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The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James that first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (January 27 - April 16, 1898). In October 1898 it appeared in The Two Magics, a book published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London.
A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.
Excerpt:
I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising, in town, to meet his appeal, I had at all events a couple of very bad days - found myself doubtful again, felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping, swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house.
A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.
Excerpt:
I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising, in town, to meet his appeal, I had at all events a couple of very bad days - found myself doubtful again, felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping, swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house.
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1898
About the author
Henry James
3,750 books3,513 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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November 1, 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 care for it. The governess appears seemingly out of thin air, lacks personality or any believable motivation. Her obsession with the children is either utter nonsense or perversely sexual. Neither option is welcomed. The children themselves never demonstrate behavior to suggest they are genuinely charming or particularly sinister. Most egregious, the baroque language misses an opportunity to be indulgent on eerie atmosphere and haunting description. Instead, it all comes across rather plain.
Much of the academic admiration is around James' carefully crafted structure which invites two interpretations: Either the apparitions are real, or are they are the manifestations of the governess's disturbed mind. Either the children are angels, or demons. Dialogue and details are intentionally vague to allow both interpretations, and allegedly this is what makes the book so good.
I didn't see it that way. Ambiguity can be used with great success to create a sense of mystery and suspense. But in this case, I find it irksome. Why are the characters behaving so stupidly? Why are their motivations so senseless? Did I miss a page somewhere?
Given the scant details around the governess's background and her inhuman obsessions, I might argue that she is a ghost herself. I'm sure I could hunt down sentences to back up this unconventional theory. There's probably an argument to be made that she's a space alien. Or that the whole thing is a bizarre dream. It might be a fun project to see how many peculiar interpretations can be made from emphasizing indistinct lines in different ways. I would do it, but honestly one read-through is enough.
All this said, I do think it is indisputable how influential this novella has been on Gothic literature for the past 100 years. I know my critical reaction is a minority opinion on this one. If you’re a fan, please add a comment and help me understand what I’m missing.
But it's true. I didn't care for it. The governess appears seemingly out of thin air, lacks personality or any believable motivation. Her obsession with the children is either utter nonsense or perversely sexual. Neither option is welcomed. The children themselves never demonstrate behavior to suggest they are genuinely charming or particularly sinister. Most egregious, the baroque language misses an opportunity to be indulgent on eerie atmosphere and haunting description. Instead, it all comes across rather plain.
Much of the academic admiration is around James' carefully crafted structure which invites two interpretations: Either the apparitions are real, or are they are the manifestations of the governess's disturbed mind. Either the children are angels, or demons. Dialogue and details are intentionally vague to allow both interpretations, and allegedly this is what makes the book so good.
I didn't see it that way. Ambiguity can be used with great success to create a sense of mystery and suspense. But in this case, I find it irksome. Why are the characters behaving so stupidly? Why are their motivations so senseless? Did I miss a page somewhere?
Given the scant details around the governess's background and her inhuman obsessions, I might argue that she is a ghost herself. I'm sure I could hunt down sentences to back up this unconventional theory. There's probably an argument to be made that she's a space alien. Or that the whole thing is a bizarre dream. It might be a fun project to see how many peculiar interpretations can be made from emphasizing indistinct lines in different ways. I would do it, but honestly one read-through is enough.
All this said, I do think it is indisputable how influential this novella has been on Gothic literature for the past 100 years. I know my critical reaction is a minority opinion on this one. If you’re a fan, please add a comment and help me understand what I’m missing.
October 10, 2020
“No, no—there are depths, depths! The more I go over it, the more I see in it, and the more I see in it, the more I fear. I don’t know what I don’t see—what I don’t fear!”
Screen shot from the 1961 version of The Innocents based on the James short story.
A governess is hired to look after the nephew and niece of a man who has inherited the responsibility for the children after the death of their parents. He is very explicit in his instructions to the governess that he is not to be bothered with excessive communications. The governess is young and pretty and wants to impress her new employer by doing exactly what he wishes. She wants to be seen as competent, and in a sense this need to please proves to be a vulnerability that, as she tries to shield and protect, she actually puts everyone at more risk.
Risk of what you might ask?
That becomes the unknown element of the story. The reader doesn’t really know what to be afraid of. What nature of evil are we dealing with?
The children are ethereally beautiful. The governess is compromised immediately by preconceived notions, that we all have to a certain extent, that beauty equates to goodness. ”I was dazzled by their loveliness.” When the boy Miles is kicked out of his exclusive school for unrevealed reasons, the governess cannot fathom what he could have possibly done to deserve this level of embarrassing punishment. It was inconceivable to her that he was capable of anything remotely improper.
As the governess begins to try to understand her young charges, she also begins to discover that there are swirling questions about what has happened to other people who have been associated with the children in the past. She cross examines the housekeeper and more carefully the children, ferreting out bits and pieces of information that leave a murky picture in her mind. The reluctance which everyone shows in speaking about the past makes the governess more and more suspicious that something potentially perplexing lies in the truth.
She starts to see dead people.
”I was ready to know the very worst that was to be known. What I had then had an ugly glimpse of was that my eyes might be sealed just while theirs were most opened.”
Her first thought was to protect the innocence of the children, but maybe what she should have been more worried about was protecting her own innocence. It becomes a game of ignoring these phantoms in the hopes that the children would not become aware of the existence of these ghosts, of Quint, the butler, and Miss Jessel, the ex-governess. Both of these people were obsessed with the children when they were alive. The question becomes what do they want with the children now?
Of course, without confirmation of the existence of these supernatural events from other people, one does naturally tend to start questioning one’s own sanity.
Henry James weaves in these awkward interactions between the governess and Miles. There are moments when the young lad seems to be attempting to seduce his governess. He calls her ‘my dear,’ which sounds innocent enough, but when coupled with innuendos, the words take on a more unseemly connotation. The governess is not totally immune to the charm of the handsome boy. “Of course I was under the spell, and the wonderful part is that, even at the time, I perfectly knew I was. But I gave myself up to it; it was an antidote to any pain, and I had more pains than one.”
Scholars have debated whether the governess was actually seeing the phantom manifestations or not. There is certainly a desperation to how she attempts to protect the children, fully determined to keep the situation under control without having to contact her employer. We watch her naivety crumble as she is battered by the strange and distant attitudes of the children and the extraordinary circumstances of the spine-chilling past intruding on the present. I was firmly on the side of believing the governess was losing a firm grasp on her sanity, but then James throws a wrinkle into my firm resolve when Miles makes this statement to the governess that they should not miss his sister and the housekeeper (after they have fled the circumstances):
”I suppose we shouldn’t. Of course we have the others.”
Or is Miles just playing her.
This is a short story, but it is a short story by Henry James. He has some of the same convoluted, difficult sentences that show up in his novels. They may bewilder on a first read, but after another go they start to make more sense. I’ve read enough James to find those complicated sentences, when they appear like Gordian Knots, more amusing than frustrating. This tale left me jangled and apprehensive as if an apparition were still strumming their fingers along the length of my sciatic nerve. If you read it on the most basic level as a ghost story, you will certainly find it unsatisfying. As I started to understand the deeper psychological implications of the interplay between characters, I started to realize that this is a tragedy with elements of horror that left lasting traumatic issues for those that survived.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Screen shot from the 1961 version of The Innocents based on the James short story.
A governess is hired to look after the nephew and niece of a man who has inherited the responsibility for the children after the death of their parents. He is very explicit in his instructions to the governess that he is not to be bothered with excessive communications. The governess is young and pretty and wants to impress her new employer by doing exactly what he wishes. She wants to be seen as competent, and in a sense this need to please proves to be a vulnerability that, as she tries to shield and protect, she actually puts everyone at more risk.
Risk of what you might ask?
That becomes the unknown element of the story. The reader doesn’t really know what to be afraid of. What nature of evil are we dealing with?
The children are ethereally beautiful. The governess is compromised immediately by preconceived notions, that we all have to a certain extent, that beauty equates to goodness. ”I was dazzled by their loveliness.” When the boy Miles is kicked out of his exclusive school for unrevealed reasons, the governess cannot fathom what he could have possibly done to deserve this level of embarrassing punishment. It was inconceivable to her that he was capable of anything remotely improper.
As the governess begins to try to understand her young charges, she also begins to discover that there are swirling questions about what has happened to other people who have been associated with the children in the past. She cross examines the housekeeper and more carefully the children, ferreting out bits and pieces of information that leave a murky picture in her mind. The reluctance which everyone shows in speaking about the past makes the governess more and more suspicious that something potentially perplexing lies in the truth.
She starts to see dead people.
”I was ready to know the very worst that was to be known. What I had then had an ugly glimpse of was that my eyes might be sealed just while theirs were most opened.”
Her first thought was to protect the innocence of the children, but maybe what she should have been more worried about was protecting her own innocence. It becomes a game of ignoring these phantoms in the hopes that the children would not become aware of the existence of these ghosts, of Quint, the butler, and Miss Jessel, the ex-governess. Both of these people were obsessed with the children when they were alive. The question becomes what do they want with the children now?
Of course, without confirmation of the existence of these supernatural events from other people, one does naturally tend to start questioning one’s own sanity.
Henry James weaves in these awkward interactions between the governess and Miles. There are moments when the young lad seems to be attempting to seduce his governess. He calls her ‘my dear,’ which sounds innocent enough, but when coupled with innuendos, the words take on a more unseemly connotation. The governess is not totally immune to the charm of the handsome boy. “Of course I was under the spell, and the wonderful part is that, even at the time, I perfectly knew I was. But I gave myself up to it; it was an antidote to any pain, and I had more pains than one.”
Scholars have debated whether the governess was actually seeing the phantom manifestations or not. There is certainly a desperation to how she attempts to protect the children, fully determined to keep the situation under control without having to contact her employer. We watch her naivety crumble as she is battered by the strange and distant attitudes of the children and the extraordinary circumstances of the spine-chilling past intruding on the present. I was firmly on the side of believing the governess was losing a firm grasp on her sanity, but then James throws a wrinkle into my firm resolve when Miles makes this statement to the governess that they should not miss his sister and the housekeeper (after they have fled the circumstances):
”I suppose we shouldn’t. Of course we have the others.”
Or is Miles just playing her.
This is a short story, but it is a short story by Henry James. He has some of the same convoluted, difficult sentences that show up in his novels. They may bewilder on a first read, but after another go they start to make more sense. I’ve read enough James to find those complicated sentences, when they appear like Gordian Knots, more amusing than frustrating. This tale left me jangled and apprehensive as if an apparition were still strumming their fingers along the length of my sciatic nerve. If you read it on the most basic level as a ghost story, you will certainly find it unsatisfying. As I started to understand the deeper psychological implications of the interplay between characters, I started to realize that this is a tragedy with elements of horror that left lasting traumatic issues for those that survived.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
January 2, 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 ending though.
On the other hand there's his writing style. I was at this party once and the topic was what would you do if the world was ending and the answer was generally that we would have all the sex. James writes like the world is ending and he's decided to have all the punctuation. Check this entirely typical sentence out:
Fuck you Henry James.
On the other hand there's his writing style. I was at this party once and the topic was what would you do if the world was ending and the answer was generally that we would have all the sex. James writes like the world is ending and he's decided to have all the punctuation. Check this entirely typical sentence out:
I waited, but nothing came; then, in the first place - and there is something more dire in this, I feel, than in anything I have to relate - I was determined by a sense that, within a minute, all sounds from her had previously dropped; and, in the second, by the circumstance that, also within the minute, she had, in her play, turned her back to the water.I don't even know what that sentence means. I haven't seen punctuation wasted like that since Fanny Hill. James has used so much punctuation that there was nothing but periods left to use in this review.
Fuck you Henry James.
February 6, 2018
There is a presumption that a book, if written concurrent with a certain time period during which a ruler of notable longevity reigned and originating from an area of the world long known, during that time period in particular, for an effusiveness of style in excess of that which may be, at a minimum, absolutely required to convey a particular message or idea, may, on occasion, if not predominantly and generally, tend toward a style that, when compared and contrasted with styles of later writers in other, more distant geographies, or even stylists who espouse minimalism within the bounds of the same geographic region, might be best described, at least insofar as it can be generally encapsulated with a description of any sufficient brevity, as, to varying degrees, ponderous, overwrought, and, in the main, at least with respect to the general population, and in particular those of the Twitter generation, overly wordy.
If you enjoyed the preceding 152-word sentence, you will likely enjoy The Turn of the Screw. If you didn’t make it past the first 140 characters, you’ll want to avoid it, unless your appetite for unintentional double-entendres surpasses your dislike of egregiously prolix prose, as the narrator’s aptitude for inadvertently making it sound as though she is engaged in particularly inappropriate, Afternoon Delight-style undertakings with her young male charge is prodigious and nigh-Funkeian.
If you enjoyed the preceding 152-word sentence, you will likely enjoy The Turn of the Screw. If you didn’t make it past the first 140 characters, you’ll want to avoid it, unless your appetite for unintentional double-entendres surpasses your dislike of egregiously prolix prose, as the narrator’s aptitude for inadvertently making it sound as though she is engaged in particularly inappropriate, Afternoon Delight-style undertakings with her young male charge is prodigious and nigh-Funkeian.
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 whether what you were seeing was real? And... what it was that you were seeing?
This is one of those "what the heck??" novels that you often find in the modernist genre. Not originally classed as a modernist novel, by now it is viewed as one by many modern critics because of the ambiguity and ‘layers’ that James managed to capture.
It is just as slippery and ambiguous and as "what on earth is happening here?" as the most obfuscating of the modernist novels; - one tends to struggle with trying to figure out what is going on like with Virginia Woolf’s The Waves , William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity's Rainbow.
Henry James might not be playing around as much as ‘true’ modernists do with narrative voice although he built three layers into his narrative viewpoint, and the story is certainly a metatext.
Like most modernists, he does play around to some extent with temporality, but only to a small extent, and only slightly with structure.
However, it is the play with meaning, the : “what the heck actually happened here?” that lends so much ambiguity and scope for interpretation that makes this novella shine.
Part of what points to our narration being unreliable, is the fact that the novella is a nested metatext (being a story someone is telling about a story that someone else told him about a story that someone else told him).
The fun is that it reads like a Gothic novel, and for all intents and purposes, would be a Gothic novel, were it not for the subtleties in meaning and content & context leaping out at the reader; especially the modern, sophisticated reader who doesn’t actually believe in, you know, ghosts.
However, the story isn't really creepy in the way that conventional ghost stories are.
Well it is, sort of.
But it's also like when you walk into your house at night and the lights are dimmed and there's this hat-and-coat stand at the end of the passage, and in the shadows, it looks like there's a person there, watching... and waiting... and you wonder: “IS THAT...????! Or no, is that just my imagination playing tricks on me?! "
Yet, you take our time, all the time eyeing that shadowy figure,
...and you quickly walk to the light switch, and flick it on.
(Though the governess’s shadowman had no hat… - therefore, not a gentleman.)
Have you ever had a dream in which you vaguely become aware of the presence of someone you feel you know? You seem to know him well from some other dreamscape, and yet you cannot place your finger on who he is, yet his presence seems so sinister.
If someone were to ask you who the shadowy man at the edge of your vision was, you might reply: “Why, Nobody!” ...and yet you fear him, but don't know why. You know the reason is sitting just at the tip of your consciousness, but it’s all cast in shadow, and yet, it makes you feel so terribly uneasy.
You may even wonder, in such a dream, if that shadowy image could somehow be you yourself, but the thought of that, -the very idea, makes your hair stand on end; gives you a leaden pith of dread that sinks into your stomach and grips your insides with discomfort.
Dream analysts would say that that strangely familiar figure is a projection of the part of your own self that you find unacceptable. This other 'self' can even appear threatening because often our aggressive impulses have to be suppressed as much as, or even more than, our sexual impulses. If that 'self' came loose from under our control, it could be a dangerous thing, and therefore, we fear it, albeit on a subconscious level.
Have you ever had a dream like that? This novella was reminiscent of such a dream; made me feel like I was reading about such a dream.
Some people read this as a ghost story, some as a horror story, and some as a psychological thriller or study.
...there are depths, depths! The more I go over it the more I see in it, and the more I see in it the more I fear. I don't know what I don't see, that I don't fear!'
I must mention that I got most of the detail about the different types of analyses from the Beidler critical edition of The Turn of the Screw that is full of background material: cultural context, history, critical essays and interpretations of the text.
There are Marxist interpretations of this story, Jungian interpretations, Freudian ones, Reader-response analyses, Post-modern, Modern, New Criticism, New Historicism views of the story, you name it.
Oh, and of course, there are those among some of the abovementioned, who take a gay view as well. There is no real evidence for or against the direction(s) James's orientation leaned, though I have read some excerpts of his letters to young men that would incline me to agree that there's a strong possibility that he was gay.
Among the 'gay' proponents, are those who say that the governess is a subconscious projection by James of himself and his repressed urges. (Whatever other conclusions one might come to, you have to admit that the governess is one tight little ball of repressed urges. )
I see her as being under a lot of pressure from various origins. One of the pressures she has, is an urge to gain more power. If you think about it, the governess is actually a nobody. One of the younger children of an obscure country preacher, and a female to boot... not much going for her, beyond some homeschooling (privately bred) is there? ...and now she is suddenly 'at the helm' of an entire household, and quite a wealthy one at that. ...but her charming, seductive employer wants no contact with her. She is "at the helm" all on her ownsome. Quite a situation for an inexperienced young country girl to find herself in.
Wayne C. Booth, a well-known lit crit has said:
In English alone I have counted, before I got too bored to go on, more than five hundred titles of books and articles about [The Turn of the Screw], and since it has been translated and discussed in dozens of other languages the total must yield more than a lifetime's possible reading.
...so yeah... there's been a lot of gabble about this little story, and the interesting part is that hardly anyone seems able to agree on what the story actually says. James has been very subtle and clever. Even in his preface, and in his responses to readers of the story, he did not give the game away. Indeed, he says in his preface, that the reader's "own imagination, his own sympathy and horror will supply him quite sufficiently with all the particulars. "
Ha, and so it has proved to be.
Start of SPOILER section:
Here are some of the variations on interpretations of how the screw really turns:
[END of spoiler section]
Suffice it to say here, that the particular brilliance of his story is for me, that whatever interpretation you make, the story can work for you on that level, and arguments against a particular view can always be refuted by calling foul as an unreliable narrator on any of the three narrator levels. (The governess who wrote the story, Douglas, or Douglas's friend who is telling us the story).
In fact, you can even call upon the fourth narrator, Henry James himself, as having written a story that unconsciously brought out some of his subconscious issues and desires.
Of course James could have consciously written this as a Freudian allegory, but I doubt it, since this novel was published in 1898 and Freud's the Ego and The Id was only published in 1923. However, it may well be that James was influenced by his brother William's interpretations of psychological phenomena.
However you look at it, James knitted the seams of this story so finely, he weaved his web so delicately, that there is no way to tell any which way for certain.
What do YOU think?
...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 whether what you were seeing was real? And... what it was that you were seeing?
This is one of those "what the heck??" novels that you often find in the modernist genre. Not originally classed as a modernist novel, by now it is viewed as one by many modern critics because of the ambiguity and ‘layers’ that James managed to capture.
It is just as slippery and ambiguous and as "what on earth is happening here?" as the most obfuscating of the modernist novels; - one tends to struggle with trying to figure out what is going on like with Virginia Woolf’s The Waves , William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity's Rainbow.
Henry James might not be playing around as much as ‘true’ modernists do with narrative voice although he built three layers into his narrative viewpoint, and the story is certainly a metatext.
Like most modernists, he does play around to some extent with temporality, but only to a small extent, and only slightly with structure.
However, it is the play with meaning, the : “what the heck actually happened here?” that lends so much ambiguity and scope for interpretation that makes this novella shine.
Part of what points to our narration being unreliable, is the fact that the novella is a nested metatext (being a story someone is telling about a story that someone else told him about a story that someone else told him).
The fun is that it reads like a Gothic novel, and for all intents and purposes, would be a Gothic novel, were it not for the subtleties in meaning and content & context leaping out at the reader; especially the modern, sophisticated reader who doesn’t actually believe in, you know, ghosts.
However, the story isn't really creepy in the way that conventional ghost stories are.
Well it is, sort of.
But it's also like when you walk into your house at night and the lights are dimmed and there's this hat-and-coat stand at the end of the passage, and in the shadows, it looks like there's a person there, watching... and waiting... and you wonder: “IS THAT...????! Or no, is that just my imagination playing tricks on me?! "
Yet, you take our time, all the time eyeing that shadowy figure,
...and you quickly walk to the light switch, and flick it on.
(Though the governess’s shadowman had no hat… - therefore, not a gentleman.)
Have you ever had a dream in which you vaguely become aware of the presence of someone you feel you know? You seem to know him well from some other dreamscape, and yet you cannot place your finger on who he is, yet his presence seems so sinister.
If someone were to ask you who the shadowy man at the edge of your vision was, you might reply: “Why, Nobody!” ...and yet you fear him, but don't know why. You know the reason is sitting just at the tip of your consciousness, but it’s all cast in shadow, and yet, it makes you feel so terribly uneasy.
You may even wonder, in such a dream, if that shadowy image could somehow be you yourself, but the thought of that, -the very idea, makes your hair stand on end; gives you a leaden pith of dread that sinks into your stomach and grips your insides with discomfort.
Dream analysts would say that that strangely familiar figure is a projection of the part of your own self that you find unacceptable. This other 'self' can even appear threatening because often our aggressive impulses have to be suppressed as much as, or even more than, our sexual impulses. If that 'self' came loose from under our control, it could be a dangerous thing, and therefore, we fear it, albeit on a subconscious level.
Have you ever had a dream like that? This novella was reminiscent of such a dream; made me feel like I was reading about such a dream.
Some people read this as a ghost story, some as a horror story, and some as a psychological thriller or study.
...there are depths, depths! The more I go over it the more I see in it, and the more I see in it the more I fear. I don't know what I don't see, that I don't fear!'
I must mention that I got most of the detail about the different types of analyses from the Beidler critical edition of The Turn of the Screw that is full of background material: cultural context, history, critical essays and interpretations of the text.
There are Marxist interpretations of this story, Jungian interpretations, Freudian ones, Reader-response analyses, Post-modern, Modern, New Criticism, New Historicism views of the story, you name it.
Oh, and of course, there are those among some of the abovementioned, who take a gay view as well. There is no real evidence for or against the direction(s) James's orientation leaned, though I have read some excerpts of his letters to young men that would incline me to agree that there's a strong possibility that he was gay.
Among the 'gay' proponents, are those who say that the governess is a subconscious projection by James of himself and his repressed urges. (Whatever other conclusions one might come to, you have to admit that the governess is one tight little ball of repressed urges. )
I see her as being under a lot of pressure from various origins. One of the pressures she has, is an urge to gain more power. If you think about it, the governess is actually a nobody. One of the younger children of an obscure country preacher, and a female to boot... not much going for her, beyond some homeschooling (privately bred) is there? ...and now she is suddenly 'at the helm' of an entire household, and quite a wealthy one at that. ...but her charming, seductive employer wants no contact with her. She is "at the helm" all on her ownsome. Quite a situation for an inexperienced young country girl to find herself in.
Wayne C. Booth, a well-known lit crit has said:
In English alone I have counted, before I got too bored to go on, more than five hundred titles of books and articles about [The Turn of the Screw], and since it has been translated and discussed in dozens of other languages the total must yield more than a lifetime's possible reading.
...so yeah... there's been a lot of gabble about this little story, and the interesting part is that hardly anyone seems able to agree on what the story actually says. James has been very subtle and clever. Even in his preface, and in his responses to readers of the story, he did not give the game away. Indeed, he says in his preface, that the reader's "own imagination, his own sympathy and horror will supply him quite sufficiently with all the particulars. "
Ha, and so it has proved to be.
Start of SPOILER section:
Here are some of the variations on interpretations of how the screw really turns:
[END of spoiler section]
Suffice it to say here, that the particular brilliance of his story is for me, that whatever interpretation you make, the story can work for you on that level, and arguments against a particular view can always be refuted by calling foul as an unreliable narrator on any of the three narrator levels. (The governess who wrote the story, Douglas, or Douglas's friend who is telling us the story).
In fact, you can even call upon the fourth narrator, Henry James himself, as having written a story that unconsciously brought out some of his subconscious issues and desires.
Of course James could have consciously written this as a Freudian allegory, but I doubt it, since this novel was published in 1898 and Freud's the Ego and The Id was only published in 1923. However, it may well be that James was influenced by his brother William's interpretations of psychological phenomena.
However you look at it, James knitted the seams of this story so finely, he weaved his web so delicately, that there is no way to tell any which way for certain.
What do YOU think?
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 turn with her capability, especially when his main command to her is that she never, NEVER, bother him with any problems or concerns.
She's packed off to the uncle's country estate to meet young Flora and Miles, who are delightful, beautiful children. The housekeeper becomes her friend and confidante. There are just a few odd things: strange noises in the house - footsteps, a child's cry - and Miles has been expelled from his boarding school for mysterious, unnamed reasons. But really everything is just fine. Until she starts seeing a mysterious man and woman appear and disappear, and becomes convinced that they are the ghosts of the prior governess and another employee. And she's certain that the children see these ghosts but won't admit it. Also she's quite sure that these ghosts are out to get the children.
How is she so sure of all these things? Who knows? She just is. And the question is: is she really seeing supernatural manifestations, or is she slowly becoming more and more delusional? or both? And are the children innocent or evil? James includes hints but doesn't ever answer these questions.
It sounds like a fascinating psychological examination, with a narrator who is both unnamed and unreliable. So it surprised me a little when I literally could barely keep my eyes open while I was reading it.
The story is told in a roundabout, murky way, which helps create a sense of confusion. You also have to continually plow through sentences like this one:
I think Henry James must have had some sort of allergy to periods. How did he even stay awake while he was writing convoluted sentences like this?
I persevered to the end (not so hard to do when it's only 100 pages), but this story just never grew on me. The whole thing was an odd and murky reading experience, which perhaps Henry James would say was his intent. Too bad it was also so very boring and unsatisfying.
So if you ever have insomnia, I've got the book for you.
I keep thinking maybe I read this wrong because it's such a classic. So I’ll give it another shot. Who knows? Sometimes that works out for me.
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 turn with her capability, especially when his main command to her is that she never, NEVER, bother him with any problems or concerns.
She's packed off to the uncle's country estate to meet young Flora and Miles, who are delightful, beautiful children. The housekeeper becomes her friend and confidante. There are just a few odd things: strange noises in the house - footsteps, a child's cry - and Miles has been expelled from his boarding school for mysterious, unnamed reasons. But really everything is just fine. Until she starts seeing a mysterious man and woman appear and disappear, and becomes convinced that they are the ghosts of the prior governess and another employee. And she's certain that the children see these ghosts but won't admit it. Also she's quite sure that these ghosts are out to get the children.
How is she so sure of all these things? Who knows? She just is. And the question is: is she really seeing supernatural manifestations, or is she slowly becoming more and more delusional? or both? And are the children innocent or evil? James includes hints but doesn't ever answer these questions.
It sounds like a fascinating psychological examination, with a narrator who is both unnamed and unreliable. So it surprised me a little when I literally could barely keep my eyes open while I was reading it.
The story is told in a roundabout, murky way, which helps create a sense of confusion. You also have to continually plow through sentences like this one:
They had never, I think, wanted to do so many things for their poor protectress; I mean--though they got their lessons better and better, which was naturally what would please her most--in the way of diverting, entertaining, surprising her; reading her passages, telling her stories, acting her charades, pouncing out at her, in disguises, as animals and historical characters, and above all astonishing her by the "pieces" they had secretly got by heart and could interminably recite.
I think Henry James must have had some sort of allergy to periods. How did he even stay awake while he was writing convoluted sentences like this?
I persevered to the end (not so hard to do when it's only 100 pages), but this story just never grew on me. The whole thing was an odd and murky reading experience, which perhaps Henry James would say was his intent. Too bad it was also so very boring and unsatisfying.
So if you ever have insomnia, I've got the book for you.
I keep thinking maybe I read this wrong because it's such a classic. So I’ll give it another shot. Who knows? Sometimes that works out for me.
November 29, 2022
I HAVE YOU, BUT HE HAS LOST YOU FOR EVER!
Il film tratto dal breve romanzo di H.James, del 1961: The Innocents, regia di Jack Clayton, sceneggiatura di Truman Capote, con Deborah Kerr nel ruolo di Miss Giddens, nel magico gotico terrificante splendore del CinemaScope in b&w
Questo libro m'ha messo i brividi, m'ha costretto a leggere solo in presenza del sole per tenermi lontano da buio e tenebre.
I bambini sono o non sono corrotti? Sono vittime, complici o addirittura carnefici? Gli spettri sono reali o allucinazioni? Sono proiezioni dell’immaginazione turbata dell’istitutrice? È lei, figlia di un pastore, così rigida da inventarsi tutto, o i fantasmi imperversano davvero? Li vede solo lei o anche i bambini? Lo zio dei bambini, così disinteressato e distante, è forse dio che si disinteressa del mondo? Come muore il piccolo Miles? È forse la stessa istitutrice a soffocarlo in un abbraccio mortale?
Miles e il fantasma di Peter Quint
Io credo che gli spettri esistono, sono reali: la descrizione che l’istitutrice fa di Quint è chiaramente un ritratto dal vero, non il tratteggio di un sogno, di un’immaginazione.
E credo che i bambini vedano gli spettri, anche se il lettore non li vede mai mentre li vedono. Il male è l’Indicibile.
L’istitutrice sembra più uscita da un romanzo della Austen o di Emily Brontë che da uno studio di Freud.
L'escalation del terrore.
Ma anche se tutte queste domande rimanessero senza risposta precisa, che importerebbe? Si tratta comunque di una splendida storia d'amore.
Degli effetti dell'amore, intesi anche come possibili danni.
O, è una storia di possessione.
E l'amore, non è forse anche possessione?
Henry James è sommo scrittore che io amo molto. In questo racconto, con il suo gioco di scatole cinesi, sembra allontanare l’orrore e la tenebra: invece, con reticenze, e trasparenze, con omissioni, e cautele, accresce la tensione fino al diapason.
I grandi prendono un genere, ci s’immergono, giocano con le sue regole e convenzioni, ne fanno quello che vogliono, ne fanno altro, e vanno oltre.
Quanto è parente questo racconto al Carteggio Aspern!
Qui, come sempre in HJ, raffinati intricati intrecciati quadri psicologici.
La seconda apparizione dello spettro di Peter Quint
Magnifico, davvero eccezionale anche il film del 1961 in un magico bianco e nero. Jack Clayton doveva essere particolarmente ispirato, non si è mai ripetuto a questi livelli. Titolo originale "The Innocents", chiaramente riferito ai bambini - tradotto in italiota con un banalissimo "Suspense".
Sono seguiti altri adattamenti, ma il primo rimane di gran lunga il migliore.
Inizia con quandro nero e una filastrocca cantata dai bambini che fa venire la pelle d'oca e si capisce dove Morricone si sia ispirato per le colonne sonore dei primi film di Dario Argento.
Prosegue in stile espressionista, peraltro immediatamente abbandonato, con il dettaglio, sempre in campo nero, delle mani di Ms Giddens giunte in preghiera a invocare l'aiuto divino per le vite e le anime degli 'innocenti'.
In questo caso, parafrasando, si potrebbe dire che la morte corre lungo il lago, più che il fiume.
E quanto possono essere innocenti dei bambini che cantano in continuazione con abbandono e rapimento una lullaby che dice:
We Lay My Love And I Beneath The Weeping Willow.
But Now Alone I Lie And Weep Beside The Tree.
Il pomeriggio del 10 gennaio 1895 Henry James fu invitato dall’arcivescovo di Canterbury a prendere una tazza di tè. Seduti davanti al camino insieme ai due figli dell’arcivescovo, parlarono di apparizioni e terrori notturni, di come stessero sparendo le vecchie care storie di fantasmi. L’arcivescovo raccontò che molti anni prima una signora gli aveva raccontato una storia che aveva appreso da un narratore sconosciuto, quell’anonimo senza volto che sta sempre all’origine di ogni storia: dei bambini erano stati abbandonati alla cura dei loro servi in una vecchia casa di campagna – i servi perversi e depravati li avevano corrotti, e quando morirono, le loro apparizioni tornarono a ossessionare la casa e i bambini.
Una storia imperfetta e senza pretese, l’ombra di un’ombra, che James annotò nei suoi Taccuini.
Due anni più tardi una rivista gli chiese una storia per il numero natalizio e in solo tre mesi, dal settembre al dicembre 1987, James scrisse quello che sarebbe probabilmente diventato il più famoso racconto moderno.
IO TI HO, MENTRE LUI TI HA PERDUTO PER SEMPRE!
Il film tratto dal breve romanzo di H.James, del 1961: The Innocents, regia di Jack Clayton, sceneggiatura di Truman Capote, con Deborah Kerr nel ruolo di Miss Giddens, nel magico gotico terrificante splendore del CinemaScope in b&w
Questo libro m'ha messo i brividi, m'ha costretto a leggere solo in presenza del sole per tenermi lontano da buio e tenebre.
I bambini sono o non sono corrotti? Sono vittime, complici o addirittura carnefici? Gli spettri sono reali o allucinazioni? Sono proiezioni dell’immaginazione turbata dell’istitutrice? È lei, figlia di un pastore, così rigida da inventarsi tutto, o i fantasmi imperversano davvero? Li vede solo lei o anche i bambini? Lo zio dei bambini, così disinteressato e distante, è forse dio che si disinteressa del mondo? Come muore il piccolo Miles? È forse la stessa istitutrice a soffocarlo in un abbraccio mortale?
Miles e il fantasma di Peter Quint
Io credo che gli spettri esistono, sono reali: la descrizione che l’istitutrice fa di Quint è chiaramente un ritratto dal vero, non il tratteggio di un sogno, di un’immaginazione.
E credo che i bambini vedano gli spettri, anche se il lettore non li vede mai mentre li vedono. Il male è l’Indicibile.
L’istitutrice sembra più uscita da un romanzo della Austen o di Emily Brontë che da uno studio di Freud.
L'escalation del terrore.
Ma anche se tutte queste domande rimanessero senza risposta precisa, che importerebbe? Si tratta comunque di una splendida storia d'amore.
Degli effetti dell'amore, intesi anche come possibili danni.
O, è una storia di possessione.
E l'amore, non è forse anche possessione?
Henry James è sommo scrittore che io amo molto. In questo racconto, con il suo gioco di scatole cinesi, sembra allontanare l’orrore e la tenebra: invece, con reticenze, e trasparenze, con omissioni, e cautele, accresce la tensione fino al diapason.
I grandi prendono un genere, ci s’immergono, giocano con le sue regole e convenzioni, ne fanno quello che vogliono, ne fanno altro, e vanno oltre.
Quanto è parente questo racconto al Carteggio Aspern!
Qui, come sempre in HJ, raffinati intricati intrecciati quadri psicologici.
La seconda apparizione dello spettro di Peter Quint
Magnifico, davvero eccezionale anche il film del 1961 in un magico bianco e nero. Jack Clayton doveva essere particolarmente ispirato, non si è mai ripetuto a questi livelli. Titolo originale "The Innocents", chiaramente riferito ai bambini - tradotto in italiota con un banalissimo "Suspense".
Sono seguiti altri adattamenti, ma il primo rimane di gran lunga il migliore.
Inizia con quandro nero e una filastrocca cantata dai bambini che fa venire la pelle d'oca e si capisce dove Morricone si sia ispirato per le colonne sonore dei primi film di Dario Argento.
Prosegue in stile espressionista, peraltro immediatamente abbandonato, con il dettaglio, sempre in campo nero, delle mani di Ms Giddens giunte in preghiera a invocare l'aiuto divino per le vite e le anime degli 'innocenti'.
In questo caso, parafrasando, si potrebbe dire che la morte corre lungo il lago, più che il fiume.
E quanto possono essere innocenti dei bambini che cantano in continuazione con abbandono e rapimento una lullaby che dice:
We Lay My Love And I Beneath The Weeping Willow.
But Now Alone I Lie And Weep Beside The Tree.
Il pomeriggio del 10 gennaio 1895 Henry James fu invitato dall’arcivescovo di Canterbury a prendere una tazza di tè. Seduti davanti al camino insieme ai due figli dell’arcivescovo, parlarono di apparizioni e terrori notturni, di come stessero sparendo le vecchie care storie di fantasmi. L’arcivescovo raccontò che molti anni prima una signora gli aveva raccontato una storia che aveva appreso da un narratore sconosciuto, quell’anonimo senza volto che sta sempre all’origine di ogni storia: dei bambini erano stati abbandonati alla cura dei loro servi in una vecchia casa di campagna – i servi perversi e depravati li avevano corrotti, e quando morirono, le loro apparizioni tornarono a ossessionare la casa e i bambini.
Una storia imperfetta e senza pretese, l’ombra di un’ombra, che James annotò nei suoi Taccuini.
Due anni più tardi una rivista gli chiese una storia per il numero natalizio e in solo tre mesi, dal settembre al dicembre 1987, James scrisse quello che sarebbe probabilmente diventato il più famoso racconto moderno.
IO TI HO, MENTRE LUI TI HA PERDUTO PER SEMPRE!
October 11, 2022
Where's my SPOOKY?!
I mean, I thought I'd get a few good jump scares out of a book with possessed children in it. You know what didn't happen, not even once, while I was listening to this book?
THIS:
I'm not sure why my teenage self thought The Turn of the Screw was worth 4 stars, but my older-than-teenage self certainly doesn't.
On the surface, it seems like this should be a winner for me in the classic department - short, scary...short. But it was kinda crap.
So the gist is that this governess is seeing the spirits of these two people. One was the ex-governess, and the other was the rascally friend of her boss. And for some unexplained reason, they've COME FOR THE CHILDREN!
The kids won't admit to seeing these spirits, but the governess knows they've been in contact with the children, because...?
*shrugs*
Suspicious stuff? I. Don't. Know.
All I do know is that the kids never actually did anything even slightly creepy.
Anyway, she enlists the help of the feeble-minded housekeeper, and together they try to,
um, pretend everything is ok or something?
What the what?!
That's not a good plan! That's not a plan at all!
And the entire book was filled to the brim with stuff like this. By the end of it I was actively rooting for the ghosts to whisk the kids away just so it would be over.
Ugh. Either ghost stories have changed a whole helluva lot, or this wasn't a ghost story. I mean, it sounded like this governess was just mostly a delusional nutter. She fell in love with the kids' uncle after meeting him once for God's sake! And what was so great about him? That he expressly didn't want her to inform him if there was something wrong with his dead sibling's children?
Meeeeh. Deal with it on your own. Wacka, wacka, wacka!
What a douche pickle! Who could resist falling for that?
Couple that with the fact that her dingy sidekick never sees the ghosts, and I think this chick is more than likely some kind of a loon.
*frowns*
If you're looking for a scary story this October, keep on moving past this one. I think your time would be better spentstealing sorting through your children's Halloween candy than reading this clunky turd.
Non-Crunchy Pantsless October Buddy Read
Because kids are creepy little bastards...
I mean, I thought I'd get a few good jump scares out of a book with possessed children in it. You know what didn't happen, not even once, while I was listening to this book?
THIS:
I'm not sure why my teenage self thought The Turn of the Screw was worth 4 stars, but my older-than-teenage self certainly doesn't.
On the surface, it seems like this should be a winner for me in the classic department - short, scary...short. But it was kinda crap.
So the gist is that this governess is seeing the spirits of these two people. One was the ex-governess, and the other was the rascally friend of her boss. And for some unexplained reason, they've COME FOR THE CHILDREN!
The kids won't admit to seeing these spirits, but the governess knows they've been in contact with the children, because...?
*shrugs*
Suspicious stuff? I. Don't. Know.
All I do know is that the kids never actually did anything even slightly creepy.
Anyway, she enlists the help of the feeble-minded housekeeper, and together they try to,
um, pretend everything is ok or something?
What the what?!
That's not a good plan! That's not a plan at all!
And the entire book was filled to the brim with stuff like this. By the end of it I was actively rooting for the ghosts to whisk the kids away just so it would be over.
Ugh. Either ghost stories have changed a whole helluva lot, or this wasn't a ghost story. I mean, it sounded like this governess was just mostly a delusional nutter. She fell in love with the kids' uncle after meeting him once for God's sake! And what was so great about him? That he expressly didn't want her to inform him if there was something wrong with his dead sibling's children?
Meeeeh. Deal with it on your own. Wacka, wacka, wacka!
What a douche pickle! Who could resist falling for that?
Couple that with the fact that her dingy sidekick never sees the ghosts, and I think this chick is more than likely some kind of a loon.
*frowns*
If you're looking for a scary story this October, keep on moving past this one. I think your time would be better spent
Non-Crunchy Pantsless October Buddy Read
Because kids are creepy little bastards...
October 24, 2020
I was looking for a spooky fall read but I've found this entangling novella that has a lot of material that is simply calling me to analyze it. Besides, reading this work as just a ghost story would be quite unsatisfying. Henry's writing is at the same time brilliant, confusing, convoluted, perplexed and ambiguous. His meandering prose creates the perfect atmosphere of both a haunted mansion and a mind gone mad. It is never direct, precise, solid but subtle, with double entendres and concealed meanings. There is more importance in what is not being said than in things being written about. It is the kind of book that unravels more and more when you keep thinking about it. The novella has a framed narrative and starts with a group of people listening to letters of the governess that have a tone of intimate confidentiality. The governess is the most classical example of an unreliable narrator as her subjective point of view leaves multiple ways of interpretation of events that did or did not occur.
It is especially compelling to look at this novella from a psychoanalytic point of view which will be further discussed in this review. It is interesting that ''The Turn of the Screw'' one of the first works of literature to be subjected to psychoanalyzing a character and speculating about the author's neurosis. It was published three years after Studies on Hysteria, and two years before The Interpretation of Dreams - and it resonates perfectly with the teachings of Freud. The psychoanalytic interpretation has the lens of a story that is not about ghosts, but rather about the Governess's censored unconscious greatly influencing her conscious mind and actions - especially repressed sexuality. The sexual allusions are written all across this novella. It is more evident that Governess feels some kind of attraction towards the master, but even her relationship with children has some kind of latent desire seen in sensual undertones of language used to describe her behavior toward children. The words infatuation, fascination with beauty, intercourse are being used and the governess is almost obsessed with children and she often embraces them and even kisses them with passion.
“...at this, with a moan of joy, I enfolded, I drew him close; and while I held him to my breast, where I could feel in the sudden fever of his little body the tremendous pulse of his little heart, I kept my eyes on the thing at the window and saw it move and shift its posture”
The hidden Governess's desires ultimately determine her vision of reality and repressed instincts emerge in her irrational behavior that ultimately results in great tragedy. The forbidden grounds she tries to avoid become unavoidable. This struggle between her unconscious and conscious leads to the deterioration of her mind - in that senses she is the embodiment of Freud's notion that the human mind rarely has a rational reason for its thoughts and actions. Her state could be called many things in a psychiatric sense - hysteria, neurosis and even psychotic decompensation with visual hallucinations.
This is a reflection of the strict Victorian area full of taboos, rules and ideas of being good and proper. That results in an extreme division between the good and bad parts of characters seen in literature - a ghost of the madwoman in Jane Eyre,The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dostoyevsky's The Double. That physical manifestation of the dark repressed part of human nature in the last half of the nineteenth century can be seen as a great prologue to Freud's work. When talking to the children the governess takes great care not to discuss topics which society might view as inappropriate or unsuitable for them. She spends much of her energy to avoid any kind of topic which might be construed as improper, which, in turn, causes her to become nervous and anxious. For woman, it wasn't permitted to address her sexual desirers and impulses directly and even more, the children's sexuality was off the limits - an angel figure of a character couldn't have sexual drives.
The mere James’s vagueness in writing suggests the importance of keeping these desires and instincts repressed in the personal and collective unconscious. The ghosts in this story represent the shadow side of the characters and society - it is hinted that they are peculiar, aggressive, terrifying, promiscuous, and sexually predatory - they invoke both repulsion and strange attraction. With what ghosts represent we simultaneously identify with, desire, and loathe. These parts are excluded from consciousness, therefore these things follow us everywhere.
The central point of governess also has its symbolism. Being a governess in that era was one of the few ways an educated single woman could respectably make a living through her intellectual gifts. The intellectual semi-independence of a woman rises a much more profound question - can the newfound freedom be carried over into the sexual realm? The death of Miles is the death of the ideal of innocence that has been held over the centuries. James shows how profound and skillful as a writer he is exactly hitting all the right spots of culture's denials and incipient discoveries of his era. His art reflects the collective unconscious at the time and that is the greatest accomplishment there is.
It is especially compelling to look at this novella from a psychoanalytic point of view which will be further discussed in this review. It is interesting that ''The Turn of the Screw'' one of the first works of literature to be subjected to psychoanalyzing a character and speculating about the author's neurosis. It was published three years after Studies on Hysteria, and two years before The Interpretation of Dreams - and it resonates perfectly with the teachings of Freud. The psychoanalytic interpretation has the lens of a story that is not about ghosts, but rather about the Governess's censored unconscious greatly influencing her conscious mind and actions - especially repressed sexuality. The sexual allusions are written all across this novella. It is more evident that Governess feels some kind of attraction towards the master, but even her relationship with children has some kind of latent desire seen in sensual undertones of language used to describe her behavior toward children. The words infatuation, fascination with beauty, intercourse are being used and the governess is almost obsessed with children and she often embraces them and even kisses them with passion.
“...at this, with a moan of joy, I enfolded, I drew him close; and while I held him to my breast, where I could feel in the sudden fever of his little body the tremendous pulse of his little heart, I kept my eyes on the thing at the window and saw it move and shift its posture”
The hidden Governess's desires ultimately determine her vision of reality and repressed instincts emerge in her irrational behavior that ultimately results in great tragedy. The forbidden grounds she tries to avoid become unavoidable. This struggle between her unconscious and conscious leads to the deterioration of her mind - in that senses she is the embodiment of Freud's notion that the human mind rarely has a rational reason for its thoughts and actions. Her state could be called many things in a psychiatric sense - hysteria, neurosis and even psychotic decompensation with visual hallucinations.
This is a reflection of the strict Victorian area full of taboos, rules and ideas of being good and proper. That results in an extreme division between the good and bad parts of characters seen in literature - a ghost of the madwoman in Jane Eyre,The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dostoyevsky's The Double. That physical manifestation of the dark repressed part of human nature in the last half of the nineteenth century can be seen as a great prologue to Freud's work. When talking to the children the governess takes great care not to discuss topics which society might view as inappropriate or unsuitable for them. She spends much of her energy to avoid any kind of topic which might be construed as improper, which, in turn, causes her to become nervous and anxious. For woman, it wasn't permitted to address her sexual desirers and impulses directly and even more, the children's sexuality was off the limits - an angel figure of a character couldn't have sexual drives.
The mere James’s vagueness in writing suggests the importance of keeping these desires and instincts repressed in the personal and collective unconscious. The ghosts in this story represent the shadow side of the characters and society - it is hinted that they are peculiar, aggressive, terrifying, promiscuous, and sexually predatory - they invoke both repulsion and strange attraction. With what ghosts represent we simultaneously identify with, desire, and loathe. These parts are excluded from consciousness, therefore these things follow us everywhere.
The central point of governess also has its symbolism. Being a governess in that era was one of the few ways an educated single woman could respectably make a living through her intellectual gifts. The intellectual semi-independence of a woman rises a much more profound question - can the newfound freedom be carried over into the sexual realm? The death of Miles is the death of the ideal of innocence that has been held over the centuries. James shows how profound and skillful as a writer he is exactly hitting all the right spots of culture's denials and incipient discoveries of his era. His art reflects the collective unconscious at the time and that is the greatest accomplishment there is.
February 24, 2022
The Turn of the Screw, Henry James
The Turn of the Screw, originally published in 1898, is a novella written by Henry James.
The story, a part of Gothic and ghost story genres, first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (27 January – 16 April 1898).
An unnamed narrator listens to Douglas, a friend, read a manuscript written by a former governess whom Douglas claims to have known and who is now dead. The manuscript tells the story of how the young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. He lives mainly in London but also has a country house, Bly. He is uninterested in raising the children. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نوزدهم ماه نوامبر سال1972 میلادی
عنوان: تنگ اهریمنی؛ اثر: هنری جیمز؛ مترجم: علی اصغر مهاجر؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، امیرکبیر، موسسه انتشارات فرانکلین، سال1335، در253ص، کتابنامه به صورت زیرنویس، موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده19م
این داستان را «گریشن پیکری» نیز به فارسی ترجمه و در سنندج با عنوان «چرخش پیچ» در سال1385هجری خورشیدی چاپ کرده است
راوی که در داستان نامی از او برده نمیشود، به سخنان دوستش، «داگلاس» گوش میدهد، که نوشته های آموزگار پیشین خویش را برایش میخواند؛ کسی که «داگلاس» ادعا میکند، او را میشناخته، ولی اکنون مرده است؛ نوشته، درباره ی ماجرای استخدام بانوی آموزگاری جوان، توسط مردی ست که سرپرستی برادرزاده های خویش (مایلز و فلورا) را، پس از مرگ والدینشان، بر دوش دارد؛ او بیشتر وقتش را، در «لندن» میگذراند، و تمایلی به بردن بچه ها پیش خود را ندارد.؛ پسر یا همان «مایلز»، در یک مدرسه ی شبانه روزی تحصیل میکند، در حالیکه خواهر کوچکترش «فلورا»، در روستا��ی در «اسکس»، زندگی میکند، و توسط خانم خانه داری به نام «گروس»، سرپرستی میشود، صاحبکار جدید معلمه، عموی «مایلز» و «فلورا»، اختیار کامل بچه ها را به دست او میسپارد، و از او میخواهد به هیچ وجه مزاحم وی نشود؛ و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/06/199هجری خورشیدی؛ 04/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Turn of the Screw, originally published in 1898, is a novella written by Henry James.
The story, a part of Gothic and ghost story genres, first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (27 January – 16 April 1898).
An unnamed narrator listens to Douglas, a friend, read a manuscript written by a former governess whom Douglas claims to have known and who is now dead. The manuscript tells the story of how the young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. He lives mainly in London but also has a country house, Bly. He is uninterested in raising the children. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نوزدهم ماه نوامبر سال1972 میلادی
عنوان: تنگ اهریمنی؛ اثر: هنری جیمز؛ مترجم: علی اصغر مهاجر؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، امیرکبیر، موسسه انتشارات فرانکلین، سال1335، در253ص، کتابنامه به صورت زیرنویس، موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده19م
این داستان را «گریشن پیکری» نیز به فارسی ترجمه و در سنندج با عنوان «چرخش پیچ» در سال1385هجری خورشیدی چاپ کرده است
راوی که در داستان نامی از او برده نمیشود، به سخنان دوستش، «داگلاس» گوش میدهد، که نوشته های آموزگار پیشین خویش را برایش میخواند؛ کسی که «داگلاس» ادعا میکند، او را میشناخته، ولی اکنون مرده است؛ نوشته، درباره ی ماجرای استخدام بانوی آموزگاری جوان، توسط مردی ست که سرپرستی برادرزاده های خویش (مایلز و فلورا) را، پس از مرگ والدینشان، بر دوش دارد؛ او بیشتر وقتش را، در «لندن» میگذراند، و تمایلی به بردن بچه ها پیش خود را ندارد.؛ پسر یا همان «مایلز»، در یک مدرسه ی شبانه روزی تحصیل میکند، در حالیکه خواهر کوچکترش «فلورا»، در روستا��ی در «اسکس»، زندگی میکند، و توسط خانم خانه داری به نام «گروس»، سرپرستی میشود، صاحبکار جدید معلمه، عموی «مایلز» و «فلورا»، اختیار کامل بچه ها را به دست او میسپارد، و از او میخواهد به هیچ وجه مزاحم وی نشود؛ و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/06/199هجری خورشیدی؛ 04/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 5, 2020
The Turn of the Screw is another classic I have been meaning to read for years. I didn't know much about it, but it has come up a lot lately in my Goodreads discussions and other books I have read. I was surprised to find out that it is a gothic horror story. Not really sure what I was expecting, but I guess I just had the stereotypical classic novel with people in old clothes with an antique setting on the cover. I know, I know - bad Matthew! Don't judge a book by its cover!
This book reminded me a lot of The Haunting of Hill House and Rebecca. The setting is dark and mysterious, there may or may not be supernatural elements in play, and you are suspicious of the plot and characters the whole time. I think the writing is pretty accessable despite being a classic book - I know that some I have encountered are difficult to get into not because of a bad plot, just because the writing is flowery and confusing (overwritten may be a good word to use). In this case, the writing does a very good job setting the tone and developing the characters.
I cannot say that the final resolution was my favorite. It felt quite sudden and I really thought I had missed something or not understood what happened. However, after reading a summary of the story online, I realized I understood it just fine. So, for me this book was a great journey with a so-so ending.
I recommend this book to horror fans - specifically if you like ghosts and haunted houses. Also, if you are trying to pad your classic reading resume, this is a decent one to try. And, since it isn't too long, it is not too much of a commitment.
This book reminded me a lot of The Haunting of Hill House and Rebecca. The setting is dark and mysterious, there may or may not be supernatural elements in play, and you are suspicious of the plot and characters the whole time. I think the writing is pretty accessable despite being a classic book - I know that some I have encountered are difficult to get into not because of a bad plot, just because the writing is flowery and confusing (overwritten may be a good word to use). In this case, the writing does a very good job setting the tone and developing the characters.
I cannot say that the final resolution was my favorite. It felt quite sudden and I really thought I had missed something or not understood what happened. However, after reading a summary of the story online, I realized I understood it just fine. So, for me this book was a great journey with a so-so ending.
I recommend this book to horror fans - specifically if you like ghosts and haunted houses. Also, if you are trying to pad your classic reading resume, this is a decent one to try. And, since it isn't too long, it is not too much of a commitment.
March 15, 2023
Many aspects of this book we can agree on, such as gothic horror and a battle between evil and innocence rather than good. However, ‘The Turn of the Screw’ is so notably ambiguous that we are likely to conclude and accept there is no ‘correct’ way to read this book because it is so open to interpretation. The truth is; I wasn’t invested enough in the story and the characters to really care.
The plot is simple but the book is not. A governess secures a new post in Bly looking after two orphaned children, who are now in the care of their uncle. However, with ghostly sightings, strange noises and supernatural events a constant, the safety of the people living there is less assured. The author turns the screw on everyone so much so it is difficult to tell who has the connection with the supernatural world and why!!!
The writing style was very good and the best part of the book, but then everything else was lacking in some way. That said, even the writing had its moments of frustration for me. I do love extravagant and elegant prose at times but not ostentatious for the sake of trying to be ‘clever’ or convoluted. I am sure there are less complicated ways to portray messages like this …
“I could only get on at all by taking "nature" into my confidence and my account, by treating my monstrous ordeal as a push in a direction unusual, of course…. another turn of the screw of ordinary human virtue.”
At times the author created the perfect haunting atmosphere and then it would all but disappear. The characterisation started well and then fell into stereotypical horror book cut-outs - the seemingly innocent child, the apparently loving and caring governess and then the stern and secretive housekeeper.
Alternatively, if you want to stretch your imagination like some of the better literary minds, it was none of these things. Instead, the excuse for the governess’ strange behaviour was the sexual tensions and desire that had built up inside her as she continued to lust after her illusive but dashing master and landowner. I need to be convinced of that one or I read a different book. Other critics believed the demonic connection was through the children and that I do agree with. This in itself though demonstrates how ambiguous the storyline and plot was to have interpreted such important parts of the story so differently.
Other authors will have taken the inspiration and threads from earlier stories like this and developed them into greater works of horror or gothic fiction over the years, and so this book has its place. However, although ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was very good in parts and was well written (overall) there was nothing special or memorable about it.
As a literary piece and a gothic horror novella I wanted to love this. Unfortunately I did not. This book was no more than a 3 stars for me, but 2 feels mean because the writing is excellent in parts, and it has a safe but intriguing story line. Please read other reviews, some of my GR friends have enjoyed this more than I did and rated higher.
The plot is simple but the book is not. A governess secures a new post in Bly looking after two orphaned children, who are now in the care of their uncle. However, with ghostly sightings, strange noises and supernatural events a constant, the safety of the people living there is less assured. The author turns the screw on everyone so much so it is difficult to tell who has the connection with the supernatural world and why!!!
The writing style was very good and the best part of the book, but then everything else was lacking in some way. That said, even the writing had its moments of frustration for me. I do love extravagant and elegant prose at times but not ostentatious for the sake of trying to be ‘clever’ or convoluted. I am sure there are less complicated ways to portray messages like this …
“I could only get on at all by taking "nature" into my confidence and my account, by treating my monstrous ordeal as a push in a direction unusual, of course…. another turn of the screw of ordinary human virtue.”
At times the author created the perfect haunting atmosphere and then it would all but disappear. The characterisation started well and then fell into stereotypical horror book cut-outs - the seemingly innocent child, the apparently loving and caring governess and then the stern and secretive housekeeper.
Alternatively, if you want to stretch your imagination like some of the better literary minds, it was none of these things. Instead, the excuse for the governess’ strange behaviour was the sexual tensions and desire that had built up inside her as she continued to lust after her illusive but dashing master and landowner. I need to be convinced of that one or I read a different book. Other critics believed the demonic connection was through the children and that I do agree with. This in itself though demonstrates how ambiguous the storyline and plot was to have interpreted such important parts of the story so differently.
Other authors will have taken the inspiration and threads from earlier stories like this and developed them into greater works of horror or gothic fiction over the years, and so this book has its place. However, although ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was very good in parts and was well written (overall) there was nothing special or memorable about it.
As a literary piece and a gothic horror novella I wanted to love this. Unfortunately I did not. This book was no more than a 3 stars for me, but 2 feels mean because the writing is excellent in parts, and it has a safe but intriguing story line. Please read other reviews, some of my GR friends have enjoyed this more than I did and rated higher.
October 26, 2020
Σύμφωνα με την εποχή που γράφτηκε,το βιβλίο ειναι αδιαμφισβήτητα μια ιστορία τρόμου,φαντασίας και ψυχολογικής έντασης.
Η αλήθεια ειναι πως ο συγγραφέας εξ αρχής ακροβατεί ανάμεσα σε πραγματικά ή φανταστικά γεγονότα και καταστάσεις που αφήνει την εξήγηση τους στη διακριτική ευχέρεια του αναγνώστη.
Επομένως μέσα σε όλη την ομιχλωδη και την αδιευκρίνιστη εξέλιξη της πλοκής το βιβλίο τούτο ή το λατρεύεις ή το μισείς. Δεν αφήνει περιθώρια μέσης λύσης.
Το δικό μου συμπέρασμα δεν έχει να κάνει με φαντάσματα,σκοτεινές παρουσίες και παρόμοιες δυσιδαιμονίες που προκαλούν θανάτους ή δαιμονικές επιρροές από τον κόσμο των νεκρών στον κόσμο των ζωντανών.
Θεωρώ πως ολα ειναι συνυφασμένα με την ανθρώπινη ψυχική και πνευματική υγεία καθώς και με την άγνοια των ανθρώπων σχετικά με την εξήγηση κάποιων φαινομένων που τα θεωρούν μυστήρια ανεξήγητα και παραφυσικά.
Το κακό υπάρχει και επιβάλλει την παρουσία του κ��ι τις τραγικές συνέπειες του όταν το δεχόμαστε ως ανεξήγητο ,το φοβόμαστε,το παραδεχόμαστε και τελικά μας κυριεύει ολοκληρωτικά και μας μεταφέρει στην παραφροσύνη.
Το καλό -εννοώ ότι εξηγείται τεκμηριωμένα και λογικά- από την άλλη προϋποθέτει υγεία πνευματική, νοημοσύνη, λογική και ψύχραιμη αντιμετώπιση με συνοχή σκέψης για οτιδήποτε μπορεί να εξηγηθεί.
Τυχαίο ειναι αυτό που ακόμα δεν μάθαμε την αιτία που προήλθε. Για κάθε αποτέλεσμα υπάρχει κάτι που το προκάλεσε.
Στο βιβλίο αυτό ολα τα κακά και ανεξήγητα τα προκάλεσε η διαταραχή και τα ��υχαναγκαστικά σύνδρομα της νταντάς των χαρισματικών παιδιών σε συνδυασμό με την αποστασιοποίηση και την αδιαφορία των υπολοίπων του περιβάλλοντος. Έτσι φτάνουμε με μαθηματική ακρίβεια στο αναμενόμενο
ΣΤΡΙΨΙΜΟ ΤΗΣ ΒΙΔΑΣ και σε ότι μπορεί να επιφέρει...
✡️⬛️✡️⬛️
Καλή ανάγνωση!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς!
Η αλήθεια ειναι πως ο συγγραφέας εξ αρχής ακροβατεί ανάμεσα σε πραγματικά ή φανταστικά γεγονότα και καταστάσεις που αφήνει την εξήγηση τους στη διακριτική ευχέρεια του αναγνώστη.
Επομένως μέσα σε όλη την ομιχλωδη και την αδιευκρίνιστη εξέλιξη της πλοκής το βιβλίο τούτο ή το λατρεύεις ή το μισείς. Δεν αφήνει περιθώρια μέσης λύσης.
Το δικό μου συμπέρασμα δεν έχει να κάνει με φαντάσματα,σκοτεινές παρουσίες και παρόμοιες δυσιδαιμονίες που προκαλούν θανάτους ή δαιμονικές επιρροές από τον κόσμο των νεκρών στον κόσμο των ζωντανών.
Θεωρώ πως ολα ειναι συνυφασμένα με την ανθρώπινη ψυχική και πνευματική υγεία καθώς και με την άγνοια των ανθρώπων σχετικά με την εξήγηση κάποιων φαινομένων που τα θεωρούν μυστήρια ανεξήγητα και παραφυσικά.
Το κακό υπάρχει και επιβάλλει την παρουσία του κ��ι τις τραγικές συνέπειες του όταν το δεχόμαστε ως ανεξήγητο ,το φοβόμαστε,το παραδεχόμαστε και τελικά μας κυριεύει ολοκληρωτικά και μας μεταφέρει στην παραφροσύνη.
Το καλό -εννοώ ότι εξηγείται τεκμηριωμένα και λογικά- από την άλλη προϋποθέτει υγεία πνευματική, νοημοσύνη, λογική και ψύχραιμη αντιμετώπιση με συνοχή σκέψης για οτιδήποτε μπορεί να εξηγηθεί.
Τυχαίο ειναι αυτό που ακόμα δεν μάθαμε την αιτία που προήλθε. Για κάθε αποτέλεσμα υπάρχει κάτι που το προκάλεσε.
Στο βιβλίο αυτό ολα τα κακά και ανεξήγητα τα προκάλεσε η διαταραχή και τα ��υχαναγκαστικά σύνδρομα της νταντάς των χαρισματικών παιδιών σε συνδυασμό με την αποστασιοποίηση και την αδιαφορία των υπολοίπων του περιβάλλοντος. Έτσι φτάνουμε με μαθηματική ακρίβεια στο αναμενόμενο
ΣΤΡΙΨΙΜΟ ΤΗΣ ΒΙΔΑΣ και σε ότι μπορεί να επιφέρει...
✡️⬛️✡️⬛️
Καλή ανάγνωση!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς!
August 23, 2020
Νομίζω πως υπάρχουν δύο τρόποι να ερμηνεύσει κανείς αυτό το βιβλίο. Είτε σαν ένα απλό γοτθικό μυθιστόρημα με φαντάσματα και περίεργες μεταφυσικές δραστηριότητες, οπότε μάλλον θα βαρεθεί και θα απογοητευτεί, είτε σαν μια αφήγηση του κλιμακούμενου κλονισμού της εύθραυστης και ευαίσθητης ανθρώπινης ψυχοσύνθεσης, που ισορροπεί ακραία ανάμεσα στο πραγματικό και στην ψευδαίσθηση, οπότε θα το λατρέψει.
Η αμφίσημη αφήγηση και οι διφορούμενοι διάλογοι άλλωστε, καθιστούν πιθανές και τις δύο εκδοχές. Ο συγγραφέας μέσα από το κλίμα της αμφισβήτησης και του απροσδιόριστου δεν περιορίζει τις οδούς επέκτασης του έργου του και επιτρέπει σε κάθε εκδοχή να ευσταθεί.
Αγγλική εξοχή της βικτωριανής εποχής, ειδυλλιακά τοπία, υπέροχη έπαυλη με τεράστιο κήπο, λίμνες, δέντρα, ευρύχωρα σκονισμένα δωμάτια, μια χούφτα υπηρετικό προσωπικό και απόλυτη απομόνωση. Μια νεαρή γκουβερνάντα έρχεται να φροντίσει δύο ορφανά παιδία (ένα αγόρι 10 ετών και ένα κορίτσι 8 ετών), που είναι υπό την κηδεμονία του θείου τους, ο οποίος όμως δε θέλει να έχει καμία σχέση μαζί τους. Όλα καλά μέχρι τη στιγμή που η γκουβερνάντα αρχίζει να βλέπει τα φαντάσματα δύο νεκρών υπηρετών και έχει την ακλόνητη πεποίθηση πως θέλουν να βλάψουν τα παιδιά και να τα διαφθείρουν. Άλλοτε τρομοκρατημένη και έτοιμη να το βάλει στα πόδια και άλλοτε θαρραλέα ξεκινάει ένα σκοτεινό, ατμοσφαιρικό κυνηγητό φαντασμάτων (ή μήπως όχι;;)
Ο λόγος είναι πυκνός και χειμαρρώδης, έτσι που να ταιριάζει απόλυτα με τα παιχνίδια που μπορεί να παίξει το μυαλό, τον τρόπο που μπορεί να χάνεται σε δαιδαλώδη μονοπάτια χωρίς διαφυγή, να φαντάζεται, να δημιουργεί, να αμφισβητεί και να απορρίπτει. Να γίνεται ουσιαστικά εχθρός του ίδιου του του εαυτού.
Σιωπές που μοιάζουν να εκτείνονται στο άπειρο, η αίσθηση μιας παρουσίας στο δωμάτιο την οποία αποφεύγεις να κοιτάξεις στην προσπάθειά σου να αρνηθείς την ύπαρξή της, το ξαφνικό σβήσιμο ενός κεριού που βυθίζει το δωμάτιο στο έρεβος, το παρατεταμένο άγγιγμα των χεριών δύο απροστάτευτων ανθρώπων, ο γδούπος που κάνει ένα παράθυρο όταν κλείνει και το ξαφνικό απόμακρο γέλιο ενός παιδιού στη σκάλα. Γνήσιος τρόμος.
Όλα αυτά δηλώνουν άρρητα πως αυτό που υπονοήθηκε, αυτό που δεν ειπώθηκε και δεν ειδώθηκε, αυτό που το αισθάνεσαι απλά και αποστρέφεις το βλέμμα σου για να το αποφύγεις, μοιάζει να στοιχειώνει περισσότερο από το έκδηλο και το προκλητικό.
Εγώ το διάβασα από εκδόσεις Άγρα σε μετάφραση του Κοσμά Πολίτη. Εννοείται βράδυ με κλειστά τα φώτα και κομμένη την ανάσα. Και το λάτρεψα για τον αυθεντικό μη επιτηδευμένο τρόμο και τις ψυχολογικές προεκτάσεις του. Και έγινε ένα από τα αγαπημένα μου βιβλία, από αυτές τις κλασσικές αγάπες στις οποίες επιστρέφεις κάθε τόσο σε μια προσπάθεια να ξανανιώσεις όπως την πρώτη φορά…
Η αμφίσημη αφήγηση και οι διφορούμενοι διάλογοι άλλωστε, καθιστούν πιθανές και τις δύο εκδοχές. Ο συγγραφέας μέσα από το κλίμα της αμφισβήτησης και του απροσδιόριστου δεν περιορίζει τις οδούς επέκτασης του έργου του και επιτρέπει σε κάθε εκδοχή να ευσταθεί.
Αγγλική εξοχή της βικτωριανής εποχής, ειδυλλιακά τοπία, υπέροχη έπαυλη με τεράστιο κήπο, λίμνες, δέντρα, ευρύχωρα σκονισμένα δωμάτια, μια χούφτα υπηρετικό προσωπικό και απόλυτη απομόνωση. Μια νεαρή γκουβερνάντα έρχεται να φροντίσει δύο ορφανά παιδία (ένα αγόρι 10 ετών και ένα κορίτσι 8 ετών), που είναι υπό την κηδεμονία του θείου τους, ο οποίος όμως δε θέλει να έχει καμία σχέση μαζί τους. Όλα καλά μέχρι τη στιγμή που η γκουβερνάντα αρχίζει να βλέπει τα φαντάσματα δύο νεκρών υπηρετών και έχει την ακλόνητη πεποίθηση πως θέλουν να βλάψουν τα παιδιά και να τα διαφθείρουν. Άλλοτε τρομοκρατημένη και έτοιμη να το βάλει στα πόδια και άλλοτε θαρραλέα ξεκινάει ένα σκοτεινό, ατμοσφαιρικό κυνηγητό φαντασμάτων (ή μήπως όχι;;)
Ο λόγος είναι πυκνός και χειμαρρώδης, έτσι που να ταιριάζει απόλυτα με τα παιχνίδια που μπορεί να παίξει το μυαλό, τον τρόπο που μπορεί να χάνεται σε δαιδαλώδη μονοπάτια χωρίς διαφυγή, να φαντάζεται, να δημιουργεί, να αμφισβητεί και να απορρίπτει. Να γίνεται ουσιαστικά εχθρός του ίδιου του του εαυτού.
Σιωπές που μοιάζουν να εκτείνονται στο άπειρο, η αίσθηση μιας παρουσίας στο δωμάτιο την οποία αποφεύγεις να κοιτάξεις στην προσπάθειά σου να αρνηθείς την ύπαρξή της, το ξαφνικό σβήσιμο ενός κεριού που βυθίζει το δωμάτιο στο έρεβος, το παρατεταμένο άγγιγμα των χεριών δύο απροστάτευτων ανθρώπων, ο γδούπος που κάνει ένα παράθυρο όταν κλείνει και το ξαφνικό απόμακρο γέλιο ενός παιδιού στη σκάλα. Γνήσιος τρόμος.
Όλα αυτά δηλώνουν άρρητα πως αυτό που υπονοήθηκε, αυτό που δεν ειπώθηκε και δεν ειδώθηκε, αυτό που το αισθάνεσαι απλά και αποστρέφεις το βλέμμα σου για να το αποφύγεις, μοιάζει να στοιχειώνει περισσότερο από το έκδηλο και το προκλητικό.
Εγώ το διάβασα από εκδόσεις Άγρα σε μετάφραση του Κοσμά Πολίτη. Εννοείται βράδυ με κλειστά τα φώτα και κομμένη την ανάσα. Και το λάτρεψα για τον αυθεντικό μη επιτηδευμένο τρόμο και τις ψυχολογικές προεκτάσεις του. Και έγινε ένα από τα αγαπημένα μου βιβλία, από αυτές τις κλασσικές αγάπες στις οποίες επιστρέφεις κάθε τόσο σε μια προσπάθεια να ξανανιώσεις όπως την πρώτη φορά…
December 13, 2016
...my imagination had, in a flash, turned real. He did stand there!
I could not decide whether I was more intrigued by the Gothic thriller or the intricate jalebi of the prose, a truly - truly - labyrinthine prose, which James employs with great effect for the purpose of dissimulation. (Folks would later dub it 'unreliable narration.') You can trust James to phrase the most simplest of ideas and situations in the most imaginative of ways without making a fool of you; but if you still insist on clarity, go ahead and tell us whether the governess really did see the ghost or was it all a figment of her overexcited imagination. In any case, this is one of the finest examples of a story where the style of writing itself suggests ideas to the reader without stating anything in concrete terms.
I (re)read it in one sitting, with racing heart and damp underarms, and, probably my blood pressure also shot up, if only metaphorically. No, it wasn't the horror. Horror films don't scare me, let alone the writing. It was, I realised early on, the pressure of the prose bearing down on my soul, its gravity many times greater than that of the earth, until I could not tear myself away till I had finished the job, panting; like when you're planted on the belt of a treadmill inclined upwards, you are making the effort without going anywhere and can't rest your legs until the segment has run its course and your muscles are fully exercised.
This novella is like a literary treadmill.
June '16.
I could not decide whether I was more intrigued by the Gothic thriller or the intricate jalebi of the prose, a truly - truly - labyrinthine prose, which James employs with great effect for the purpose of dissimulation. (Folks would later dub it 'unreliable narration.') You can trust James to phrase the most simplest of ideas and situations in the most imaginative of ways without making a fool of you; but if you still insist on clarity, go ahead and tell us whether the governess really did see the ghost or was it all a figment of her overexcited imagination. In any case, this is one of the finest examples of a story where the style of writing itself suggests ideas to the reader without stating anything in concrete terms.
I (re)read it in one sitting, with racing heart and damp underarms, and, probably my blood pressure also shot up, if only metaphorically. No, it wasn't the horror. Horror films don't scare me, let alone the writing. It was, I realised early on, the pressure of the prose bearing down on my soul, its gravity many times greater than that of the earth, until I could not tear myself away till I had finished the job, panting; like when you're planted on the belt of a treadmill inclined upwards, you are making the effort without going anywhere and can't rest your legs until the segment has run its course and your muscles are fully exercised.
This novella is like a literary treadmill.
June '16.
August 6, 2019
-¿No la ve usted como la vemos nosotras? ¿Es que no la está viendo ahora..., ahora mismo? ¡Es tan grande como una hoguera! ¡Limítese a mirar, buena mujer! ¡Mire!
"Otra vuelta de tuerca" sigue siendo para mí LA novela de fantasmas por antonomasia, como dice la contratapa de mi edición del libro. Y creo que más allá de otras que dentro del género gótico marcaron el inicio de estos relatos, como Los misterios de Udolfo (nombrada en esta novela) y El castillo de Otranto, este el libro de Henry James el que instala definitivamente el concepto de lo fantasmal, lo ominoso y lo opresivo en una novela tradicional.
Seguramente hay muchos ejemplos más en este vasto universo de la literatura, pero es que cuando un lector tiene ganas de incursionar en estos relatos es muy probable que el primer título que se la venga a la cabeza el título de este libro, escritoo por este gran novelista, famoso por haber dividido su narrativa entre Inglaterra y los Estados Unidos.
Este es uno de sus éxitos más rotundos, conjuntamente con otras obras como "Retrato de una dama", "Las bostonianas", "Los papeles de Aspern" y "Los embajadores". Su obra es vasta e inolvidable y aún hoy se sigue leyendo en todo el mundo.
Esta novela instala otra cuestión crucial en la narrativa y que se refiere a los distintos puntos de vista de los personajes, puesto que cada uno tiene una visión propia de lo que ve o cree ver.
En primer lugar tenemos al personaje principal, la institutriz sin nombre (nunca sabemos cómo se llama) que llega a una enorme mansión de Bly para cuidar y educar a dos supuestamente encantadores niños, llamados Miles y Flora. Conocerá allí al ama de llaves, la señora Grose, un personaje no tan secundario que tendrá que mucho que ver a lo largo de lo que sucede a partir de los primeros "encuentros" de la institutriz con presencias extrañas.
La novela ha tenido múltiples interpretaciones y todas recaen siempre en la institutriz, ya que con el correr de los capítulos, el lector comienza a hacerse ciertas preguntas: ¿son los fantasmas de la anterior institutriz, los que vuelven a la mansión para "quedarse" con los niños y aterrorizarla a ella? Al leer la novela, conocemos la historia de la señorita Jessel, que fue joven y hermosa como ella y que murió en circunstancias extrañas y también del criado, el señor Quint, supuestamente violento, cruel y promiscuo que es hallado muerto tiempo atrás y al parecer ambos no descansan en paz.
¿La institutriz sufre de alucinaciones? ¿está mentalmente desequilibrada? ¿ se está volviendo loca? ¿es paranoica? Todas estas preguntas comienzan a instalarse en nuestra cabeza, pero las respuestas chocan entre sí puesto que todas adquieren una probabilidad muy certera. Uno de los pasajes más significativos que se relacionan a estas preguntas se da cuando la institutriz y Flora se encuentran a orillas del lago del mar de Azov y creo que es la mejor escena de esta novela.
Allí está ella y Flora y la señorita Jessel. ¿Está la señorita Jessel? La institutriz la está viendo y recíprocamente Jessel la mira con una mirada demoníaca y realmente fantasmal, pero Flora... ¿la ve? ¿o la ve y le dice a la institutriz que no?
Así están planteados los encuentros con los fantasmas que al inicio son entre la institutriz y ellos a través de ventanales en el caso del señor Quint y en las escaleras y en las habitaciones cuando sucede con la señorita Jessel, hasta que comienzan a participar los niños de ellos y también la señora Grose.
Todo parece tan claro para la institutriz, pero tan confuso para el lector y este es el juego al que nos lleva Henry James con tanta maestría y genialidad. Es que nunca sabremos si los niños saben y no quieren decirlo o la mente de la institutriz va camino a una colapso mental inevitable. Así están planteadas las cosas ya desde el tercer capítulo y terminará las historias con algunos puntos no cerrados, pero manteniéndonos a nosotros los lectores realmente expectantes de lo que pueda suceder.
"Otra vuelta de tuerca" hace alusión a términos como terror, miedo, alucinación, sugestión, fantasmas, ambigüedad, muerte y a géneros literarios como el gótico, el terror clásico, el misterio, el terror psicológico o el thriller.
Esta tan bien relatada por Henry James que hasta él mismo sintió un poco de miedo cuando le entregó las galeradas al editor diciendo "Al terminar estaba tan asustado que me daba miedo ir a la cama."
Puedo imaginar lo que causó en 1891 y más allá de que el terror de hoy, a partir de genios como Stephen King pueda considerarse muy superior al terror relatado por Henry James, esta novela nunca perdió su vigencia.
Leí este libro por primera vez y me fascinó. Lo leí una segunda vez cuando estudié Letras y me volvió a hechizar.
Y aún hoy sigo intentando darle otra vuelta de tuerca...
"Otra vuelta de tuerca" sigue siendo para mí LA novela de fantasmas por antonomasia, como dice la contratapa de mi edición del libro. Y creo que más allá de otras que dentro del género gótico marcaron el inicio de estos relatos, como Los misterios de Udolfo (nombrada en esta novela) y El castillo de Otranto, este el libro de Henry James el que instala definitivamente el concepto de lo fantasmal, lo ominoso y lo opresivo en una novela tradicional.
Seguramente hay muchos ejemplos más en este vasto universo de la literatura, pero es que cuando un lector tiene ganas de incursionar en estos relatos es muy probable que el primer título que se la venga a la cabeza el título de este libro, escritoo por este gran novelista, famoso por haber dividido su narrativa entre Inglaterra y los Estados Unidos.
Este es uno de sus éxitos más rotundos, conjuntamente con otras obras como "Retrato de una dama", "Las bostonianas", "Los papeles de Aspern" y "Los embajadores". Su obra es vasta e inolvidable y aún hoy se sigue leyendo en todo el mundo.
Esta novela instala otra cuestión crucial en la narrativa y que se refiere a los distintos puntos de vista de los personajes, puesto que cada uno tiene una visión propia de lo que ve o cree ver.
En primer lugar tenemos al personaje principal, la institutriz sin nombre (nunca sabemos cómo se llama) que llega a una enorme mansión de Bly para cuidar y educar a dos supuestamente encantadores niños, llamados Miles y Flora. Conocerá allí al ama de llaves, la señora Grose, un personaje no tan secundario que tendrá que mucho que ver a lo largo de lo que sucede a partir de los primeros "encuentros" de la institutriz con presencias extrañas.
La novela ha tenido múltiples interpretaciones y todas recaen siempre en la institutriz, ya que con el correr de los capítulos, el lector comienza a hacerse ciertas preguntas: ¿son los fantasmas de la anterior institutriz, los que vuelven a la mansión para "quedarse" con los niños y aterrorizarla a ella? Al leer la novela, conocemos la historia de la señorita Jessel, que fue joven y hermosa como ella y que murió en circunstancias extrañas y también del criado, el señor Quint, supuestamente violento, cruel y promiscuo que es hallado muerto tiempo atrás y al parecer ambos no descansan en paz.
¿La institutriz sufre de alucinaciones? ¿está mentalmente desequilibrada? ¿ se está volviendo loca? ¿es paranoica? Todas estas preguntas comienzan a instalarse en nuestra cabeza, pero las respuestas chocan entre sí puesto que todas adquieren una probabilidad muy certera. Uno de los pasajes más significativos que se relacionan a estas preguntas se da cuando la institutriz y Flora se encuentran a orillas del lago del mar de Azov y creo que es la mejor escena de esta novela.
Allí está ella y Flora y la señorita Jessel. ¿Está la señorita Jessel? La institutriz la está viendo y recíprocamente Jessel la mira con una mirada demoníaca y realmente fantasmal, pero Flora... ¿la ve? ¿o la ve y le dice a la institutriz que no?
Así están planteados los encuentros con los fantasmas que al inicio son entre la institutriz y ellos a través de ventanales en el caso del señor Quint y en las escaleras y en las habitaciones cuando sucede con la señorita Jessel, hasta que comienzan a participar los niños de ellos y también la señora Grose.
Todo parece tan claro para la institutriz, pero tan confuso para el lector y este es el juego al que nos lleva Henry James con tanta maestría y genialidad. Es que nunca sabremos si los niños saben y no quieren decirlo o la mente de la institutriz va camino a una colapso mental inevitable. Así están planteadas las cosas ya desde el tercer capítulo y terminará las historias con algunos puntos no cerrados, pero manteniéndonos a nosotros los lectores realmente expectantes de lo que pueda suceder.
"Otra vuelta de tuerca" hace alusión a términos como terror, miedo, alucinación, sugestión, fantasmas, ambigüedad, muerte y a géneros literarios como el gótico, el terror clásico, el misterio, el terror psicológico o el thriller.
Esta tan bien relatada por Henry James que hasta él mismo sintió un poco de miedo cuando le entregó las galeradas al editor diciendo "Al terminar estaba tan asustado que me daba miedo ir a la cama."
Puedo imaginar lo que causó en 1891 y más allá de que el terror de hoy, a partir de genios como Stephen King pueda considerarse muy superior al terror relatado por Henry James, esta novela nunca perdió su vigencia.
Leí este libro por primera vez y me fascinó. Lo leí una segunda vez cuando estudié Letras y me volvió a hechizar.
Y aún hoy sigo intentando darle otra vuelta de tuerca...
August 16, 2019
What is real , something you see but no one else does, things stare back at you then vanish into the nothingness of oblivion, images that cannot be solid ...ARE YOU GOING INSANE ? Such is the plot of the famous Henry James novella ...The Turn of the Screw, more a study of psychological turmoil than pure terror, yet it has it too. A young unnamed woman takes a job as governess to two small children in an old house called Bly, in rural England, set in the 1800's, she needs the money desperately , a boy Miles 10, and his sister Flora 8 both handsome , intelligent, very mature for their age, they seem quite normal. The siblings guardian a remote uncle living in the city (London) doesn't want to be bothered...no communications just take care of his burden and leave him in peace, not a loving person. The housekeeper, a friendly old lady Mrs. Grove, the governess and her become fast friends. Nevertheless there's a darkness brewing, unsaid but felt, the young lady starts to feel uncomfortable from the very beginning, too many mysteries keeps the atmosphere thick with suspense and what happened to the previous governess? Slowly she begins to discover the truth, a corrosive element bringing death to this estate. A man or maybe not , she sees but that is impossible ...no strangers are here, yet the governess starts asking questions too many to be answered properly. The late valet of the uncle's had an unfortunate accident, Peter Quint a rascal romantically involved with the previous governess also dead, Miss Jessel, the ghosts of the estate, their ghoulish mists cause havoc. How much do the children know or are they behind the apparitions, the present governess feels the stress and pain of the hopeless situation. The phantoms keep appearing and shockingly disappearing, no relief in sight. The pond and Flora, make for a frightening episode for everyone there, will she be saved...A fine mystery that will seem old-fashioned to some modern readers, yet it does have interesting characters trying to survive unknown factors and clear the air of the horror. If you have read the author books before, you'll enjoy it better. Henry James maybe long winded and you are not too sure what's he "talking about "periodically , still the talent is obvious. The adventurous will be happy at finding this writer, I did.
June 10, 2013
It is the worst thing in the world to leave children with servants.
Maria Edgeworth , Practical Education, 1798
Of all the vulgar superstitions of the half educated, none dies harder than the absurd delusion that there is no such thing as ghosts.
William T Stead, Real Ghost Stories, 1897
The T of the S is a very mechanical matter, I honestly think – an inferior, a merely pictorial, subject and rather a shameless pot-boiler.
Henry James in a letter, 1898
Come, let us enter what Wayne Booth called “the appalling chaos of critical opinions” about The Turn of the Screw. Out of Henry James’ vast output, the shelf-full of thick impressive novels, the hundreds of novellas and short stories, it’s this 100 page effort, this pot-boiler, which scored him his big hit, which transfixed readers then and now. This little story, in terms of the attention it’s received, is in the same bracket as Hamlet, Don Quixote and The Divine Comedy. A young governess, an older woman, two children, and two …. ah , two what, precisely?
Such buzzing attention over one small flower, as Mr Beidler says.
The three main schools of thought are
The ghosts were real
Not a popular idea these days
The ghosts were not real and the governess was insane
As a complete disbeliever in afterlives, ghosts, souls and all of that spooky apparatus, this is the reading I prefer. But what’s this? –
Why, since James wrote some half-dozen other stories about ghosts, must we read this one alone as a hallucinatory story? (Peter Beidler, p 195)
Thanks, Peter. Hmm. I’ll ignore that for the moment.
Edmund Wilson promoted the crazy-governess interpretation in 1934. He picks out this nice detail:
Observe from the Freudian point of view, the significance of the governess’ interest in the little girl’s pieces of wood and of the fact that the male apparition first takes shape on a tower and the female apparition on a lake.
Just to remind you :
She had picked up a small flat piece of wood which happened to have in it a little hole that had evidently suggested to her the idea of sticking in another fragment that might figure as a mast and make the thing a boat. This second morsel, as I watched her, she was very markedly and intently attempting to tighten in its place. The Turn of the Screw p55
So, in this reading, the governess is a textbook case of what the Victorians called sexual hysteria. Not much seen, anymore, because it is caused by the severe social repression of female sexuality, which is rarely encountered these days. However, a governess was in a real bad situation in 1840 (when the story is set). She was unmarried, she was living in a strange man’s house, she could not consort with the lower servants and yet she was not the social equal of her employers. She was in a bind. Check out Jane Eyre for a fantasy resolution – Reader, I married him! But that’s not what happens here. So female sexual hysteria was what happened to normal women in a situation where they were not allowed any kind of outlet for their sexuality. They went a bit doo-lally. (That was Havelock Ellis’ term.) Their sexual feelings turned into morbid dread of sex. This was an established syndrome of the time. What the favoured remedy was, I do not know.
The Turn of the Screw does indeed appear to me to turn around an axis of morbid sexuality. There is a great mystery about what Quint and Miss Jessell did with (to) the children when they were in charge. Is this linked to what Miles did to get expelled from school? What exactly did he do? “I said things.” Who to? “Only a few. Those I liked.” So, these things Miles (aged 10) said to his schoolfriends, the boys he liked, were enough to get him expelled.
Stanley Renner :
It is not a ghost story but a psychological drama about the disastrous effects of Victorian sexual attitudes on the development of children. (p285)
The governess sees the ghosts as evil because they are the return of sexual adults into the lives of the children; and she sees them trying to get their hands on the children and turn the children into themselves. (Is there a whiff of paedophilia about this? I don't know.) She wants to prevent any kind of sexual awareness in the children. The story says that when you do this you are, metaphorically speaking, killing the children. One escapes her fanaticism, the other doesn’t.
THE THIRD THEORY : Neither of the above readings can be said to be true as the story is deliberately un-interpretable.
In an essay called The Squirm of the True, Christine Brooke-Rose introduced the post-modern point of view :
I shall not argue for the ghosts or for the hallucinations, but take it as accepted there is no word or incident in the story that cannot be interpreted both ways.
Jose Amoros said that there are three stages in reading the story – first you trust the governess, then you accept the possibility she is unreliable, then you accept the “radical ambiguity” of the story.
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain
Then there is
Donovan, 1967, referencing Zen Buddhism
These third-stage readers
see the story as ensuring the constant frustration of every interpreter; it leads readers on a merry chase through one failed reading after another (p248)
THE DEATH OF MILES
The first great question is “are the ghosts real?” and the second is “what caused the death of Miles?” This has taxed everyone who has ever commented on the story. This fascinating critical investigation contains no less than SIX pages of quotes about the death of Miles from dozens of critics. A remarkable array of opinion.
This book also presents feminist, queer and Marxist readings, but I fear I have already tried your patience, dear goodreaders, so I will wind up this review.
AND IN THE END
Perhaps when all is said and done the moral of the story of The Turn of the Screw is that you should probably use a reputable professional agency to source your live-in governesses.
September 16, 2023
Instead of bananas or tacos, I have no doubt Henry James would have been the sort of man who chose instead to have commas on his boxer shorts. I always thought of Henry James as unnecessarily long-winded and so always avoided his books, and though I wasn't wrong, his books, not all of them at least, aren't the unreadable tomes I always considred them to be. I suspect that I may only be able to handle him in short form, however.
As to the actual story, I was hooked. It reminded me of a recent movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal in which she, a kindergarten teacher, is convinced that one of her students is some sort of prodigy. Is he, or is she projecting? And so, having said nothing about the plot of this one,, I've told you all you need to know,,, and in a much briefer fashion than HJ could ever have dreamed of.
As to the actual story, I was hooked. It reminded me of a recent movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal in which she, a kindergarten teacher, is convinced that one of her students is some sort of prodigy. Is he, or is she projecting? And so, having said nothing about the plot of this one,, I've told you all you need to know,,, and in a much briefer fashion than HJ could ever have dreamed of.
October 18, 2022
I failed to hang on to this fantastic story where nothing was happening. The "tension" builds up well throughout the story, and the end sentence is striking, but I got bored, waiting for something to happen. In addition, the descriptions of situations or feelings are sometimes quite convoluted, especially in the opening. A disappointment, therefore.
December 11, 2020
Welcome back to the newest edition of Tim has an unpopular opinion. I'll be your host today, and my, do I have a show for you.
I hate it when I don't like a classic. People immediately assume that you don't get it or that you need to look at it from the point of view of the readers at the time of publication. I know. I've put in my time reading classics in the past and frequently still do for fun.
Sometimes you simply just don't like a book.
Honestly, I should have loved this. I love ghost stories. I love books where you can examine the psychology of the lead. I like being able to have multiple interpretations for events. It seemed a book I was bound to love.
Yet here I am, having finished and absolutely hating it. It was dull, it was over written (and seemingly in a love/hate relationship with commas considering the extreme over use of them) and while the ambiguity was appreciated, the vagueness of the narrative was not. Half the time I felt like it was like a bad dream, using inaccurate data to come to an illogical conclusion, and rather than intriguing me, it annoyed me.
I know its well loved, but this is a case where the book is simply not for me. The psychological aspect is interesting, but the story isn't. I only finished it because it was extremely short... honestly though, I wish I had not bothered. 1/5 stars
I hate it when I don't like a classic. People immediately assume that you don't get it or that you need to look at it from the point of view of the readers at the time of publication. I know. I've put in my time reading classics in the past and frequently still do for fun.
Sometimes you simply just don't like a book.
Honestly, I should have loved this. I love ghost stories. I love books where you can examine the psychology of the lead. I like being able to have multiple interpretations for events. It seemed a book I was bound to love.
Yet here I am, having finished and absolutely hating it. It was dull, it was over written (and seemingly in a love/hate relationship with commas considering the extreme over use of them) and while the ambiguity was appreciated, the vagueness of the narrative was not. Half the time I felt like it was like a bad dream, using inaccurate data to come to an illogical conclusion, and rather than intriguing me, it annoyed me.
I know its well loved, but this is a case where the book is simply not for me. The psychological aspect is interesting, but the story isn't. I only finished it because it was extremely short... honestly though, I wish I had not bothered. 1/5 stars
October 14, 2021
Miedo me da escribir un comentario sobre este libro, y no precisamente por tratarse de una historia de fantasmas, sino porque probablemente es la historia de fantasmas más conocida, versionada y analizada de la historia de la literatura. ¿Qué puedo añadir a todo lo que ya se ha dicho sobre esta obra? Poco, o nada. Pero, por otra parte, como resistirse a recomendar un clásico como este.
Una joven e inexperta institutriz se hace cargo de la educación de dos hermanos ―niño y niña―, contratada por su tutor, un atractivo caballero que le otorga plenos poderes sobre los pequeños y sobre la casona familiar perdida en el campo, con toda la servidumbre incluida, a condición de que nunca, bajo ningún concepto, se le importune con noticias de los niños o de la casa.
Desde el primer momento la institutriz siente una presencia en la casa y muy pronto deberá enfrentar la aparición de dos fantasmas que rondan a los niños. A partir de ese momento, armándose de valor, la protagonista tratará de tomar las riendas de la situación mientras los hechos se precipitan hacia un final tan imprevisible como inevitable.
Una institutriz y dos niños acosados por los fantasmas en una aislada mansión victoriana es un argumento que puede parecernos cualquier cosa menos original, a menos que tengamos en cuenta que con Otra vuelta de tuerca James hace exactamente lo que anuncia el título: dar otra vuelta de tuerca a las ya entonces clásicas historias de fantasmas. Y de esto hace ahora más de un siglo. Pero la novela de James no ha perdido ni un ápice de interés, porque su atractivo va más allá de la perfección de su argumento o de su capacidad para infundir miedo al lector. Entonces, ¿qué hace que este libro siga siendo una lectura imprescindible?
Leído hoy en día, Otra vuelta de tuerca difícilmente va a asustar a nadie (después de todo lo que hemos leído y visto, en películas o en las noticias, nuestra capacidad de asombro es mínima). De hecho, es un cuento de fantasmas de corte clásico, sin escenas violentas ni escabrosas. Sin embargo, James, sin necesidad de sobresaltar al lector, crea una atmósfera asfixiante y claustrofóbica, un horror silencioso y opresor que envuelve al lector desde la primera página: la certeza de la presencia del mal, acechando paciente.
Ya en los primeros compases de la narración la protagonista siente esa presencia, y pronto ve a los aparecidos y se entera, por boca del ama de llaves, de quiénes son y cuál es su historia. No hay ningún misterio en ese sentido. Y es que el espanto no reside en ver un fantasma o en lo que éste pueda hacer a los vivos, el verdadero horror es la tensa espera, la obsesión, la angustia.
En tanto que en el texto no se hace mención explícita a la naturaleza de la relación que parece existir entre los fantasmas y los niños o cuáles son las intenciones de aquéllos, es la imaginación del lector la que va a echar la mayor parte de la leña a esta hoguera. Porque quizá lo más importante de Otra vuelta de tuerca es lo que no se cuenta. James administra con maestría la información que ofrece al lector jugando con los remilgos de las damas protagonistas, la institutriz y el ama de llaves, que por pudor o por temor, nunca terminan de expresar a las claras sus sospechas ni de narrar completamente lo que puedan haber visto.
Henry James es perfectamente consciente de los mecanismos que hacen que su historia funcione y juega sus bazas con gran habilidad, manejando al lector a su antojo. Y uno, que se deja manejar cuando merece la pena, sólo al acercarse el final del libro toma plena conciencia de que lo que creía una historia sencilla y lineal tiene múltiples lecturas y el autor le ha guiado por una sola de ellas. Pero no importa, para eso están las relecturas.
Una joven e inexperta institutriz se hace cargo de la educación de dos hermanos ―niño y niña―, contratada por su tutor, un atractivo caballero que le otorga plenos poderes sobre los pequeños y sobre la casona familiar perdida en el campo, con toda la servidumbre incluida, a condición de que nunca, bajo ningún concepto, se le importune con noticias de los niños o de la casa.
Desde el primer momento la institutriz siente una presencia en la casa y muy pronto deberá enfrentar la aparición de dos fantasmas que rondan a los niños. A partir de ese momento, armándose de valor, la protagonista tratará de tomar las riendas de la situación mientras los hechos se precipitan hacia un final tan imprevisible como inevitable.
Una institutriz y dos niños acosados por los fantasmas en una aislada mansión victoriana es un argumento que puede parecernos cualquier cosa menos original, a menos que tengamos en cuenta que con Otra vuelta de tuerca James hace exactamente lo que anuncia el título: dar otra vuelta de tuerca a las ya entonces clásicas historias de fantasmas. Y de esto hace ahora más de un siglo. Pero la novela de James no ha perdido ni un ápice de interés, porque su atractivo va más allá de la perfección de su argumento o de su capacidad para infundir miedo al lector. Entonces, ¿qué hace que este libro siga siendo una lectura imprescindible?
Leído hoy en día, Otra vuelta de tuerca difícilmente va a asustar a nadie (después de todo lo que hemos leído y visto, en películas o en las noticias, nuestra capacidad de asombro es mínima). De hecho, es un cuento de fantasmas de corte clásico, sin escenas violentas ni escabrosas. Sin embargo, James, sin necesidad de sobresaltar al lector, crea una atmósfera asfixiante y claustrofóbica, un horror silencioso y opresor que envuelve al lector desde la primera página: la certeza de la presencia del mal, acechando paciente.
Ya en los primeros compases de la narración la protagonista siente esa presencia, y pronto ve a los aparecidos y se entera, por boca del ama de llaves, de quiénes son y cuál es su historia. No hay ningún misterio en ese sentido. Y es que el espanto no reside en ver un fantasma o en lo que éste pueda hacer a los vivos, el verdadero horror es la tensa espera, la obsesión, la angustia.
En tanto que en el texto no se hace mención explícita a la naturaleza de la relación que parece existir entre los fantasmas y los niños o cuáles son las intenciones de aquéllos, es la imaginación del lector la que va a echar la mayor parte de la leña a esta hoguera. Porque quizá lo más importante de Otra vuelta de tuerca es lo que no se cuenta. James administra con maestría la información que ofrece al lector jugando con los remilgos de las damas protagonistas, la institutriz y el ama de llaves, que por pudor o por temor, nunca terminan de expresar a las claras sus sospechas ni de narrar completamente lo que puedan haber visto.
Henry James es perfectamente consciente de los mecanismos que hacen que su historia funcione y juega sus bazas con gran habilidad, manejando al lector a su antojo. Y uno, que se deja manejar cuando merece la pena, sólo al acercarse el final del libro toma plena conciencia de que lo que creía una historia sencilla y lineal tiene múltiples lecturas y el autor le ha guiado por una sola de ellas. Pero no importa, para eso están las relecturas.
October 15, 2022
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a 2012 Duke Classics publication. (Originally published in 1898)
I’ve been reading classic ‘horror’ novels during the month of October for the past couple of years, and it was so fun, I decided to make it a tradition. I have watched several movie versions based on this short story, but, of course, movies tend to take liberties, so I wanted to read the book this year and see it through a fresh lens…
I was surprised to see this classic has only earned a tepid rating average on Goodreads, though. I understand why someone today would find it rather bland if they are expecting modern day theatrics, which is unfortunate because the atmosphere, nuances, allegory, and subtlety are what made the ambiguous tale the fodder for so much debate- which continues on even today. I doubt anyone, one hundred years from now, will still be debating ANYTHING written today. So, there’s that.
That said, the writing is hard to follow. It is too wordy- and the capitalization of nearly every pronoun was annoying. Even so, I still managed to read the book in one sitting-as it is a short story. Despite its age, I did find it effective, as I prefer this slow build up over the cheap thrills so prominent today. I could see where readers would experience some chills and thrills back in 1898- and to be honest, I felt a few shivers here and there, too.
Does the story live up to the hype, though? Well, if I had entered the book with overblown expectations, I might have felt disappointed, or at the very least, confused by all the fuss surrounding this book, which has garnered so much attention in movies, television, and even on the stage. But because I was somewhat familiar with the premise, and knew it was meant to be a psychological exercise, I was fine with it. It’s a book that one might want to read multiple times before one could settle on an opinion about the validity of the ghosts, or any other message one might find buried in the text.
It did not, when first published, come without its criticisms either- but some of that seems ridiculous to me. Maybe the book was simply meant to be unsettling- meant to challenge one’s own perception of the events described- which is what I think. The only debate I’ll step into is the one that argues the ‘Gothic’ category the book often falls into. Yes, it has some ‘Bronte-esque’ Gothic tones- but in my opinion, it is not a pure Gothic novel, therefore I would not categorize it as such.
Overall, I thought the story was thought-provoking- though the atmosphere was tainted a bit by my struggles with the writing. Someday I might read it again, and maybe take a closer look at some of the suggested allegory of the story when I have more time to study it.
I think a book that has this kind of staying power, is still popping up on television, and is still the topic of much debate says a lot about the impact of what might have been a simple ghost story. For that reason alone, it deserves at least a four-star rating.
I’ve been reading classic ‘horror’ novels during the month of October for the past couple of years, and it was so fun, I decided to make it a tradition. I have watched several movie versions based on this short story, but, of course, movies tend to take liberties, so I wanted to read the book this year and see it through a fresh lens…
I was surprised to see this classic has only earned a tepid rating average on Goodreads, though. I understand why someone today would find it rather bland if they are expecting modern day theatrics, which is unfortunate because the atmosphere, nuances, allegory, and subtlety are what made the ambiguous tale the fodder for so much debate- which continues on even today. I doubt anyone, one hundred years from now, will still be debating ANYTHING written today. So, there’s that.
That said, the writing is hard to follow. It is too wordy- and the capitalization of nearly every pronoun was annoying. Even so, I still managed to read the book in one sitting-as it is a short story. Despite its age, I did find it effective, as I prefer this slow build up over the cheap thrills so prominent today. I could see where readers would experience some chills and thrills back in 1898- and to be honest, I felt a few shivers here and there, too.
Does the story live up to the hype, though? Well, if I had entered the book with overblown expectations, I might have felt disappointed, or at the very least, confused by all the fuss surrounding this book, which has garnered so much attention in movies, television, and even on the stage. But because I was somewhat familiar with the premise, and knew it was meant to be a psychological exercise, I was fine with it. It’s a book that one might want to read multiple times before one could settle on an opinion about the validity of the ghosts, or any other message one might find buried in the text.
It did not, when first published, come without its criticisms either- but some of that seems ridiculous to me. Maybe the book was simply meant to be unsettling- meant to challenge one’s own perception of the events described- which is what I think. The only debate I’ll step into is the one that argues the ‘Gothic’ category the book often falls into. Yes, it has some ‘Bronte-esque’ Gothic tones- but in my opinion, it is not a pure Gothic novel, therefore I would not categorize it as such.
Overall, I thought the story was thought-provoking- though the atmosphere was tainted a bit by my struggles with the writing. Someday I might read it again, and maybe take a closer look at some of the suggested allegory of the story when I have more time to study it.
I think a book that has this kind of staying power, is still popping up on television, and is still the topic of much debate says a lot about the impact of what might have been a simple ghost story. For that reason alone, it deserves at least a four-star rating.
March 20, 2020
A strange tale about a repressed young governess who, fearing her employer’s estate is haunted by malevolent spirits, sets out to protect her pair of pupils from harm at any cost. Told from the governess’s increasingly erratic perspective, the plot revolves around her loss of contact with reality, charting her slow descent into paranoia and despair. The pacing’s jerky and the characterization’s paper thin, but the work’s full of perplexing mysteries and heavy-handed queer subtext that’s interesting for the time.
October 27, 2016
2.5 stars rounded up.
A young governess is hired to care for the young niece and nephew of an unmarried man who acts as guardian of the two following the death of their parents. One condition must be upheld, however – the governess is not for any reason or by any means to contact her new employer. This seemed to me a daunting task and one which I am not certain would appeal to me in the least. The young governess, however, is charmed by the gentleman and agrees to his request. Her story, detailed in the form of a journal, is told years later and we as readers are privy to the psychological turmoil of this young woman. The question becomes whether her distress is based on reality or if her imagination has run wild due to loss of sanity. Each reader will arrive at a different conclusion to this story.
I have been eager to bury myself in this novella for some years now. When I discovered that a group read of this was planned, I took the opportunity to dust off my copy and dive in. It started off as well as I had hoped. I was intrigued; the stage for a satisfying gothic tale was set. After her arrival, the young governess receives a letter indicating that one of her new charges, Miles, is being sent home from boarding school. No reason for the expulsion is provided. Upon meeting Miles and his younger sister, Flora, our protagonist decides there is nothing these two beautiful and angelic creatures could do wrong. She shoulders her responsibility with determination and devotion. Then one day, as she walks upon the grounds, the governess encounters an unwelcome and menacing visitor standing in the tower of the estate house at Bly.
"It was as if, while I took in – what I did take in – all the rest of the scene had been stricken with death. I can hear again, as I write, the intense hush in which the sounds of evening dropped. The rooks stopped cawing in the golden sky, and the friendly hour lost, for the minute, all its voice. But there was no other change in nature, unless indeed it were a change that I saw with a stranger sharpness. The gold was still in the sky, the clearness in the air, and the man who looked at me over the battlements was as definite as a picture in a frame. That’s how I thought, with extraordinary quickness, of each person that he might have been and that he was not… Was there a ‘secret’ at Bly – a mystery of Udolpho or an insane, an unmentionable relative kept in unsuspected confinement?"
One sighting is followed by another and our young governess notes that there exist not one but two beings seemingly haunting the grounds of Bly. She becomes convinced that these phantoms are those of her predecessor, the former governess Miss Jessel, and that of Quint, the now deceased valet of her current employer. Can anyone else see these visions? She envelops the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, in her drama. She persists to determine if the children can see these sinister beings as well. She eventually comes to absolutely believe that the phantoms are there to do harm in some way to the children and that it is her duty to protect them at all costs, yet keeping in mind her promise to never burden her employer with any difficulties. She will ask herself whether the children are the innocent little persons she originally thought them to be. Tension naturally escalates and the governess comes to question even her own sanity. And while she does, the reader will do the same. However, details provided in the narrative as well as our own beliefs will sway us to credit either one theory or the other – a true haunting or a case of perhaps hysteria on the part of the governess. For me personally, the intention of the author was straightforward. But that is only my opinion. Other readers will conclude exactly the opposite. Some readers will say that it was deliberately left ambiguous.
Now you may be wondering why I rewarded only 2.5 stars for this highly regarded, classic ghost story. For me the writing was too convoluted. I personally love a superb turn of phrase and the classics don’t turn me off. But here I felt tangled up in the wordiness, the dialogue was inaccessible to me. I felt distanced from the characters to a degree that left me feeling too much like a passive bystander. I wanted to be drawn into the melodrama; I wanted to feel that shiver down my spine. I don’t need or want gruesomeness in my ghost stories, but I do crave a sense of dread as to what will happen next. With this book, the dread was underwhelming. It was like watching an old movie on an old television where the fuzz and static take over the screen; I am not fully captivated as a result. But you may be. If you have ever considered reading this highly acclaimed literary work, then grab a copy. You may love it as others have surely done. It’s a slim piece and won’t require a big investment of time. What I loved and appreciated most about this novel was the discussion which followed. I have read a number of opinions, a variety of theories, and each one has been invigorating and enriching. I will read this again… someday.
A young governess is hired to care for the young niece and nephew of an unmarried man who acts as guardian of the two following the death of their parents. One condition must be upheld, however – the governess is not for any reason or by any means to contact her new employer. This seemed to me a daunting task and one which I am not certain would appeal to me in the least. The young governess, however, is charmed by the gentleman and agrees to his request. Her story, detailed in the form of a journal, is told years later and we as readers are privy to the psychological turmoil of this young woman. The question becomes whether her distress is based on reality or if her imagination has run wild due to loss of sanity. Each reader will arrive at a different conclusion to this story.
I have been eager to bury myself in this novella for some years now. When I discovered that a group read of this was planned, I took the opportunity to dust off my copy and dive in. It started off as well as I had hoped. I was intrigued; the stage for a satisfying gothic tale was set. After her arrival, the young governess receives a letter indicating that one of her new charges, Miles, is being sent home from boarding school. No reason for the expulsion is provided. Upon meeting Miles and his younger sister, Flora, our protagonist decides there is nothing these two beautiful and angelic creatures could do wrong. She shoulders her responsibility with determination and devotion. Then one day, as she walks upon the grounds, the governess encounters an unwelcome and menacing visitor standing in the tower of the estate house at Bly.
"It was as if, while I took in – what I did take in – all the rest of the scene had been stricken with death. I can hear again, as I write, the intense hush in which the sounds of evening dropped. The rooks stopped cawing in the golden sky, and the friendly hour lost, for the minute, all its voice. But there was no other change in nature, unless indeed it were a change that I saw with a stranger sharpness. The gold was still in the sky, the clearness in the air, and the man who looked at me over the battlements was as definite as a picture in a frame. That’s how I thought, with extraordinary quickness, of each person that he might have been and that he was not… Was there a ‘secret’ at Bly – a mystery of Udolpho or an insane, an unmentionable relative kept in unsuspected confinement?"
One sighting is followed by another and our young governess notes that there exist not one but two beings seemingly haunting the grounds of Bly. She becomes convinced that these phantoms are those of her predecessor, the former governess Miss Jessel, and that of Quint, the now deceased valet of her current employer. Can anyone else see these visions? She envelops the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, in her drama. She persists to determine if the children can see these sinister beings as well. She eventually comes to absolutely believe that the phantoms are there to do harm in some way to the children and that it is her duty to protect them at all costs, yet keeping in mind her promise to never burden her employer with any difficulties. She will ask herself whether the children are the innocent little persons she originally thought them to be. Tension naturally escalates and the governess comes to question even her own sanity. And while she does, the reader will do the same. However, details provided in the narrative as well as our own beliefs will sway us to credit either one theory or the other – a true haunting or a case of perhaps hysteria on the part of the governess. For me personally, the intention of the author was straightforward. But that is only my opinion. Other readers will conclude exactly the opposite. Some readers will say that it was deliberately left ambiguous.
Now you may be wondering why I rewarded only 2.5 stars for this highly regarded, classic ghost story. For me the writing was too convoluted. I personally love a superb turn of phrase and the classics don’t turn me off. But here I felt tangled up in the wordiness, the dialogue was inaccessible to me. I felt distanced from the characters to a degree that left me feeling too much like a passive bystander. I wanted to be drawn into the melodrama; I wanted to feel that shiver down my spine. I don’t need or want gruesomeness in my ghost stories, but I do crave a sense of dread as to what will happen next. With this book, the dread was underwhelming. It was like watching an old movie on an old television where the fuzz and static take over the screen; I am not fully captivated as a result. But you may be. If you have ever considered reading this highly acclaimed literary work, then grab a copy. You may love it as others have surely done. It’s a slim piece and won’t require a big investment of time. What I loved and appreciated most about this novel was the discussion which followed. I have read a number of opinions, a variety of theories, and each one has been invigorating and enriching. I will read this again… someday.
May 19, 2017
"It was as if, while I took in—what I did take in—all the rest of the scene had been stricken with death. I can hear again, as I write, the intense hush in which the sounds of evening dropped. The rooks stopped cawing in the golden sky, and the friendly hour lost, for the minute, all its voice. But there was no other change in nature, unless indeed it were a change that I saw with a stranger sharpness."Oh, I was not scared (maybe just a little?) the last two days reading the The Turn of the Screw, but I was intrigued, and, I have to confess, confused by Henry James beautiful but mazelike prose. How he likes to dissimulate, and you can trust him to phrase his ideas and situations in a most imaginative way. He plays with the reader. So don’t go looking for clarity, if you do that (as I may have done, or tried to until I realized it was in vain!) you will be lost. But if you insist on clarity, just try to decide whether the governess really did see the ghosts or if it was all a figment of her overexerted imagination. In any case, this is one of the finest examples of a story where the style of writing itself suggests ideas to the reader without stating anything in concrete terms. And that is why I enjoyed this elusive and ambiguous guessing game (and how I suffered to get to this point!).
The narrative revolves on itself continuously via half-formed questions and elusive answers. But suddenly James presents us a real masterful writing, and despite its constant ambiguity, makes us go on:
"It was as if, while I took in all the rest of the scene had been stricken with death. I can hear again, as I write, the intense hush in which the sounds of evening dropped. The rooks stopped cawing in the golden sky, and the friendly hour lost, for the minute, all its voice. But there was no other change in nature, unless indeed it were a change that I saw with a stranger sharpness. The gold was still in the sky, the clearness in the air, and who looked at me over the battlements was as definite as a picture in a frame. That was how I thought, with extraordinary quickness, of each person that he might have been and that he was not."
Simply brilliant, how could I not go on despite my confusion? Nevertheless, there are so many things left unsaid, so may half-sentences, as we see in one of the dialogues between the governess and Mrs. Grouse:
“Then you do know what she died of?” I asked.
“No—I know nothing. I wanted not to know; I was glad enough I didn’t; and I thanked heaven she was well out of this!”
“Yet you had, then, your idea—”
“Of her real reason for leaving? Oh, yes—as to that. She couldn’t have stayed. Fancy it here—for a governess! And afterward I imagined—and I still imagine. And what I imagine is dreadful.”
It is extraordinary, and unsettling I have to repeat, not to know what the truth is. For I discovered soon that there was no truth, so I had to go looking for my own if I could find it! James deceives the reader into believing The Turn of the Screw is a Gothic novel, but its meaning and subtleties, content and context leaps at the reader, especially the sophisticated reader who doesn’t believe in a simple vision.
Where the ghosts real?
For me this was never true, it is a simplistic explanation, and we can read so much more in James’s prose.
If there were no ghosts, was then the governess insane?
The poor governess that fell in love in just one meeting with the master, that continually rambles about what is happening, or what she imagines is going on around her. She was living in a strange man’s house, she could not mix with the lower servants, and besides her charges, the only person she can talk with is the housekeeper (who has nothing to tell her). She was totally alone and troubled. You could say she was suffering from female sexual hysteria. However, I’ll not get into this discussion. Better to read what James says:
"Oh, yes, we may sit here and look at them, and they may show off to us there to their fill; but even while they pretend to be lost in their fairytale they’re steeped in their vision of the dead restored. He’s not reading to her,” I declared; “they’re talking of THEM— they’re talking horrors! I go on, I know, as if I were crazy; and it’s a wonder I’m not."Is that true, or is she deluding herself?
The governess seemed to adore the children. ”The attraction of my small charges was a constant joy”, although other times her own feelings are not so peaceful:
"Adorable they must in truth have been, I now reflect, that I didn’t in these days hate them! Would exasperation, however, if relief had longer been postponed, finally have betrayed me? It little matters, for relief arrived. I call it relief, though it was only the relief that a snap brings to a strain or the burst of a thunderstorm to a day of suffocation. It was at least change, and it came with a rush."
Is there some kind of sexual relationship between the governess and Miles?
That there is an a sense of sexuality in the air in The Turn of the Screw, of that I have no doubt. If could be a latent desire. But there seems to be a possibility. He was not a small child, "Turned out for Sunday by his uncle’s tailor, Miles’s whole title to independence, the rights of his sex and situation, were so stamped upon him that if he had suddenly struck for freedom.” There is more, as James reminds us:
"I went in with my light and found him, in bed, very wide awake at his ease. “Well, what are YOU up to?” he asked with a grace of sociability in which it occurred to me that Mrs. Grouse, had she been present, might have looked in vain for proof that anything was ‘out’.But later on we discover how she is troubled with Miles:
I stood over him with my candle. “How did you know I was there?”
“Why, of course, I heard you. Did you fancy you made no noise? You’re like a troop of cavalry!” he beautifully laughed.
“Then you weren’t asleep?”
“Not much! I lie awake and think.”
I had put my candle, designedly, a short way off, and then, as he held his friendly old hand to me, had sat down on the edge of his bed. “What is it,” I asked, “that you think of?”
“What in the world, my dear, but YOU?”
“Dear little Miles, dear little Miles, if you knew how I want to help you! It’s only that, it’s nothing but that, and I’d rather die than give you pain or do you wrong—I’d rather die than hurt a hair of you. Dear little Miles” —oh, I brought it out even if I should go too far.”
The story seems indeed to turn around an axis of elusive sexuality. What did Quint and Miss Jessel do with, or to the children when they were in charge? Does this have any link with the relationship between the governess and Miles? There are allusions, but James leaves all open for the reader to decide.
Let’s not argue if one way or another, for all these interpretations, can be justified. There is no absolute truth. And that’s the beauty. As a matter of fact, I changed my point of view a few times during my reading. First, of course, I trusted the governess, then I thought she was unreliable and possibly mad, and then I was stricken by a possibility of a relationship with Miles. If there was danger in Bly, why did she not send Miles away with Mrs. Grouse and Flora? Why did she keep him alone with her in the house? So we readers are very nicely lead in a merry chase as we try to understand what James wanted to communicate. Probably that was just what he wanted, not a complete and easy understanding.
Perhaps when all is said and done the moral of the story of The Turn of the Screw is for each of us to decide. Ultimately, it is the play with meaning, the constant questioning regarding what is happening, the overall ambiguity and freedom of interpretation that transforms the readers into participants, that makes this novella brilliant.
In the end, truth is forgotten, and logic seemed to have evaporated; only the persistent and obsessive turn of the screw remains to remind us that all is not as it seems. Feelings that continues with me long after the final sentence.
______
I dedicate this review to my dear friend Vessey, with whom I read this book. Her fantastic reviews helped me when I first started writing mine!
_____
June 10, 2013
Paranormal Activity 6 : The Turn of the Screw
01:25 17th AUGUST 1895 : THE GOVERNESS’ BEDROOM
04:55 23RD AUGUST 1895 : FROM THE WINDOW OF THE MAIN STAIRCASE
Anyway, great story, but I must mention three STYLISTIC ISSUES which may perhaps GRATE on the less patient reader.
1) In The Turn of the Screw, as in a lot of HJ’s stuff, people like to finish each other’s sentences :
“But aren’t they all – “
“Sent home? Yes.” P33
“Did she see anything in the boy –“
“That wasn’t right? She never told me.” P 36
“He couldn’t prevent –“
“Your learning the truth? I dare say!” p63
“Surely you don’t accuse him-“
“Of carrying on an intercourse that he conceals from me?” – p64
“That was the great reason – “
“Why those fiends took him in so long?” p77
“You leave him –“
“So long with Quint? Yes.” P97
2) And people very often answer questions with questions and avoid giving a straight answer :
“Do you fear for them?
“Don’t you?” – p47
“And you forgave him that?”
“Wouldn’t you?” p 63
“Well, do you like it?”
“Do you?” – p114
“Is that what you did at school?”
“At school?” – p 118
3) And being Henry James means that you sandbag your readers with sentences of remarkable opacity when they least expect it :
He never wrote to them – that may have been selfish, but it was part of the flattery of his trust of myself; for the way in which a man pays his highest tribute to a woman is apt to be but by the more festal celebration of one of the sacred laws of his comfort.
P82
(I was okay until “be but by”)
It sufficiently stuck out, that by tacit little tricks in which even more than myself he carried out the care for my dignity, I had had to appeal to him to let me off straining to meet him on the ground of his true capacity.
P 111
I mean, what - uh - huh -
Anyhow, whatever, this is a P Bryant Must Read.
footnote :
for Screw fans, here's my follow-up review of all the lovely theories about it:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
September 14, 2017
5 stars to Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.
Perhaps America's greatest writer from our Realistic period, James's ghost story sets itself above all the rest -- and he has a lot to choose from. Consider this story a nanny's mind game - but who is in control?
I studied James in my college years, even dedicating an entire semester to several of his works as one of my independent studies in my English major. Something about the way James told stories spoke to me, and I felt a connection to him as a person and as a writer. Many of his works annoyed me (The Golden Bowl, ugh!) but I still appreciated them. With Turn of the Screw, it was a master class in so many ways.
The plot is still open to interpetation: who is telling the truth? who is alive? who is actually sane?
All the same, the story is quite simple but oh so complex. It's a study of intense psychology where the reader has to determine who is playing this game and who is merely a pawn.
If you like a bit of paranormal, and you are comfortable with a variety of impulse interpretations, you can learn a lot about how to draw in an audience from this book and James himself.
It's more of a long short story, or a short novella, probably readable in one sitting over a few hours. It's a good escape from today's literature with a balance between flowery writing and direct plot and character development.
Take a chance. You will definitely have strong opinions.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
Perhaps America's greatest writer from our Realistic period, James's ghost story sets itself above all the rest -- and he has a lot to choose from. Consider this story a nanny's mind game - but who is in control?
I studied James in my college years, even dedicating an entire semester to several of his works as one of my independent studies in my English major. Something about the way James told stories spoke to me, and I felt a connection to him as a person and as a writer. Many of his works annoyed me (The Golden Bowl, ugh!) but I still appreciated them. With Turn of the Screw, it was a master class in so many ways.
The plot is still open to interpetation: who is telling the truth? who is alive? who is actually sane?
All the same, the story is quite simple but oh so complex. It's a study of intense psychology where the reader has to determine who is playing this game and who is merely a pawn.
If you like a bit of paranormal, and you are comfortable with a variety of impulse interpretations, you can learn a lot about how to draw in an audience from this book and James himself.
It's more of a long short story, or a short novella, probably readable in one sitting over a few hours. It's a good escape from today's literature with a balance between flowery writing and direct plot and character development.
Take a chance. You will definitely have strong opinions.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
January 27, 2016
2.5 Stars. GEESH.......Glad it's over! Great set-up to draw in the reader with the anticipated narration of an eerie old manuscript, but Whew! What a verbose read!
I usually love, love, love old creepy gothic horror stories, but this one (to me) was not scary or eerie or even very atmospheric. Now, there were a couple of "sightings" in a window, one in particular that made me think......oh boy......here we go, but my hopes were soon short lived.
Besides a couple of suspicious deaths and the strange ending, I was disappointed. Yep, "A queer business and a queer story" of a governess hired to take care of two beautiful children, ages 8 and 10, in a house that is supposedly poisoned and filled with evil.
Cannot recommend my first Henry James novel.
May 13, 2010
Reading this story was a lot like standing in line opening weekend for a blockbuster you waited a year to see, and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed. I've heard about this story as being one of the best ghost stories ever written. I was so excited to read it. So excited was I, I had to download it to my Kindle to read right away, even though I have this story in one of my paperback collections. I love psychological horror, but I don't think a good psychological horror novel should leave the reader feeling as detached as I did with this story. I also felt that Mr. James spent so much time in writing a stylistically appealing story, using just the right turn of phrase to pretty up his narrative, that the story got lost in translation. I was surprised to realize that I had gotten to the end. I was like, "What?" After all the slow going, and slow build that never got anywhere, it was "wham!" Sigh! Not sure what to think of this one.
I will be honest and say I had trouble with this story. I had to work really hard to read it and not skim the words to move ahead. I really resist that when I'm reading. There is no point in reading a story if you don't understand the intent behind it. I like to read every word and take things in. On the downside, I like a pay off to my reading, especially if it's not a particularly easy story to read. But, this story was hard to decipher for hidden intent.
I saw some gems in it: the menace of two children who seemed like angels, but had a decidedly unangelic side. The governess who started to doubt her own reason and sanity, but was dead on in her understanding of what was going on. The apparitions that should have inspired dread in me, but somehow didn't. I spent time waiting to feel unease. It never got there.
Please don't misunderstand me. I love subtle horror. I prefer it. But the impact of the horror, the feel of the gothic has to be there. It has to be planted in one's mind so that the power of the threat, or its aftermath, is felt. I never felt the true impact with this story.
On the positive side, I felt that the psychological results of the 'demon children' on caregivers was translated pretty well. You could see the confusion and the distress that these beautiful, seemingly perfect children was having on the governess and the cook. It was interesting to see the governess have discussions with a child, that seemed incongruously adult. Discussions with an intellectual equal who will go for the jugular, so one has to be prepared for the worst. I felt that. At times, Miles did exude a menace that I wanted to feel. I felt the governess's anxiety at being in a situation that was beyond her control. Not sure that she was doing the right thing. And fearing for the safety of herself, those around her, and the children in her charge. But it was in a detached fashion. The power of horror is in bringing to light fears that we personally can identify with on some level, the more personal and visceral the better. If that barrier stays between the reader and the circumstance, then horror loses its ability to affect us.
I have to say that I will read my volume Ghost Stories by this author, and hope for the best. But, I won't be attempting any of his non-gothic works. Although he is a beautiful writer, there is not enough to engage on an emotional level, which is very important to me in my pleasure reading. My recommendation: If you are a person who is absolutely committed to a thorough immersion into gothic fiction/classic horror reading, you should read this. However, depending on your tastes in writing styles, if you are like myself in that you don't go for pretty writing with less substance, I wouldn't expect much from it. Although I wouldn't say I am the most sophisticated reader, I am sophisticated enough to realize that much enjoyment can be found in 19th century literature, but this story didn't deliver that for me.
I will be honest and say I had trouble with this story. I had to work really hard to read it and not skim the words to move ahead. I really resist that when I'm reading. There is no point in reading a story if you don't understand the intent behind it. I like to read every word and take things in. On the downside, I like a pay off to my reading, especially if it's not a particularly easy story to read. But, this story was hard to decipher for hidden intent.
I saw some gems in it: the menace of two children who seemed like angels, but had a decidedly unangelic side. The governess who started to doubt her own reason and sanity, but was dead on in her understanding of what was going on. The apparitions that should have inspired dread in me, but somehow didn't. I spent time waiting to feel unease. It never got there.
Please don't misunderstand me. I love subtle horror. I prefer it. But the impact of the horror, the feel of the gothic has to be there. It has to be planted in one's mind so that the power of the threat, or its aftermath, is felt. I never felt the true impact with this story.
On the positive side, I felt that the psychological results of the 'demon children' on caregivers was translated pretty well. You could see the confusion and the distress that these beautiful, seemingly perfect children was having on the governess and the cook. It was interesting to see the governess have discussions with a child, that seemed incongruously adult. Discussions with an intellectual equal who will go for the jugular, so one has to be prepared for the worst. I felt that. At times, Miles did exude a menace that I wanted to feel. I felt the governess's anxiety at being in a situation that was beyond her control. Not sure that she was doing the right thing. And fearing for the safety of herself, those around her, and the children in her charge. But it was in a detached fashion. The power of horror is in bringing to light fears that we personally can identify with on some level, the more personal and visceral the better. If that barrier stays between the reader and the circumstance, then horror loses its ability to affect us.
I have to say that I will read my volume Ghost Stories by this author, and hope for the best. But, I won't be attempting any of his non-gothic works. Although he is a beautiful writer, there is not enough to engage on an emotional level, which is very important to me in my pleasure reading. My recommendation: If you are a person who is absolutely committed to a thorough immersion into gothic fiction/classic horror reading, you should read this. However, depending on your tastes in writing styles, if you are like myself in that you don't go for pretty writing with less substance, I wouldn't expect much from it. Although I wouldn't say I am the most sophisticated reader, I am sophisticated enough to realize that much enjoyment can be found in 19th century literature, but this story didn't deliver that for me.
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