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Title: The Turn of the Screw: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism (Norton Critical Edition) by Henry James, Deborah Esch, Jonathan Warren, Robert Kimbrough ISBN: 0-393-95904-X Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.25 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.7 (69 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Marvelous - the ambiguity makes it wonderful!
Comment: I've heard a great deal of criticism directed both at this novel and at Henry James himself. "The Turn of the Screw" has been derided as dull and uneventful, while James's writing is scornfully dismissed because of its complexity. I found myself quite surprised at this negative perspective - "The Turn of the Screw" is fascinating and remarkably entertaining.
The story itself is fairly simplistic on the surface. In the hands of a lesser writer, it would have been a simple "things that go bump in the night" ghost story of no consequence. However, the ambiguity of the narration brings the story a great deal of depth. Are we to trust the governess's story, or is the entire plot merely a figment of her imagination or a neurotic response to her sexuality? The brilliance here is in the wide range of interpretation. The entire novel can be taken either way (or both ways at once) equally well, which is fascinating.
Many reviewers have (unfavorably) commented on the writing style of Henry James, noting its complexity and verbosity. While his prose can be difficult to master (I had to read several sentences multiple times to decipher them), the complex language does not merely use extra words for the sake of making the story longer. Instead, every bit of detail in the sentences modifies and elaborates on the text, helping greatly to create the haziness that permeates "The Turn of the Screw." I thoroughly enjoyed the style of writing here, and this is coming from somebody who criticized the language in "Wuthering Heights" and "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." The complexity enhances the novel, rather than weakening it.
All in all, I was astonished by the great quality of "The Turn of the Screw." One last note - I highly recommend the Norton Critical Edition, featuring authorial commentary, reviews, and criticism. An excellent choice.
Rating: 4
Summary: It keeps turning & turning
Comment: Having been a student of literature in college, this is a title that surfaced ever so often when discussions turned to "pivotal" literary works. After finally reading it, it appears that reason for its considerable attention lies in the fact that it's likely the first ghost story NOT to be taken @ face value.
Instead of a straightforward story, the reader is introduced to a plot-line as seen thru the eyes of an ostensibly unstable persona. Whether the ghosts are real or just figments of her mis-guided imagination are topics left open to interpretation. Unexpectedly, the story casually alludes to elements of eroticism, paranoia and severe anxiety.
The story itself is beautifully written. That James was a master of elegant prose is without question. The style of his prose may seem a bit odd (and perhaps "thick") to the modern reader, but one has to admire his manipulation of the language.
For those who enjoy a good ghost story where everything may not be as it seems, this book is highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Turn of The Screw
Comment: This was my first experience of Henry James when I first read it aged 17, and it is a book I return to time and time again. It is an extremely enjoyable, albeit at times confusing, read.
Some people have described James' allusive and ambiguous style as 'infuriating' and 'extremely difficult'. Whilst I agree that his habit of not stating anything explicitly and his thick prose make reading him a challenge, the effort invested is well worth it.
The story is told as a multiple hand-me-down from a number of first-person narrators. The original governess of the story, then Douglas and then finally the fireside narrator telling ghost stories at Christmas Eve in the opening of the book. It relates the experiences of the governess when staying at Bly, tutoring an 8 year old girl and 11 year old boy. The 'master' of the house remains completely detached, and James uses the tentative and volatile position of a governess in a master-less house to critique Victorian social ideals and explore themes of sexual repression and frustration. None of this is stated explicitly however, and the reader is left to decide what is being hinted at by James' beautiful but often vague prose. The reader becomes increasingly aware of the unreliability of the narrator (something James makes gradually clear in a manner reminiscent of Poe) and one finds oneself questioning and exploring everything all that James leaves unsaid. This is something to savour however, and a little patience from the reader will be paid back many times over by the pleasure which can be obtained from reading and rereading this wonderful book.
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Title: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ISBN: 0140071083 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: June, 1984 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Awakening by Kate Chopin ISBN: 0380002450 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 10 February, 1982 List Price(USD): $4.50 |
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Title: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad ISBN: 0486264645 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 01 July, 1990 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Dover Thrift Editions) by Mark Twain ISBN: 0486280616 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 26 May, 1994 List Price(USD): $2.00 |
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Title: Daisy Miller (Penguin Classics) by Henry James, Geoffrey Moore ISBN: 0140432620 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 1988 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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