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A young governess takes a position at a lonely English country house called Bly, caring for two charming orphaned children, Miles and Flora. She begins to…
A young governess takes a position at a lonely English country house called Bly, caring for two charming orphaned children, Miles and Flora. She begins to see the figures of a man and a woman around the house, and becomes convinced that they are the ghosts of two former servants who want to possess the children.
Context and significance
Published in 1898, The Turn of the Screw is one of the most famous ghost stories ever written, and its power lies in its ambiguity: readers have argued for over a century whether the ghosts are real or the governess is imagining them. It is short enough to read in one evening. For Henry James's novels, see The Portrait of a Lady.
About the author
Henry James (1843–1916) was born in New York, the brother of the philosopher William James, and was educated in Europe and America. In 1876 he settled in London, and later in the small town of Rye, and spent his life writing about Americans in Europe and the clash of innocence and experience.
In some twenty novels and more than a hundred stories, including The Portrait of a Lady and The Turn of the Screw, he developed a subtle, psychological style that influenced modern fiction. He became a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death.