The Turn of the Screw

1 About this book

The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 gothic horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly from January 27 to April 16, 1898. On October 7, 1898, it was collected in The Two Magics, published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. The novella follows a governess who, caring for two children at a remote country house, becomes convinced that they are haunted.

In the century following its publication, critical analysis of the novella underwent several major transformations. Initial reviews regarded it only as a frightening ghost story, but, in the 1930s, some critics suggested that the supernatural elements were figments of the governess's imagination. In the early 1970s, the influence of structuralism resulted in an acknowledgement that the text's ambiguity was its key feature. Later approaches incorporated Marxist and feminist thinking.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: fantasy, horror, ghosts, and a short read.

• Fantasy
• Horror
• Relationships
• Domestic fiction
• Governesses
• Children
• Ghosts
• 19th Century