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The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers and Two Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers and Two Stories, by Henry James, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classicsseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:
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Paperback, 312 pages
Published
August 1st 2003
by Barnes & Noble Classics
(first published 1908)
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I don’t know if I read this book at the wrong time, or what. But I found the stories overall disappointing. Without The Beast in the Jungle, all would have been lost. I had high hopes that I would be very impressed with them, but I never connected. I never felt compelled to read more, I read more out of duty. That is rare for me.
I would consider all of these as novellas more than short stories – It is a length of writing that I don’t read often….and maybe has gone by the wayside.
Here on some t...more
I would consider all of these as novellas more than short stories – It is a length of writing that I don’t read often….and maybe has gone by the wayside.
Here on some t...more
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Talk about a case of the movie being better than the book! I put this on my list to read because I have, of course, heard of Henry James, seen one of the many movies of The Turn of The Screw, and it's listed as a "classic". I feel that I should read classics, just because they are. Ok, so I know that the English language of that era was more eloquent, had more flourish, which I can appreciate, than the demolished modern version of same. Also, I know that it seemed to take much longer to say some...more
I've only read The Turn of the Screw in this book so far.......and I have to admit I had a hard time with it, Henry James not only has a way with words but his sentences are so long that by the time I get to the end I forgot what the sentence was about!! And I have to say the ending is not what I was expecting......I had to read the last page several times....there are instances where I was confused as to who was speaking.....after I have given this a couple of days to settle I will go back and...more
I thought "The Aspern Papers" was outstanding b/c it asks 'what would you do to get something you REALLY wanted? Would you marry somebody you didn't care for?' Shades of "Wings of the Dove." 'Didn't care for "The Turn of the Screw" as much primarily due to the ambiguity of the situation...was the governess mad? Was the house haunted? Both? Really (purposely) unclear. "The Beast in the Jungle" was great, although incredibly sad and the last one ("The Jolly Corner") was just so-so. 'Still a James...more
This is more of a rant than a "real" review. I hate "The Turn of the Screw."
I got to read "The Turn of the Screw" in my Literary Interpretation class, which was great for two reasons - one, I already had a copy of it in my library, and two, it would give me a reason to read the damn thing. Understand - I was damn excited.
Looking back, I would now say that I HAD to read "The Turn of the Screw". Shit, was this book like some kind of post-modern art, where clarity and character and enjoyability are...more
I got to read "The Turn of the Screw" in my Literary Interpretation class, which was great for two reasons - one, I already had a copy of it in my library, and two, it would give me a reason to read the damn thing. Understand - I was damn excited.
Looking back, I would now say that I HAD to read "The Turn of the Screw". Shit, was this book like some kind of post-modern art, where clarity and character and enjoyability are...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, a young governess is hired to care for two orphaned children, Flora and Miles. The children are almost too beautiful and engaging, readily attaching themselves to their new governess. Soon after arriving, the new governess starts seeing a man and women wondering through the house and estate. After describing these two people to the housekeeper, Mrs. Gross, the governess decides they are Peter Quint, a former servant now dead, and Miss Jessel, the previous g...more
I only read "The Turn of the Screw" portion of this book, so I don't know about the other 3 stories, but I had mixed feelings about the part I did read. It started off pretty creepy and intriguing and then I got annoyed with the narrator and it went downhill about halfway through. It reminded me a lot of the movie "The Others" even though the stories are completely different. I might try the rest of the stories some other time.
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Why did it take me so long to read Henry James? "The Beast in the Jungle" is one of the best novellas that I've ever read; the craftsmanship and emotion in the final paragraph is absolutely stunning. I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with his longer works.
Nov 25, 2009
Heather
added it
Is Henry James a feminist or anti-feminist? The clinical nature of the story-telling makes it hard to tell.
Reread. I hope Juliana haunts all "publishing scoundrels."
Not good, took forever to say anything.
I didn't manage to finish this...it was just too slow. That said, I really enjoy Henry James use of language, his careful description, and the way he steps into the protagonists. At times, I very much felt the creepy that he intended.
However--get to the point. Dan Brown isn't a fabulous writer, but he could teach James a few lessons about pacing.
However--get to the point. Dan Brown isn't a fabulous writer, but he could teach James a few lessons about pacing.
I think I'm going to shelve this one for now and read the remaining two stories (The Beast in the Jungle and The Jolly Corner)at a later date. I haven't touched this book in a week and cannot find myself wanting to finish right now. It's not a bad book but I certainly had higher expectations, especially for the Turn of the Screw which really was not that intriguing to me at all.
Loved it, loved it, loved it. The Aspern Papers, about a man obsessed with obtaining the papers of a deceased writer (for whom he is the biographer) which are held by a bitter old woman and her beautiful young niece. What lengths will the man go to get these papers? You must read to find out. Suspenseful, fantastic.
I have, so far, only read Turn of the Screw. It was sort of creepy, but not as good as I expected it to be. I read it around Halloween (when, every year, I particularly crave ghost stories), and it didn't quite live up to its reputation. I will, eventually, give the other stories a try.
Oh, Henry, thou art wordy...
I liked The Aspern Papers a whole lot more that The Turn of The Screw.
Turn of the Screw = genius. This was my intro to Henry James.
May 16, 2013
Ken Boyce
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Kerswizzle Cheyne
marked it as to-read
May 09, 2013
Rachel
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Eckstra Vaganza
added it
May 05, 2013
Ashley Chilton
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2013
Marc Allen
is currently reading it
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Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the...more
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