The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)
by Henry James
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I had to write a paper on this in college, which I titled as my thesis statement, "The Governess Hallucinates a lot or Something." Obviously, I got an A and the professor wrote in red pen, next to the grade, "Nice title." Another great memory of that class was going to it at noon one day after driving from the school 4 hours to Chicago to see Pavement, then 4 hours back. I was pretty slap happy after being up all night, and the prof asked if anyone remembered what the nam...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Those in need of a good ghost story; fans of Impressionism/Early Modernism
This novella is brilliant, and, due to its brevity (approximately 100 pages), a quick and easy read. James's story, centered around a young governess working in an isolated English estate who begins to see visions of malevolent ghosts, scared me more than I would like to admit. Alright I confess, I became so frightened reading it alone in my bedroom during the wee hours of the morn, that I was compelled to rush to Steve's room for a comforting cuddle (despite a fleeting paranoid thought that, ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2001
recommended to Elizabeth by:
Bill Joliffrecommends it for: wordy writers and readers
I learned that I don't like Henry James so much. I say this not to the point of meaning that he is a bad writer, but that he's not a writer who's work interests me in more than short story form. I made it through these short stories, barely, and I learned something 1) some ultimate point in each story 2) that I don't like Henry James. While James has something intereting to say he doesn't just come out and say it, he stretches it out to breaking point with far too many discriptives and metaphors...more
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Read in February, 2008
While I enjoyed reading a few of the shorter stories, (The Aspern Papers, An International Episode) The Turn of the Screw left me cold. I'm not sure if it was because I really didn't like TTOTS or if I was just tired of James's writing by that point. God forbid the man make it through a sentence with out 3 or 4 commas which intrude on what could have been a real statement and turn it into a passive string of words.
Aspern Papers, International Episode, Daisy Miller and Altar of the Dead wer...more
Aspern Papers, International Episode, Daisy Miller and Altar of the Dead wer...more
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Read in July, 2008
I found this collection of short stories compelling yet somewhat confusing -- James gingerly skirts around the twists, using turn-of-the-century euphemisms that left me mystified. Did the former governess molest the children or simply swear in front of them? Are the children victims or complicit? Reading critical analysis of the stories definitely helped clarify things. James has an amazing talent for dragging the reader through a lifetime of waiting (as in The Beast in the Jungle) without ...more
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Read in January, 2001
recommended to Dana by:
Steve Huff
The Turn of the Screw is probably one of the best creepy Victorian "ghost" stories. It tells the story of Miss Jessel, a governess hired to take care of a creepy boy and girl who are being haunted by the ghosts of their former governess and a servant. This novella offers up chills without the horror movie shlock that passes for scary today.
Of the other stories in this collection, I have only read Daisy Miller, the sad tale of an American out of her element in Europe...more
Of the other stories in this collection, I have only read Daisy Miller, the sad tale of an American out of her element in Europe...more
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I'm as done as I'm ever going to be with this book. I read 5 of the stories, but I just couldn't force myself to finish The Turn of the Screw. It was just too awful, yet slightly dull. :/
The other stories all had very unsatisfactory endings, especially the first one, An International Episode. I think I threw the book across the room when I finished and shouted "Stupid stupid girl!!!" I don't know why I read Henry James...I get so irritated.
However, I did like...more
The other stories all had very unsatisfactory endings, especially the first one, An International Episode. I think I threw the book across the room when I finished and shouted "Stupid stupid girl!!!" I don't know why I read Henry James...I get so irritated.
However, I did like...more
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6 comments
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
old people, linguists, people who are masochists
I didnt actually read this story, I TRIED to read the book. My mom suggested it as being a great story, and I'm sure that it is... but Henry James writes using the most tedious and long sentences possible and I found myself too annoyed to read the story.
These sentences were so long but the imparted information was so short, it was very similar to a subtitled or dubbed kung fu flick in that a character would rattle on for 60 seconds and the translation would be one or two words like 'good' o...more
These sentences were so long but the imparted information was so short, it was very similar to a subtitled or dubbed kung fu flick in that a character would rattle on for 60 seconds and the translation would be one or two words like 'good' o...more
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Read in December, 2007
Henry James requires more patience than I have (c.f. the introduction which addresses this), but his skills are not to be ignored. I'm curious if the GBLT community are more in tune to his expressions of repression (though in his personal life, he was quite out and active) much in the same way LDS members apparently read Orson Scott Card.
c.f. Hollingsworth's Line of Beauty which I wish I read after this Jamesapalooza. No repression there.
(btw: the effort was for Antioch and a lecture I ...more
c.f. Hollingsworth's Line of Beauty which I wish I read after this Jamesapalooza. No repression there.
(btw: the effort was for Antioch and a lecture I ...more
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Read in January, 2001
I do not normally enjoy short stories, with the exception of Henry James. He was horrible at writing plays because he would write these extremely long sentences for his actors, and it never seemed like real dialogue. For me, his genius is in his short stories - the meaning behind the stories, the perfection of his narrative. But beware, he was British and often uses his language in a precise and even cold way. There is warmth in it, you just have to pay close attention.
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The Turn of the Screw and Beast in the Jungle are among my favorite stories. They are eery without being cliché. Don't read the former as a mere ghost story, nor a mere psychological thriller for that matter. Likewise Beast in the Jungle, is not (merely) about whether or not John Marcher is a homosexual. I find the readings that emphasize the theme of theFreudian Uncanny and Nachträglichkeit persuasive.
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Read in August, 2007
I just re-read this book in August-- it is so amazing and twisted, and so abstract that is seems incedibly modern. James leaves so much open that the reader is free to do a lot of projecting if they're so inclined, which makes the pschology of this book fascinating not only in terms of the psychology of the characters (and their author), but also in terms of the psychology of the reader-- terrific!
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I'm reviewing a theatrical adaptation of "The Turn of the Screw" next week (timed with Halloween -- yay?) so I figured I ought to read it first. I never had to read Henry James for school, so I would consider that at least a minor hole in my education. (I've since read Daisy Miller and Washington Square, both of which I liked, but not as much as I like anything from Edith Wharton.)
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Henry James fans
This was my introduction to Henry James. The Turn of the Screw was the most enjoyable story of the lot, but all of them left me with a sense of wanting more. The stories end abruptly which can be frustrating. His writing is at times difficult to understand and many times I needed to reference a dictionary. I'm looking forward to watching movies based on some of these stories.
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Read in February, 2008
I love love love Henry James; I can handle a long sentence, especially ones as lovely as his. Turn of the Screw is such a wonderful ghost story. It's real creepiness lies in it's ambiguity--you never really know whether the ghosts are real or not, so you're left wondering whether the horror is in the insanity of the governess or the evil of the spirits. Good, quick read.
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Read in September, 2007
I tried to read this a long time ago and failed. Before that, I made a failed attempt to read "Portrait of a Lady." Now that I'm attempting to read "The Turn of the Screw," I remember why. It's often very hard to make any sense of his sentences. But perhaps I'll make it through.
I have the impression that I didn't entirely get this.
I have the impression that I didn't entirely get this.
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Read in June, 2007
Who knew there was a veiled gay theme in this book? I am planning on studying the Benjamin Britten opera this summer. I thought this book would only be a ghost story, but it is much more than that. More of a mystery, but not a whodunit. Every moment of the novel can be questioned and interpreted differently. I love that.
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Read in June, 2007
"The Turn of the Screw" is nicely creepy, though the long build up James uses before he gets to the story itself is a little tedious. I think it's also a story that's going to be rather frustrating for modern readers, who may expect their stories to be more cut and dried than this. Still, it's worth reading.
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Read in January, 2008
My introduction to James; this book features five short stories (my faves are "The Jolly Corner" and "Daisy Miller"). James has a distinct style, which he maintains throughout every story, and turns of elegant phrasing, though sometimes he can be florid. Notable descriptions of New York City.
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Henry James is infuriating and I love him anyway.
Turn of the Screw is a bone-chilling ghost story. Psychologically twisted (he was playing with endings before Hitchock came along), it's a book you can read on a few different (each deeply disturbing) levels.
Turn of the Screw is a bone-chilling ghost story. Psychologically twisted (he was playing with endings before Hitchock came along), it's a book you can read on a few different (each deeply disturbing) levels.
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