The Turn of the Screw

Jul 22, 2012 Traveller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, gothic, metafiction

Now you see me,
description

...now you don’t..
What the.... there it goes again..
Meaning, understanding, recognition: they all become slippery eels in this ambiguous game of hide-and-seek that Henry James plays with us. Am I losing my mind, or is what I am seeing real? And... what is it that I am seeing?

description

This is one of those "what the heck??" novels that you often find in the modernist genre. Not originally classed as a modernist novel, by now it is viewed as one by many modern critics because of the ambi...more

66 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2010 Mariel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: I died so I could haunt you

Recommended to Mariel by: opinions versus the sun

The Turn of the Screw takes place in multiple rooms in my brain. It hasn't taken up shop in my heart. It's a cold feeling, so the echo is made against stone walls that don't touch the rest of me. It's rare for a Henry James story to go there. If it does, it's in a "I hope that never happens to me" mental knee jerk way. I can't sort out how I feel about it because I'm caught up in the primordial longings. How the hell did they get there? I'm one to half convince myself it never happened, open you...more The Turn of the Screw takes place in multiple rooms in my brain. It hasn't taken up shop in my heart. It's a cold feeling, so the echo is made against stone walls that don't touch the rest of me. It's rare for a Henry James story to go there. If it does, it's in a "I hope that never happens to me" mental knee jerk way. I can't sort out how I feel about it because I'm caught up in the primordial longings. How the hell did they get there? I'm one to half convince myself it never happened, open your eyes and it was a nightmare. It is one of the most haunting images when Miss holds the dead body of Miles and shakes him as if they could really go back to the beginning. Good intentions...

The great part is that it works as an intriguing story regardless of how you take the "truths" (that hardly matters). Was Miss insane? Sexual hysteria? (It was a real eye opener for young Mariel when I found out about those old practices. And I thought leeches and bleeding was icky.) (History stories haunted me. I thought about menstruation through the ages horror stories every time I had a period. I did so love the gross stories.) Religious guilt, child abuse, limited horizons and futures, how freaking creepy it was to stay put in one spot for your whole life, if you were a woman. Paranoia. It's a rich story for such a short one. All of these issues are seeds in different brain parts and I'm never quite decided on what I think it was. It's fucked.

The strongest feeling of all was the looking over your own shoulder and seeing black. Black if you are looking forward or backwards.

I've seen loads of the film adaptations. Not on purpose, amazingly enough.
List and movie time! I've not seen all (who could sit through it that many times? Not even me).
Oh, according to the imdb there are TWO 2009 tv versions. I've not seen these. (Ah, one is Italian.) I've not even heard of the actors. I've been slipping. Used to be I could tell you not only where I'd seen an actor, but where you probably saw them too.
In A Dark Place. Leelee Sobieski is Miss. I remember that she hangs around in windows with her breasts hanging out of her robe. They played up the sexual thing, and not very well.
The Turn of the Screw tv movie from 1999 starring Jodhi May as Miss. The BEST one. Jodhi May is one of my personal favorites (she'd easily be in the top five if she got the right parts more often). The wheels turn and don't turn in her mind. It's the unthinking, the conniving, the heart beats too fast frightening "I'm doing it for their own good" nightmare version. If you only ever seen one, see this one. (I even forgave the presence of Colin Firth. That's saying something, if you know me. [Hatessssssss Colin Firth...]
Presence of Mind. Sadie Frost. Terrible. Does anyone else find Harvey Keitel creepy after finding out he couldn't contain his erection on the set of Eyes Wide Shut? He's barely in this but the feeling comes to mind anyway. Some director must've thought Frost was jerk-off worthy... I don't agree. (Silly, silly movie.)
The Haunting of Helen Walker. My twin and I had so much fun making fun of this shit in junior high. Valerie Bertenelli and unwanted attention from a little boy who appears both gay and hot for his sister. Horrible.
Just as bad is the other early '90s tv adaptation The Turn of the Screw starring Patsy Kensit. Marianne Faithfull narrates (?!). Probably one of the cheesiest movies I've seen to this day. The boy holds out his hand in a come fuck me gesture to her closed door! For real!
Truman Capote penned the screenplay for the second best version, The Innocents. Deborah Kerr is one of the most amazing actresses ever. I loved her as Miss. Not the most faithful adaptation (only the Jodhi May version is), true, yet that doesn't matter because the horror lives on the air. It's scary what we can talk ourselves into.
The movies show that there isn't an agreed on "This is what happened" for this story.
Different things live in my head, too, and this is just one head (I'd probably sprout another one, though).(less)

20 likes · like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In both literature and film I've always avoided horror stories, ghost stories and other narratives in which the supernatural features prominently. Call me a wuss, but that's the way it is for me. This may be the reason I've not read this novella before. The other reason may be that my only two prior experiences of reading Henry James are mixed. I liked The Portrait of a Lady (read circa 1976) and I remember nothing about The Golden Bowl (read circa 1978) other than that my university lecturer sa...more
In both literature and film I've always avoided horror stories, ghost stories and other narratives in which the supernatural features prominently. Call me a wuss, but that's the way it is for me. This may be the reason I've not read this novella before. The other reason may be that my only two prior experiences of reading Henry James are mixed. I liked The Portrait of a Lady (read circa 1976) and I remember nothing about The Golden Bowl (read circa 1978) other than that my university lecturer said that many people refer to it as The Golden Bore. Whatever my reaction to it at the time, it clearly didn't inspire me to read more James. However, in the spirit of continuing to overcome old literary prejudices and because I know my friend Jemidar loves it (and she and I agree on most things literary), I decided to put aside my aversion to ghosts and my relative indifference to the works of Henry James and finally read The Turn of the Screw.

The first thing I discovered was that this story is not really about ghosts. Or at least it may be to some people, but it wasn't to me. There are lots of different interpretations of the work and in writing it, James did a service to both literary critics and graduate students of English literature. Is it a ghost story? Is it a horror story? Is it a psychological portrait of a liar? Or of an hysteric? Or of a woman in the process of a mental breakdown? What really happens at the end? There's lots to think about and the best thing of all is that there's no right answer to any of the questions.

Probably most people know that the plot concerns an unnamed young governess sent to a country house to look after two children. She believes that she sees the ghosts of the former governess and the manservant with whom the governess had an affair and is rapidly convinced that the children are in communion with these ghosts. The governess becomes obsessed with the idea of breaking the evil hold the ghosts have over the children, with shocking results.

I'm going with the theory that the governess is mentally ill and that the narrative describes her breakdown into acute psychosis. But maybe that's just because I'm not a fan of ghost stories. What interests me even more than the psychological portrait of a woman falling over the edge into madness (if that's what this is all about) is the metafiction element of the narrative. The story is told to the reader by someone to whom someone else has told the story, which was in turn told to him by the governess at the centre of the story. The issue of narrator reliability - an issue I always find fascinating - is increased threefold.

The major problem I have with the work is James' style. I remember little about the style of The Portrait of a Lady and The Golden Bowl. However, I'm well aware of James' reputation for being a difficult writer. If the writing in this work is any indication, my main objection is that he never met a punctuation mark he didn't like, with the notable exception of what I call a full stop and those from North America call a period. This form of punctuation he tended to avoid. Consequently, James never wrote a sentence that he didn't feel could be improved by the insertion of eight commas, six semi-colons and four dashes. His passion for punctuation meant that I had to re-read many sentences to make sure I had understood them correctly. It's probably just as well that the work is so short, or having to do so may have driven me as mad as the governess. On the other hand, it may be that the choppy way in which the punctuation breaks up the sentences is a reflection of the governess' disturbed thought processes. The literary analysis possibilities of this work are clearly endless.

I'm very glad to have read this with James fan Jemidar. If it weren't for all the sentences I had to re-read, it would have been worth five stars. As it is, it exceeds a four star rating, if for no other reason than I have been given so much to think about. (less)

17 likes · like · see review

Oct 30, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, reading-through-history, particularly-drunk-reviews

Turn of the Screw is a pretty cool story. It's about a governess who either heroically attempts to protect her two charges from malevolent ghosts or goes dangerously bonkers. James leaves it ambiguous and I love that kind of story. Ambiguity works for me. Four stars for the plot. Kindof an abrupt ending though.

On the other hand there's his writing style. I was at this party once and the topic was what would you do if the world was ending and the answer was generally that we would have all the se...more

28 likes · like · see review

May 13, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: committed fans of gothic/classic horror, fans of Henry James

Shelves: classic-horror, ghost, gothic-fiction, short-story, kindle-book, evil-children, fear-of-isolation, psychological-horror

Reading this story was a lot like standing in line opening weekend for a blockbuster you waited a year to see, and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed. I've heard about this story as being one of the best ghost stories ever written. I was so excited to read it. So excited was I, I had to download it to my Kindle to read right away, even though I have this story in one of my paperback collections. I love psychological horror, but I don't think a good psychological horror novel should leave the...more Reading this story was a lot like standing in line opening weekend for a blockbuster you waited a year to see, and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed. I've heard about this story as being one of the best ghost stories ever written. I was so excited to read it. So excited was I, I had to download it to my Kindle to read right away, even though I have this story in one of my paperback collections. I love psychological horror, but I don't think a good psychological horror novel should leave the reader feeling as detached as I did with this story. I also felt that Mr. James spent so much time in writing a stylistically appealing story, using just the right turn of phrase to pretty up his narrative, that the story got lost in translation. I was surprised to realize that I had gotten to the end. I was like, "What?" After all the slow going, and slow build that never got anywhere, it was "wham!" Sigh! Not sure what to think of this one.

I will be honest and say I had trouble with this story. I had to work really hard to read it and not skim the words to move ahead. I really resist that when I'm reading. There is no point in reading a story if you don't understand the intent behind it. I like to read every word and take things in. On the downside, I like a pay off to my reading, especially if it's not a particularly easy story to read. But, this story was hard to decipher for hidden intent.

I saw some gems in it: the menace of two children who seemed like angels, but had a decidedly unangelic side. The governess who started to doubt her own reason and sanity, but was dead on in her understanding of what was going on. The apparitions that should have inspired dread in me, but somehow didn't. I spent time waiting to feel unease. It never got there.

Please don't misunderstand me. I love subtle horror. I prefer it. But the impact of the horror, the feel of the gothic has to be there. It has to be planted in one's mind so that the power of the threat, or its aftermath, is felt. I never felt the true impact with this story.

On the positive side, I felt that the psychological results of the 'demon children' on caregivers was translated pretty well. You could see the confusion and the distress that these beautiful, seemingly perfect children was having on the governess and the cook. It was interesting to see the governess have discussions with a child, that seemed incongruously adult. Discussions with an intellectual equal who will go for the jugular, so one has to be prepared for the worst. I felt that. At times, Miles did exude a menace that I wanted to feel. I felt the governess's anxiety at being in a situation that was beyond her control. Not sure that she was doing the right thing. And fearing for the safety of herself, those around her, and the children in her charge. But it was in a detached fashion. The power of horror is in bringing to light fears that we personally can identify with on some level, the more personal and visceral the better. If that barrier stays between the reader and the circumstance, then horror loses its ability to affect us.

I have to say that I will read my volume Ghost Stories by this author, and hope for the best. But, I won't be attempting any of his non-gothic works. Although he is a beautiful writer, there is not enough to engage on an emotional level, which is very important to me in my pleasure reading. My recommendation: If you are a person who is absolutely committed to a thorough immersion into gothic fiction/classic horror reading, you should read this. However, depending on your tastes in writing styles, if you are like myself in that you don't go for pretty writing with less substance, I wouldn't expect much from it. Although I wouldn't say I am the most sophisticated reader, I am sophisticated enough to realize that much enjoyment can be found in 19th century literature, but this story didn't deliver that for me.(less)

49 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2013 Cristina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dialoghi terrificanti.
La governante e' stupida, ingenua o incredibilmente scaltra? L'istitutrice Ha turbe mentali, delirio di persecuzione, o vede veramente i fantasmi? E i fantasmi, esistono veramente?
E se si perche' son cosi' a modo? Mai che deambulino incatenati, gonfino tende, emettano suoni gutturali e spaventosi.
Infine i bambini, perche' quell'eloquio incredibilmente inappropriato al loro status di infanti? Sono beffardi e maligni, o vittime della follia dell'istitutrice? A queste ed a...more

7 likes · like · see review

Nov 07, 2007 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: brit lit fans, people who like psychological readings of texts

Shelves: fiction, victorian, 19th-century

Creepy. Twisty-turny. Ghosts. Weird kids. Unreliable, possibly insane narrator. Henry James, is there no genre that you will not poke your head into?

No, really. It's interesting though. On the surface, this story is perfect to curl up by the fire with on a cold winter's night. Which is exactly how the book is framed, by the way. As a story told in front of a fireside on a cold winter's night. It's short, it reads quickly, and is open to pretty much whatever you want to make of it. James lets yo...more

25 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Jason Koivu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I'm quite upset! Henry James scared the bejeezus out of me and I demand he put it back! I loved my bejeezus...

The Turn of the Screw is old school horror. More eerie and creepy rather than horrid and ghastly, but effective in its ability to scare with atmosphere and suggestion. What better setting to do so than the cold, damp and lonesome English countryside?

18 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Chiara Pagliochini rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classici-inglesi

“Oh, sì, possiamo star qui sedute a guardarli, e loro possono darcela a bere sin che vogliono; ma persino quando fingono d’esser perduti nelle loro fiabe, sono sprofondati nella visione dei morti che ritornano.”

Ho letto questo romanzo per la prima volta tre o quattro anni fa e ora, con un esame di letteratura inglese alle porte (toc toc!), ho considerato opportuna una rilettura. Ed è straordinario che mi sorprenda e mi confonda ora come allora.

Cito dal retro-copertina,“un testo fondamentale del...more “Oh, sì, possiamo star qui sedute a guardarli, e loro possono darcela a bere sin che vogliono; ma persino quando fingono d’esser perduti nelle loro fiabe, sono sprofondati nella visione dei morti che ritornano.”

Ho letto questo romanzo per la prima volta tre o quattro anni fa e ora, con un esame di letteratura inglese alle porte (toc toc!), ho considerato opportuna una rilettura. Ed è straordinario che mi sorprenda e mi confonda ora come allora.

Cito dal retro-copertina,“un testo fondamentale della narrativa dell’ambiguità, racconto gotico di fantasmi e ardita esplorazione dell’inconscio, storia di fanciulli perversi o di vittime innocenti, allegoria del desiderio represso e inscenato delirio dell’immaginazione”. Trovo che sia una descrizione tanto azzeccata e articolata quanto contraddittoria in apparenza. Prima di tutto, viene da dirsi, una cosa o A oppure è B. O è una storia di fantasmi o non lo è. O i fanciulli sono innocenti oppure sono perversi. Ma il grande merito di Henry James sta in questo, ovvero nel fare in modo che la sua piccola storia sia tutte queste cose insieme, che non si risolva nel giro di centocinquanta pagine, ma anzi che non smetta mai di suscitare interrogativi.

Ricordo quando la lessi per la prima volta. Era estate, sono sicura, e leggevo al tavolinetto su in terrazza. Non riuscivo a staccarmi dalle pagine, volevo sapere, arrivare in fondo per capire quel che non stavo affatto capendo. Ricordo lo shock dell’ultima pagina, quando chiusi il libro e capii che non avevo capito niente. Non che ci fosse un colpo di scena, anzi: è proprio la mancanza di un colpo di scena a rendere questo romanzo in apparenza così insulso ed assurdo. Oppure è il suo piccolo tocco di genio.
Ma allora ero piccola, non avevo mai sentito parlare di Freud e non pensavo che sogni, malattie e paranoie sono soprattutto il prodotto di un nostro desiderio. Così un uomo può vedere i fantasmi, ma può anche desiderare di vedere fantasmi o può, addirittura, creare dei fantasmi. James lancia tutti gli ami con le domande e semplicemente non pesca risposte. Forse decidere spetta al lettore o forse tutte le possibilità possono sussistere nello stesso tempo.
Ricordo che Il giro di vite mi aveva colpito perché iniziava un po’ come una scena di Jane Eyre. Una giovane istitutrice viene assunta da un affascinante datore di lavoro per badare ai suoi due nipotini. E c’è una scena, in particolare, in cui questa istitutrice senza nome ricalca pienamente i passi di Jane. È sola, è il crepuscolo, sta facendo una passeggiata all’aperto. La sua immaginazione si dipana come una ragnatela ed ecco che desidera di incontrare qualcuno. Chi vuole incontrare è proprio il ricco signore che l’ha assunta, il nostro lontanissimo Mr Rochester, e immagina di vederlo là, a una svolta della via. Il momento dopo vede effettivamente qualcuno, ma non si tratta di Mr Rochester e nemmeno è a una svolta della via. È invece il fantasma di un uomo mai visto stagliato sulla cima di una torre.
Le apparizioni proseguiranno, il suo sgomento, il suo terrore si faranno più forti. Perché la nostra Jane sa – sa, anche se nessuno glielo ha detto; sa, anche se nessuno può confermarlo – che quel fantasma e un fantasma di donna sua compagna sono tornati sulla terra per torturare i due bambini. I due bambini, creature angeliche, deliziose, affettuose, intelligentissime che lei sola può difendere dagli influssi del male. I due bambini, che scoprirà – o supporrà o si inventerà – essere a loro volta delle creature cieche, corrotte, demoniache, creature che rispondono con gioia agli appelli dei fantasmi e che anzi vedono lei – lei, la nostra Jane! – come un abisso di perfidia.

È una storia molto tetra, che non potrà che evolvere in peggio. È la storia dell’impossibilità di comunicare quel che si sente e quel che si vede. È la storia dell’impossibilità di valutare la sincerità di chi abbiamo di fronte. È la storia dell’impossibilità di capire se quel che vediamo è vero oppure soltanto il frutto della nostra fantasia malata, perversa, costretta a vie ambigue e corrotte pur di togliersi di dosso i lacci di una scomoda repressione.
È una storia, anche, che si legge con un certo disagio, che non si dipana malleabile tra le dita del lettore, perché troppi elementi sfuggono alla sua comprensione e alla sua possibilità di verifica. I dialoghi, così confusi e bizzarri, parole che non dicono niente o vengono fraintese o restano in sospeso, private del loro potere di comunicazione. Le apparizioni, pennellate così rapidamente che non si capisce se accadano davvero. Il rapporto tra l’istitutrice e i suoi bambini, così affettuoso eppure così velato di sottointesi, di compromessi e forse in fondo scabroso, sbagliato, un altro gioco perverso.

Ecco, è una storia che mette a disagio, certo. Si può prendere il libro e scagliarlo con il muro dicendo, “che roba insulsa da sprecarci il tempo”. Oppure si può solo strappare l’ultima pagina con un moto di indignazione e poi restare lì a chiedersi, “ma perché?”.
Ed io ci sarà un motivo se sono rimasta.
(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2008 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1001

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ghost story novella from Henry James that took way too long for me to finally finish. Plot involves an unnamed narrator telling a story on Christmas Eve involving a governess in England. The governess is hired by a man who is the guardian of his niece (Flora) and nephew (Miles) after the death of their parents. The uncle is clearly not terribly involved in the well being of the children.

The governess is a bit apprehensive, especially when she finds out that little Miles has been kicked out of s...more Ghost story novella from Henry James that took way too long for me to finally finish. Plot involves an unnamed narrator telling a story on Christmas Eve involving a governess in England. The governess is hired by a man who is the guardian of his niece (Flora) and nephew (Miles) after the death of their parents. The uncle is clearly not terribly involved in the well being of the children.

The governess is a bit apprehensive, especially when she finds out that little Miles has been kicked out of school, but both the kids seem so very sweet and charming. Then the governess begins to see things, including a strange man in a tower and glaring at her through the dining room window. The governess is told that the strange man was the former valet, Peter Quint, who is now dead. Uh oh.

The governess becomes super protective, but the governess continues to see ghosts, including a woman dressed in black who is thought to be Miss Jessel, her predecessor who is also dead. More ghosts, or maybe just the kids and the housekeeper messing with governess, ensue as she becomes more and more on edge. The governess resolves to stay strong and not get the heck out of the house. Gradually, though, she thinks Quint and Jessel are using the children to continue their relationship beyond the grave. The governess keeps trying to convince others that the ghost is there and to take action and sadly, little Miles dies.

Of course, the best part of the entire novella is the whole unreliable narrator aspect. The governess is quite possibly mad and obviously the possibility that she is seeing all these ghosts because she is crazy makes the story much more interesting. Henry James is in many ways brilliant (this is my second James novel), but he is as hard to get through as anyone. The story is far from a page turner and although the unreliable narrator stuff is really good, it really does not frighten you the way that modern stories can. Even for gothic lit, I have read things that give me more of the creeps. A solid read though, just not really a quick one.
(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Jul 07, 2007 Andrea rated it 2 of 5 stars

Henry James is tough and I find his text to be pretty convoluted. I have this "joke": the average letter count/word in this book is about 9. Of course, it's not, but I vaguely remember the need to read this book with a dictionary. That probably only makes me less educated.
It's also old, so the ghost story is not at all thrilling or causing a "page-turner" status. The same thing happens over and over again and it's "scary", all to arrive at an ambiguous climax that is interesting, but not really...more

20 likes · like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 Mosca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who dares

****************************

Wow.

Count me among the impressed. This is an extraordinary work.

But first a short introduction, I’ve read for my entire six decades of life. I’m college educated; but I have no Literary education past high school, nor have I any real background concerning Henry James other than a failed high school book report on Daisy Miller. I’ve read a very brief review on the internet by an admired friend who gave away little, but expressed an enormous respect for this work. Howev...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic, victorians

The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story novella by Henry James. The narrator, an unnamed young woman, accepts a job looking after two orphaned children Miles and Flora at Bly House - a country pile, mainly because she takes a fancy to their uncle (who is also their guardian). His only stipulation is that she never contact him regarding the children, just go and look after them and let him get on with his life in London. The governess arrives at the country house and befriends the housekeeper Mrs...more The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story novella by Henry James. The narrator, an unnamed young woman, accepts a job looking after two orphaned children Miles and Flora at Bly House - a country pile, mainly because she takes a fancy to their uncle (who is also their guardian). His only stipulation is that she never contact him regarding the children, just go and look after them and let him get on with his life in London. The governess arrives at the country house and befriends the housekeeper Mrs Grose. The children are perfect little angels - creepily perfect in every way, so when Miles returns from his boarding school with a letter saying he has been expelled, the governess wonders what terrible thing the boy has done. Then she starts to glimpse strange figures wandering the grounds of the house.

The book is very nicely written and succeeds in creating some exceedingly creepy scenes, between the governess and the children - I don't know how much of this is deliberate and how much is period language. Some of the ghost scenes are brilliantly scary too. It has quite a modern style, in that, as the children deny her stories, you begin to wonder about the reliability of her as a narrator, is she paranoid and insane or are these things really happening? In that respect it was a little like The Yellow Wallpaper.

I was relieved that it was only a novella, and so the scenes were pretty concise, compared to other rambling victorian novels I've read recently. It would have got four stars, but the ending was a little lame, after all the winding up, all the turns of the screw, it doesn't quite pay off with the action a modern writer might give it. In fact, I think the ending of Florence and Giles is a little bit better, though less believable.

Florence and Giles, by John Harding, was the main reason I wanted to read this book.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73...
They are similar and I wanted to compare the two. Very similar it turned out. Florence and Giles live in a Blye House an almost identical house in New England, with the housekeeper Mrs Grouse. They are orphans, whose absent uncle sends a governess to look after them, the book is narrated by Florence also an unreliable narrator, who may not be telling the whole truth about events. there are many other similarities although the twist at the end turns out very different. But it is interesting that John Harding obviously took all the main elements of Henry James's story and refashioned them into something different. Both books are worth reading.

(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, fiction, horror, read-in-2013

The story begins sat around the fire on a winter’s night, telling each other ghostly tales. One gentleman Douglas, along with much ado, recounts the story of a governess he once knew. Upon taking up her first residence, strange things begin to happen at Bly and this is the eerie account of what she experienced.

All horror stories are a little silly in their own way but 19th Century literature seems to capture the quintessential ghost story so well. The Turn of the Screw is no different. It is h...more The story begins sat around the fire on a winter’s night, telling each other ghostly tales. One gentleman Douglas, along with much ado, recounts the story of a governess he once knew. Upon taking up her first residence, strange things begin to happen at Bly and this is the eerie account of what she experienced.

All horror stories are a little silly in their own way but 19th Century literature seems to capture the quintessential ghost story so well. The Turn of the Screw is no different. It is haunting in a subtle and suggestive way, rather than in the modern ‘slap-you-in-the-face-with-lots-of-blood-and-gore’ kind of way. It uses your own mind to unsettle you, providing you let it suck you in. That is the key of course, letting it take you on its journey and allowing it to worm its way into the perhaps less confident parts of your mind. It doesn’t aim to frighten you as such (that emotion is much too vulgar for well brought up ladies and gentlemen) but rather, works to titillate and seduce you to uneasiness and leave you awake in the night, wondering about the lurking possibilities. It is easy to see how the governess’ tale works for Douglas as he sits by the roaring fire, drinking brandy (such a ‘Raven’-esque scene), especially with all the theatrics he brings with it.

The bare bones of the tale, of course, are not scary but it is the evocative play and the general atmosphere that is lingering. It is so easy to picture, albeit in an almost cheesy but endearing ghost-story kind of way – all wraithlike, pale visions and unearthly howls. We can all, too, imagine how we would jump at the sudden pale face, staring in through the window with creepy purpose. The children in Miss’ charge are chilling as well, with their adult like demeanour and speech patterns. They reminded me somewhat of the children from the Village of the Damned – cold, strong and wise beyond their years. Children who are not quite what they seem are enough to make anyone shiver. Whatever happened to sweetness and light?

I also love 19th Century narrative for its beauty, flow and sheer celebration of words. It makes me want to read aloud in my best ‘lady of the manner’ voice (we’ve all got one – admit it), interspersed with my ‘lowly servant’ drawl. (I do it in my head of course, for fear of looking quite mad. Apart from those times when I am taken by wild abandon…) James does not fail in the narrative. He could be criticised (in fact, has been criticised) for being too verbose, for using more words than are necessary but here, it works. It creates that sumptuous, indulgent feel that only truly great writing can. It’s a big, warm blanket by an open fire, a glass of something delectable and tasty treats too. It’s like falling into a pit of deliciousness. It’s wordy, and I like it.

In all, this is a fun, haunting-if-you-let-it read that is quick and enjoyable on many levels. I simply hadn’t realised how much I would enjoy James and any story that leaves me with an audible gasp at the end (however naff that may be), is a decent one in my book.

edited due to typo(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Cathy DuPont rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“That’s why you develop a brain, so you can think about more than one thing at a time.” Bill Clinton.

Surely as a Rhodes scholar, President Clinton read Henry James (1853-1916) however, that quote does not fit with the Henry James I read where I had to devote 100% of my concentration on James' writing. At times I had to re-read passages after asking myself, “What?” "Huh?"

Written in 1898 when Harry Houdini, séances, spiritual mediums, and automatic (from the spirits) writing were subjects explore...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Orsodimondo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: americana

GENERE UNICO
Questo libro mi ha fatto paura, m'ha messo i brividi, m'ha costretto a leggere solo in presenza del sole per tenermi lontano da buio e tenebre: ci sono i fantasmi o li vede solo la governante? E' lei, figlia di un pastore, così rigida da inventarsi tutto o i fantasmi imperversano davvero? I bambini sono vittime, complici o addirittura carnefici?
E anche se tutte queste domande rimanessero senza risposta precisa, che importa? Si tratta comunque di una splendida unica storia d'amore.
Deg...more GENERE UNICO
Questo libro mi ha fatto paura, m'ha messo i brividi, m'ha costretto a leggere solo in presenza del sole per tenermi lontano da buio e tenebre: ci sono i fantasmi o li vede solo la governante? E' lei, figlia di un pastore, così rigida da inventarsi tutto o i fantasmi imperversano davvero? I bambini sono vittime, complici o addirittura carnefici?
E anche se tutte queste domande rimanessero senza risposta precisa, che importa? Si tratta comunque di una splendida unica storia d'amore.
Degli effetti dell'amore, intesi anche come possibili danni.
O è una storia di possessione.
Ma l'amore non è forse anche possessione?

Henry James è sommo scrittore che io amo molto.
I grandi prendono un genere, ci si immergono, giocano con le sue regole e convenzioni, ne fanno quello che vogliono, ne fanno altro, e vanno oltre.
Qui, come sempre in HJ, raffinati intricati intrecciati quadri psicologici.

Magnifico, davvero eccezionale anche il film del 1961 in un magico bianco e nero. Jack Clayton doveva essere particolarmente ispirato, non si è mai ripetuto a questi livelli. Titolo originale "The Innocents", chiaramente riferito ai bambini - tradotto in italiota con un banalissimo "Suspense".
Sono seguiti altri adattamenti, ma il primo rimane di gran lunga il migliore.
Inizia con quandro nero e una filastrocca cantata dai bambini che fa venire la pelle d'oca e si capisce dove Morricone si sia ispirato per le colonne sonore dei primi film di Dario Argento.
Prosegue in stile espressionista, peraltro immediatamente abbandonato, con il dettaglio, sempre in campo nero, delle mani di Ms Giddens giunte in preghiera a invocare l'aiuto divino per le vite e le anime degli 'innocenti'.
In questo caso, parafrasando, si potrebbe dire che la morte corre lungo il lago, più che il fiume :)

E quanto possono essere innocenti dei bambini che cantano in continuazione con abbandono e rapimento una lullaby che dice:
WE LAY MY LOVE AND I BENEATH THE WEEPING WILLOW.
BUT NOW ALONE I LIE AND WEEP BESIDE THE TREE.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those rare occasions that I wish I could modulate my ratings by half-stars; I can't decide if it's three or four. I want to say four because the story is still fresh on my mind this morning but I'm sure that will fade in time, so I'm (somewhat reluctantly) going with three.

I've been making a habit lately of trying not to learn anything about that which I'm going to read just so that I may keep from spoilerating or applying outside influence to my thought processes. In looking at a...more This is one of those rare occasions that I wish I could modulate my ratings by half-stars; I can't decide if it's three or four. I want to say four because the story is still fresh on my mind this morning but I'm sure that will fade in time, so I'm (somewhat reluctantly) going with three.

I've been making a habit lately of trying not to learn anything about that which I'm going to read just so that I may keep from spoilerating or applying outside influence to my thought processes. In looking at all sorts of information about turn-of-last-century ghost stories online I saw a mention of this one and so to my Kindle it went without any foreknowledge of the content.

The authors I've read most recently which I feel would be appropriate to compare to Henry James would be Ambrose Bierce and M. R. James, both of whom wrote at around the same time and of similar subject matter. M. R. James is a fast read to me, Bierce a little more slow. Henry James, though ... man. Check this example sentence out:

I felt, in a fierce rigor of confidence, that if I stood my ground a minute I should cease—for the time, at least—to have him to reckon with; and during the minute, accordingly, the thing was as human and hideous as a real interview: hideous just because it WAS human, as human as to have met alone, in the small hours, in a sleeping house, some enemy, some adventurer, some criminal.

Now I understand why Cormac McCarthy writes as he does - James already used up all the punctuation. I love to read fast, streaming along and devouring a book, and this prose tripped me up constantly. That, and the writing was deliberately vague on some points. I found it so vague that I was left wondering just how intentional it was, and how I was supposed to interpret the governess's thoughts and actions, and the credibility of her story. By the time I finished I had convinced myself that I knew absolutely nothing about what was going on - and then I went and read the Wikipedia article on this novella and found out that not only am I not alone but apparently it's a source of debate to this day.

So ... did I like it? I'm still not sure. The writing I found overly verbose, so stuffed that commas were leaking out left and right. The style was antiquated and opaque to the point of slowing me down and making me question what I'd just read. On paper (no pun intended) I guess I didn't like it, yet after I finished I went about my evening chores with a nagging feeling of dread, and I kept thinking about the governess and her interpretation of events, so obviously it made a big impression on me. I'm still chewing over it now.

Can't enthusiastically recommend it, couldn't possibly tell someone not to read it. I guess this leaves my review just as vague as the story itself.

[edited to clarify: I understand Henry James was still writing in a Gothic style and M. R. James was a leader of a new school of post-Gothic ghost stories, and maybe comparing the two is apples to oranges, but in my meager catalogue of "late 1800s / early 1900s ghost stories" they're close enough to warrant comparison](less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Diletta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Io sono oltremodo perplessa.
Sapevo che la fine di questo libro mi avrebbe lasciato coi miei simpatici interrogativi, ma sono fermamente convinta che mi sia sfuggito qualcosa, sommerso da tutte le ciance della protagonista, probabilmente.
Io adoro le storie di fantasmi, di ogni genere: non che Il giro di vite non mi sia piaciuto, ma penso che se da un lato l'idea sia estremamente buona, dall'altro il buon Henry James si sia un po' perso per strada. Mi spiego.
La protagonista viene assunta da un...more Io sono oltremodo perplessa.
Sapevo che la fine di questo libro mi avrebbe lasciato coi miei simpatici interrogativi, ma sono fermamente convinta che mi sia sfuggito qualcosa, sommerso da tutte le ciance della protagonista, probabilmente.
Io adoro le storie di fantasmi, di ogni genere: non che Il giro di vite non mi sia piaciuto, ma penso che se da un lato l'idea sia estremamente buona, dall'altro il buon Henry James si sia un po' perso per strada. Mi spiego.
La protagonista viene assunta da un Mr Rochester approssimativo, totalmente indifferente a qualsiasi cosa che non sia il suo lavoro, come istitutrice dei suoi piccoli nipoti, che abitano in una bellissima villa a Bly. Qui conoscerà Miles e Flora, due bambini di nove e otto anni, (particolarmente irritanti nei modi quanto nell'aspetto) che sembrano nascondere un terribile segreto.
Ecco, qui dovrei fare particolar menzione del loro modo di parlare e ragionare. Non so voi, ma io non ho mai visto bambini di quell'età discorrere come filosofi esistenzialisti. E' una cosa impressionante, sul serio.
Quindi, in quanto a dialoghi, qui proprio non ci siamo, ma proprio per niente.
Ma veniamo ai fantasmi, il punto cruciale del racconto. Ci sono? Non ci sono? Non si sa. Probabilmente la narratrice è una pazza squilibrata, tutto porta il lettore in questa direzione, anche se comincia a tirare le somme solo verso la fine. Questo mi è sostanzialmente piaciuto, soprattutto per l'epoca di James è innegabile far notare quanto sia stato un fattore profondamente innovativo. E' come se dicesse: "Ecco qua, questo è il mio libro, ho messo diverse cose apparentemente a caso, adesso interpretatevelo un po' come vi pare."
Niente da dire, i miei rispetti.
E poi, bisogna spendere due parole anche su quell'essere indisponente di Miles. Cosa ha combinato in questo fantomatico college per essere stato espulso? Non si sa, o meglio, non se lo ricorda (e non voglio aprire una discussione anche su questo). E alla fine, proprio nell'ultima pagina...beh, forse non dovrei dirlo. Io odio gli spoiler, sia darne che riceverne. Ma chi ha letto il libro sa a cosa mi riferisco. E mi chiedo: perché? Ci deve essere senz'altro un significato metaforico sotto che mi è sfuggito perché sono una contadina ignorante e bifolca.

In conclusione, questo libro... sì, mi è piaciuto. Ma la narratrice della vicenda è davvero , ma davvero troppo prolissa e sconclusionata. Si perde troppo nei meandri del suo inconscio apprensivo e paranoico, e anche se questo dovrebbe piacere...non so, con me non è scattato. Periodi lunghissimi, mille subordinate, speculazioni campate per aria.
Do pertanto a questo libro un 3/5 , finché non riceverò un'illuminazione o un epiphany Joyciana.
(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2007 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-collection

Reading Henry James seems to be like swimming through a thick swamp. His verbosity is a double-edged sword. When it is appropriate, it can be beautifully descriptive; when it's not, it borders on pretention and is tedious. His language was my favorite thing about this book, but the story's ambiguity is also wonderful. I think it separates the cynical from the romantic. (Unfortunately, I side more with the cynic.)

8 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2013 Fiona rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: creepy-in-a-good-way, god-life-is-so-depressing, highbrow-literachoor, kindle-books, oh-you-clever-author-you, read-in-2013, to-be-reviewed

Before this last month, my only experience of The Turn of the Screw was the very good BBC adaptation a couple of years ago with Michelle Dockery (of Downton Abbey fame) as the protagonist. At the time, I watched that with my sister, who is way better at creepy things than I am, and who outright loved it (while I, I must admit, spent the majority of it hiding behind a cushion and being roundly mocked for doing so!). But screen is different to page, and page is definitely my preferred medium, so o...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 31, 2011 Simona Bartolotta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classici

"Perché se egli era innocente, che ero io dunque?"

Romanzo breve senza capo né coda sotto tutti i punti di vista. Non vale neppure la pena di parlarne.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 07, 2012 Joséphine rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature

I must admit this book was a rare experience for me for it was the first time I ever liked a film adaptation more than the book itself from which it was adapted. The film adaptation I'm talking about is the 2009 version of The Turn of the Screw starring Michelle Dockery. I'm usually not the type of person who compares a film and a book with each other because a book and a film are someting very different. But as the book was so poorly written, I couldn't resist to compare it with the film at cer...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2009 Lavinia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, fiction

soundtrack: kate bush / the infant kiss

***

- for a ghost story, it's too introspective.
- if it's not a ghost story (though i was thrilled by the gothic atmosphere)and the governess is / becomes mad, why bother?
- i suspect H.J. wanted to play with the reader's mind. well he succeeded. for two or three times i just wanted to drop the book and start some serious reading :D
- miles and flora are too attached to each other, too cute, fair and perfect in the gov.'s eyes, so yes, this calls for some men...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

First I have to say this is the first Henry James book I've read.

A group of friends, during Christmas Eve, start telling scary stories.
That's when one of them reveals he has received a letter from a woman who, before dying, wrote down her strange adventure.

A young woman gets hired as a governess in an old mansion, to look after two kids.
What she doesn't expect is to start seeing two people, a man and a woman, who used to work at the mansion, and who are revealed to the woman to be dead.
She then...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: ghost hunters and 1001 books readers

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list

Shelves: 1001-books, bookcrossing-books, read-in-2011

Henry James uses The Turn of the Screw to highlight the fact that small children can be both sinister and scary!

In 1898, many authors were busily portraying children as sweetness and light (or not mentioning them at all); it was an age and a time when children were to be "seen and not heard". James instead plays on many peoples worst (although at that point possibly unrealised fears) and highlights the fact that as innocents they are succeptible and can easily be picked off by sinister servants...more

13 likes · like · see review

Sep 22, 2010 Amalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-horror-thriller, books-from-n-america, greatest-books-ever

Without a doubt 'The Turn of the Screw' is the most chilling and disturbing ghost story I’ve read. The first time I read it I could not comprehend it so put it down and then started to read again and it was than I began to grasp it and the third time was a chilling exciting marvel which still lingers somewhere in my brain.

It is well known that critics have debated whether 'The Turn of the Screw' is a ghost story or a psychological story of the governess's (story is told from her point of view) o...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2010 Alazzar rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'd heard a lot of rumors about this being a classic tale, and decided it was time to check it out. I haven't read a lot of stories this old (the closest thing is HP Lovecraft, who started writing about 20 years after The Turn of the Screw was published), and I wasn't really prepared for the language. Lovecraft alone can be hard enough to read at times, because people just wrote differently back then. And, as it seems, something 20 years older than Lovecraft was about 20 times more difficult to...more I'd heard a lot of rumors about this being a classic tale, and decided it was time to check it out. I haven't read a lot of stories this old (the closest thing is HP Lovecraft, who started writing about 20 years after The Turn of the Screw was published), and I wasn't really prepared for the language. Lovecraft alone can be hard enough to read at times, because people just wrote differently back then. And, as it seems, something 20 years older than Lovecraft was about 20 times more difficult to read.

Obviously, this wouldn't be much of a problem if it were a style of writing to which I was accustomed; i.e., if I'd lived and read regularly in the late 1800s/early 1900s, this would be commonplace. But for a "modern times" type of guy, I found the sentence structure distracting at best. It seems like every sentence had a flurry of semi-colons, parentheses, commas and dashes used to add side notes to every single thought. It got to the point where I'd forget what the sentence was originally about by the time I got to the end. It seriously seemed like these sentences never ended.

I'm pretty sure this book was pregnant, because it kept missing its periods.

That being said, I decided to stay with the book, because I'd heard such good things. And, around page 50, I decided that if I was that far into it, I might as well just finish so that I could see what makes it so good in the end.

In case you hadn't guessed by my one-star review, it was a pretty major letdown. I won't spoil anything by way of plot, but I'll say this: I expected something fantastic for all the hype, and I didn't get it.

And no, it wasn't because I was hoping this would be some sort of modern-style horror story where it's all about making the reader scream repeatedly. I understood going in that it was supposed to be a more "subtle" ghost story.

And I still didn't like it.

Of course, this was largely because of the language, I'll admit. By the end of the book, I'd suffered through so many sentences that I could barely even comprehend that I was frustrated as hell with what I felt was a lackluster story. Had I been more adept at reading this style, maybe things would have changed.

In the end, it's a tough read that I didn't feel was worthwhile. But if you're into this sort of language, you may want to give it a try, just because it's supposedly such a classic and isn't terribly long.

EDIT (06/02/2012): I've done some more reading of 19th-century stuff since I read and reviewed this book 2 years ago, and I can now say that the bizarre writing in The Turn of the Screw isn't actually a product of the times, so much as a product of Henry James being terrible.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2009 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-great-book-and-a-great-movie

I was inspired to read a Henry James novel by an article in Bookmarks magazine about him. He's known to be difficult to read so I thought I'd start with this short book to see if I could "handle" it. Well, it took me quite a while to read this 104-page book! The way James writes does not make for easy reading. His sentence structures are odd, almost stream-of-consciousness, so often you have to go back and attempt to put the pieces together. I can see why people may not have the patience for tha...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 04, 2009 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghost, horror, 19th-century-fiction

As most other reviewers have mentioned, Henry James' writing is extremely...dense. Sometimes while I was reading I had a vision of myself as a jungle explorer wielding a machete against the encroaching undergrowth, trying to find the path. Most of the time I enjoyed the challenge, but I have to admit that there were times I gave up on a particular sentence(s) and skipped ahead. Once you get past the style of writing, The Turn of the Screw is a story about...well, it's about "something". What tha...more

11 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Denae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, challenge-1010-by-2020

Forget cabins in remote wooded places or suspicious small towns; I am convinced that English country houses, particularly in cloudy areas, are the most dangerous places to live or visit. At best, you'll be robbed of something valuable. Maybe something you own will turn out to be cursed. Most likely you or someone else in the house will be brutally murdered. If you're lucky, that is. The characters in The Turn of the Screw do not get off so lightly. The book is narrated from the point of view of...more

6 likes · like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Central idea/theme of the book	8	62	Mar 11, 2013 05:11pm
Syria Readers Ass...: 003-The others	2	42	Mar 10, 2013 06:01pm
Aiossa's Senior 5...: derrick schoeps book #3	1	4	Dec 17, 2012 06:35pm
Books2Movies Club: The Turn of the Screw - 02 - Part Two	14	52	Dec 06, 2012 10:53am
Books2Movies Club: The Turn of the Screw - 01 - Part One	9	59	Dec 02, 2012 12:07pm

title link	preview: The Turn of the Screw
avg rating	preview: The Turn of the Screw Goodreads rating: 3.45 (27420 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12948.The_Turn_of_the_Screw?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327909344l/12948.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12948.The_Turn_of_the_Screw?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Turn of the Screw by Henry James[/url]

The Turn of the Screw

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (348)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Henry James

Books by Henry James

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Turn of the S...

Quotes from The Turn of the Screw