The Turn of the Screw (Annotated)

When a young governess is placed in sole charge of two apparently angelic children, she falls under their youthful spell. As strange apparitions begin to reveal themselves, however, her rapture gives way to a growing fear that her charges are prey to evil influences against which she must do battle. But is she the virtuous heroine she believes herself to be or a deranged paranoid unfit to care for vulnerable children?

This new enhanced edition integrates illustrations, interactive maps and background information on both the context and the references of the novella. Book Drum's enhanced classics are ideal both for students and for readers looking to delve deeper into some of the world's best loved books. An internet connection is required to access the enhanced features.

The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharing ghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the guests tells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernatural visitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only she suspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling the two orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil purpose. The household staff don't know what she's talking about, the children are evasive when questioned, and the master of the house (the children's uncle) is absent. Why does the young girl claim not to see a perfectly visible woman standing on the far side of the lake? Are the children being deceptive, or is the governess being paranoid? By leaving the questions unanswered, The Turn of Screw generates spine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers.

When a young governess is placed in sole charge of two apparently angelic children, she falls under their youthful spell. As strange apparitions begin to reveal themselves, however, her rapture gives way to a growing fear that her charges are prey to evil influences against which she must do battle. But is she the virtuous heroine she believes herself to be or a deranged paranoid unfit to care for vulnerable children?

This new enhanced edition integrates illustrations, interactive maps and background information on both the context and the references of the novella. Book Drum's enhanced classics are ideal both for students and for readers looking to delve deeper into some of the world's best loved books. An internet connection is required to access the enhanced features.