The Turn of the Screw (Dover Thrift Editions)

James, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486266842 ISBN 13: 9780486266848

Publisher: Dover Publications Inc., 2000

One of literature's most gripping ghost stories depicts the sinister transformation of 2 innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. Elegantly told tale of unspoken horror and psychological terror creates what few stories in literature have been able to do ― a complete feeling of dread and uncertainty.

Review:

Much imitated ... but no one comes near the finesse of the master (The Times)

Timelessly unsettling (Guardian)

From the Back Cover:

Widely recognized as one of literature's most gripping ghost stories, this classic tale of moral degradation concerns the sinister transformation of two innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. The story begins when a governess arrives at an English country estate to look after Miles, aged ten, and Flora, eight. At first, everything appears normal but then events gradually begin to weave a spell of psychological terror.
Without resorting to clattering chains, demonic noises, and other melodramatic techniques, this elegantly told tale succeeds in creating an atmosphere of tingling suspense and unspoken horror matched by few other books in the genre. Known for his probing psychological novels dealing with the upper classes, James in this story tried his hand at the occult—and created a masterpiece of the supernatural that has frightened and delighted readers for nearly a century.