- Mass Market Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (26 July 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140620613
- ISBN-13: 978-0140620610
- Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 0.8 x 18.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
110,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #95 in Books > Fiction > Horror > Classic Horror
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The narrator is a young governess, sent off to a country house to take charge of two orphaned children. She finds a pleasant house and a comfortable housekeeper, while the children are beautiful and charming. But she soon begins to feel the presence of intense evil.
About the Author
Henry James was born in 1843 in Washington Place, New York, of Scottish and Irish ancestry. His father was a prominent theologian and philosopher and his elder brother, William, is also famous as a philosopher. He attended schools in New York and later in London, Paris and Geneva, entering the Law School at Harvard in 1862. In 1865 he began to contribute reviews and short stories to American journals. In 1875, after two prior visits to Europe, he settled for a year in Paris, where he met Flaubert, Turgenev and other literary figures. However, the next year he moved to London, where he became so popular in society that in the winter of 1878–9 he confessed to accepting 107 invitations. In 1898 he left London and went to live at Lamb House, Rye, Sussex. Henry James became a naturalized citizen in 1915, was awarded the Order of Merit and died in 1916.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
One of the most seductive of all ghost stories, Turn of the Screw is not a tale for people inured to Halloween I and II or Tales from the Crypt. It is a sophisticated and subtle literary exercise in which the author creates a dense, suggestive, and highly ambiguous story, its suspense and horror generated primarily by what the author does NOT say and does not describe. Compelled to fill in the blanks from his/her own store of personal fears, the reader ultimately conjures up a more horrifying set of images and circumstances than anything an author could impose from without.
Written in 1898, this is superficially the tale of a governess who accepts the job of teaching two beautiful, young children whose uncle-guardian wants nothing to do with them. On a symbolic level, however, it is a study of the mores and prejudices of the times and, ultimately, of the nature of Evil. The governess fears that ghosts of the former governess Miss Jessel and her lover, valet Peter Quint, have corrupted the souls of little Flora and Miles and have won them to the side of Evil. The children deny any knowledge of ghosts, and, in fact, only the governess actually sees them. Were it not for the fact that the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, can identify them from the governess's descriptions, one might be tempted to think that the governess is hallucinating.
Though the governess is certainly neurotic and repressed, this novel was published ten years before Freud, suggesting that the story should be taken at face value, as a suspenseful but enigmatic Victorian version of a Faustian struggle for the souls of these children. The ending, which comes as a shock to the reader, is a sign that such struggles should never be underestimated. As is always the case with James, the formal syntax, complex sentence structure, and elaborately constructed narrative are a pleasure to read for anyone who loves language, formality, and intricate psychological labyrinths. Mary whipple
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
‘The Turn of The Screw’ is an extended short story which plays with the reader’s imagination in the best tradition of a ghost story. It is more than this though because vivid apparitions are contrasted by vagueness which is best understood in reading without distraction. It is a difficult read for the style of it demands the absolute attention but a thorough read does not necessarily remove the ambiguity which the author has so skilfully placed. It is great material for the psychoanalyst leaving the reader with so many questions and not so many answers. One could probably read it several times and be none the wiser for doing so. If you read Henry James you will no doubt be impressed by the highly stylised writing which Hardy called ‘a ponderously warm manner of saying nothing in infinite sentences’.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
‘TTOTS’ is a classic chilling tale from Henry James. It would not be fair to describe it as horror, because there is no gore, or as a ghost story, because it is far subtler than that. The story concerns a nanny looking after the children of a rich widower with whom she has fallen in love. Her desire to protect the children is tested when she begins to see two nefarious (and long-dead) former employees of the house, apparently threatening her charges. As the nanny’s sanity is called into question, we begin to wonder who represents the real danger in the house.
‘TTOTS’ is an excellent example of ambiguous writing. Even at the shocking conclusion, it is not clear if we have just read a ghost story or an example of psychological fiction. It is difficult to say too much without giving too much away about the story, but every event, or encounter with the ghostly figures, has two interpretations. It is very cleverly written, and all the more spooky because of it.
Having said all that, I am not a fan of James’ writing style. The only other book of his that I have read (‘The Ambassadors’) has tortuously constructed sentences that are painful to read. This is also true of ‘TTOTS’. Fortunately, the story of the title is easily gripping enough for this not to be a problem, but the rest of this collection is instantly forgettable because of it. Nevertheless, it is well-worth a read as one of the greatest spooky stories ever told.
‘TTOTS’ is an excellent example of ambiguous writing. Even at the shocking conclusion, it is not clear if we have just read a ghost story or an example of psychological fiction. It is difficult to say too much without giving too much away about the story, but every event, or encounter with the ghostly figures, has two interpretations. It is very cleverly written, and all the more spooky because of it.
Having said all that, I am not a fan of James’ writing style. The only other book of his that I have read (‘The Ambassadors’) has tortuously constructed sentences that are painful to read. This is also true of ‘TTOTS’. Fortunately, the story of the title is easily gripping enough for this not to be a problem, but the rest of this collection is instantly forgettable because of it. Nevertheless, it is well-worth a read as one of the greatest spooky stories ever told.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Turn of the Screw
I'm sorry to say that I absolutely hated this book. So much so I didn't even finish it! It was really hard going, no pleasure whatsoever, I have never read a story with so many... Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Sherriff
like banging your fingers with a hammer
I always heard about the famous "the turn of the screw" by the even more famous Henry James, and thus decided to give it a go. Read more
Published 20 months ago by T. Angevin
The turn of the comma...
I had such high hopes for this. Many a time I've been told in the past how 'gripping' and 'scary' The Turn of the Screw is. Read more
Published 22 months ago by madaboutbooks
A difficult read
I found The Turn of the Screw slow going because the writing was not particularly accessible. Many sentences are extremely long and required reading more than once to ensure... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Alison
A Puzzle inside an Enigma wrapped in Terrible Prose
The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James
This book was one of the most difficult, irritating and intriguing things I have ever read. Read more
This book was one of the most difficult, irritating and intriguing things I have ever read. Read more
Published on 28 April 2010 by Eileen Furze
A Tale of True Evil
After watching the latest adaptation of this timeless classic Turn of the Screw [DVD] [2009] I realised that although I have read it many many times I have not actually ever... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by M. Dowden
a ghost story
This book is good but a bit of a pain to study. The novella is a tale about a governess trying to protect children from ghosts which acts as an inspiration for the movie "The... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2009 by R. Harries
A good read
I loved this book. Really well written and very enjoyable story. Very creepy, but not terrifying. Would recommend to all my friends.
Published on 31 Mar 2009 by Miss V. Bryans
Ghosts in December
It's been over a hundred years since Henry James' novella was published. I'm sure readers at the time were spooked by its tale of ghosts threatening the innocence of two children,... Read more
Published on 18 May 2008 by Oliver Redfern
Screw turner not Page turner
And this is the author who dared to belittle Thomas Hardy. Henry James, born of insipid wealth and Hardy, wrought of the brown Wessex earth, and so their writing shows. Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2007 by z00ey
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
