The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharing ghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the guests tells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernatural visitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only she suspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling the two orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil purpose. The household staff don't know what she's talking about, the children are evasive when questioned, and the master of the house (the children's uncle) is absent. Why does the young girl claim not to see a perfectly visible woman standing on the far side of the lake? Are the children being deceptive, or is the governess being paranoid? By leaving the questions unanswered, The Turn of Screw generates spine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers.


From AudioFile
James's novella is one of the great intellectual spook tales of all time. The plot: A neurotic governess, believing that the two children in her care are being haunted by malevolent ghosts, seeks to exorcize them. Here Emma Fielding gives an arresting and dramatic performance. Unfortunately, she doesn't give full character to the narrating governess. How can she? This is an abridgment of an unabridgeable text, one so carefully nuanced that every phrase contributes another color to the palette. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Book News, Inc.
Presents the complete text of the 1908 New York edition of James's classic novel, followed by five critical essays written by prominent theorists discussing reader-response criticism, deconstruction, psychoanalytic criticism, feminist criticism, and Marxist criticism. No index but contains a glossary of critical and theoretical terms. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.


Midwest Book Review
Henry James' haunting, complex, and still controversial short story proved to be a perfect vehicle for translation to the graphic novel format by the gifted artist Guido Crepax. Crepax (in his unusual page layout designs) is a proven master of the innuendo, the mysterious and the sensually disturbing sexual undertones. Crepax is very well known for his remarkable adaptations of such adult classics as "Emmanuelle" and "The Story of O". With the brilliant story-telling talent of Henry James, Crepex has once again successfully tackled with finesse and great sensuality, an aspect of our psyche that may fascinate, but also possibly horrify us. The atmosphere in The Turn Of The Screw is visually loaded and deceptively quiet and routine.


Book Description
The Turn of the Screw remains one of Henry James's most remarkable narratives, one whose popularity when it was published is matched by its power to stir readers today. It is one of James's most teachable texts, an indispensable reference point for such critical concerns as point of view and unreliable narration. As such, it is an invaluable introduction to the intricacies of James's style and technique in the novels of the "major phase." This revised Norton Critical Edition of The Turn of the Screw is again based on the authoritative New York Edition text, with history and notes. "Contexts" includes twenty-six selections from James's letters, notebooks, and other writings centering on "my little book," the ghost story, and the supernatural. Four Charles Demuth paintings, inspired by James's text, are included. Since The Turn of the Screw has been a focal text in recent theoretical considerations of James and of the narrative generally, "Criticism" has been thoroughly updated to include seventeen new assessments, along with twelve earlier seminal essays. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included. About the Series: Each Norton Critical Edition includes an authoritative text, contextual and source materials, and a wide range of interpretations-from contemporary perspectives to the most current critical theory-as well as a bibliography and, in most cases, a chronology of the author's life and work.


Download Description
Henry James' short novels provide an overview of his entire career and serve as an excellent introduction to his singular art and imagination.


The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
Novella by Henry James, published serially in Collier's Weekly in 1898 and published in book form later that year. One of the world's most famous ghost stories, the tale is told mostly through the journal of a governess and depicts her struggle to save her two young charges from the demonic influence of the eerie apparitions of two former servants in the household. The story inspired critical debate over the question of the "reality" of the ghosts and of James's intentions. James himself, in his preface to volume XII of The Novels and Tales of Henry James, called the tale a "fable" and said that he did not specify details of the ghosts' evil deeds because he wanted readers to supply their own vision of terror.


Card catalog description
The governess of two enigmatic children fears their souls are in danger from the ghosts of the previous governess and her sinister lover.


From the Publisher
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ANNOTATION

The governess of two enigmatic children fears their souls are in danger from the ghosts of the previous governess and her sinister lover.

FROM THE PUBLISHER