Novella – 110 pages – my copy (paperback; 1998) bought for £1 from a charity bookshop in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, late 2008
- 3 nods
The late Victorian novelist had something of a craving for tales and things that go bump in the night. The celebrated novelist Henry James was a fan of mystery, many of his books based on the ghostly and the strange, of which this – a short novella – is one of his most famous.
The Turn of the Screw is the Worm’s introduction to Henry James. The plot, in a nutshell, sees a governess caring for two children (including the eerie Miles). On spotting the ghosts of previous care-takers upon the stately home grounds, the governess tries her hardest to protect those in her care; yet her actions only serve to alienate them further away. It ends with the governess becoming ever more erratic and emotional, and upon seeking a resolution it ends with a disastrous result… but to continue babbling would mean to spoil the book’s end.
As the title suggests – the turning of the screw, ever tighter and tighter – James’ novella is one of mounting tension. In many ways, it is a psychological thriller, and one can already see a Hollywood version starring Nicole Kidman in the governess roll. Yet, despite being born in the States, James shares many viewpoints of English writers, his adopted country. The tension is real, but the drama is subtle. Furthermore, there is no exact conclusion to the tale – anathema to Hollywood audiences!
Although tension is created, one of the book’s chief failings is the constant utterances of the governess. She becomes tiring, while there is little relief for her (and the reader) other than to share her fears and secrets with the housekeeper. One of the Worm’s main gripes is in the setting out of the narrative itself: the beginning, which frames the governess’ tale as a story within a story, carries with it greater questions about the ghost story’s authority. Sadly, it is never returned to; in great contrast to James’ contemporary writers, most notably that of Joseph Conrad in his Lord Jim. An opportunity lost, perhaps, but James' novella stands and remains as an essential in the Victorian ghost-tale canon.
