The Turn of the Screw, Henry James
The Turn of the Screw, Henry James
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The Turn of the Screw

Author: Henry James

Narrator: Mira Williams

Unabridged: 4 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/31/2025

Categories: Fiction, Horror, Gothic, Classic

Synopsis

"The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James is a gothic novella written in the late 19th century. The story centers around a young governess who is assigned to care for two orphaned children at a remote English estate called Bly, where strange and unsettling events occur, raising questions about both the environment and the children themselves.
At the beginning of the novella, a group of friends gathers around a fire on Christmas Eve. During their conversation, they discuss ghostly experiences. One of the members, Douglas, hints at a chilling tale involving two children and a dreadful apparition that appeared to them. This sets the stage for the governess's recounting of her experiences at Bly.
Upon her arrival at the estate, she is captivated by the beauty of the children, Miles and Flora. However, beneath this charm lies an unsettling tension, particularly related to the previous governess, who died under mysterious circumstances. The opening sequence effectively builds an atmosphere of suspense, promising a haunting exploration of innocence, corrupted motives, and the supernatural.

About Henry James

American-born writer Henry James (1843–1916) authored 20 novels, 112 stories, 12 plays, and a number of literary criticisms.

James was born in New York City into a wealthy family. In his youth, James traveled back and forth between Europe and America. He studied with tutors in Geneva, London, Paris, Bologna, and Bonn. At the age of nineteen, he briefly attended Harvard Law School, but he was more interested in literature than law. James published his first short story, "A Tragedy of Errors," two years later and then devoted himself entirely to literature. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, he was a contributor to the Nation and Atlantic Monthly. His first novel, Watch and Ward, first appeared serially in the Atlantic.

After living in Paris, where he was a contributor to the New York Tribune, James moved to England. During his first years in Europe, James wrote novels that portrayed Americans living abroad. Between 1906 and 1910, he revised many of his tales and novels for the so-called New York edition of his complete works. Between 1913 and 1917, his three-volume autobiography-A Small Boy and Others, Notes of a Son and Brother, and The Middle Years (released posthumously)-was published. His last two novels, The Ivory Tower and The Sense of the Past, were left unfinished at his death.

Among James's masterpieces are Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, and The Wings of the Dove. In addition, James considered his 1903 work The Ambassadors his most "perfect" work of art.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Justin on November 01, 2021

I hate when I don't love a classic. It makes me feel stupid, like I'm too ignorant to comprehend literary brilliance. I'm particularly disappointed in myself for not loving The Turn of the Screw, because I'm such a huge fan of all things ghastly and Gothic. And this is both! But it's true. I didn't c......more

Goodreads review by Sasha on January 02, 2015

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 en......more

Goodreads review by Traveller on April 12, 2017

Now you see me, ...now you don’t.. What the... Meaning, understanding and certainty all become elusive chimera in this ambiguous game of hide-and-seek that Henry James plays with us. Have you ever been in one of those weird situations where you wondered if you were losing your mind, doubting whethe......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on October 10, 2019

Me at 50%: And 75%. And 90%. I was actually really excited to read this classic Henry James novella, a gothic ghost story published in 1898. A young woman is hired to be the governess for two young orphans by their uncle, whose good looks and charm impress the governess. She wants to impress him in t......more

Goodreads review by Vit on November 27, 2024

Some persons always record what did happen to them… And the story is a manuscript of a governess: “She was young, untried, nervous…” And there is a man who has hired her… And there are orphans she governed… He had been left, by the death of their parents in India, guardian to a small nephew and a smal......more

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