When Prose Ruins Plot

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


DNF 35%

This was my third attempt at The Turn of the Screw. I love classic literature, but some books are better left in the past. I'm sure this was an exciting novella when it was published in 1897, but by contemporary standards, this is not compelling horror writing. It's one of those books where I say to myself, "Why is this book so popular? What am I missing? Is it just me, or is this book wildly overrated?"

Sycophants will tell you that no other horror novel of the 20th century compares to The Turn of the Screw in its poetic, complicated prose; perhaps this is true, but does confusing prose improve the quality of a novel? In some cases we can objectively say that it does, but generally speaking complicated prose typically comes off as the author drinking too much absinth while writing.

In my opinion, the prose in The Turn of the Screw is distracting and detracts from the plot and characters.



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The Turn of the Screw