepute.
In the middle of this sequence are two adorable orphaned children whose care is now to be handled at their rich uncle's castle, all of which is handled the old fashioned British way: send them off to someplace where the master does not have to see them, but deliver and afford them the luxuries which only the privileged few could enjoy (e.g. maids, private tutors and more).
These elementary school children are not allowed to attend the normal school - and the governess has the duty to educate these children who are exiled from the proper school. She wonders why they are outcasts to the school, and deduces that their relationship with the previous governess and other aid - each who was the source of scandal and bad gossip - propagated the children's demise. But, she learns that more than her initial inclination may be the cause for the principal's order which prohibits their attendance at school.
Ultimately, the book ends with the twist and turn that is both despicable and expected. The mind's collapse under the extraordinary conditions at the manor have fully enveloped the psyche of the main character and the victim of her mental breakdown is the most ill suited.
Without love between young people and their everlasting joy, this book reads more like Poe than James. I was truly surprised by the topic and writing of this novel.
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| An Ambiguous Classic |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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If you are a fan of the Haunted House story then Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is a mandatory addition to any reading list along with "The Haunting of Hill House", "Hell House" and "The Shining" (although "The Turn of the Screw" is considered the finest ghost story ever written - if that floats you boat).
The story, about a young governess who is hired to raise two children in isolation at an English estate, contains some gothic elements with ghostly apparitions but is overall very understated in its horrific elements by modern standards. Written in the 1800's there are no real overtly frightening moments and the "haunted" theme is used as a vehicle to convey other real world horrors in a very ambiguous way.
The books strength, and weakness for the modern horror reader, is its structure and ambiguity. James writes a story that creates uncertainty regarding the governess's sanity (the story is the governess's interpretation of events as conveyed through her written recap) and presents many situations that remain unexplained at the story's conclusion. It is the constant questioning of events and truthfulness in the descriptions that makes the story interesting and utterly frustrating at the same time. The reader is never sure if the ghosts are real or just "fantasies" created in the mind of a manipulative governess. Furthermore, the reader is never really sure what exactly happened in the past at the house and to the children. There are hints of sexual impropriety which is where the real horror comes from, but again the reader needs to draw their own conclusions and nothing is ever revealed as absolute. I am sure (if I interpreted some of the book correctly) the subject matter was too taboo to talk about clearly during the time "The Turn of the Screw" was published.
I am glad I read "The Turn of the Screw" for its literary merits and place in haunted house fiction history. The ambiguity was somewhat refreshing in that the reader can interpret the information many ways. However, I also found it difficult to immerse myself in the Victorian period and follow the narrative in a way that would allow me to absorb the richness of James masterpiece.
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| "Challenging her own irregularity..." |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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That governess - is she just a love-struck melodramatic whack-job or is she genuine in her visions and concerns for her wards? James' language is over-labored and spends to much efforts getting nowhere at times - and to no great effect. Shakespeare is less complicated and more colorful. The color is often stripped out of the writing - and painted back in with a lighter wash. It moves the story forward - but often requires a step back here and there to clear things up. There is honest fear built up through the course of the tale - and I certainly felt that "waiting for the next shoe to drop" sense - but nothing that would keep me up at night.
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| wow. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Too bad people today are too stupid to read. It appears that if it takes longer than 30 minutes to tell a story from start to finish that it's not interesting.This book is brilliant; it's classic. If you're smart, read it. If you're a moron, watch Sponge Bob.
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