This book contains the following story:
"The Turn of the Screw" is a novella written by Henry James, first published in 1898. It is a classic ghost story and a notable example of Victorian ghost fiction. The novella is renowned for its ambiguity and psychological complexity. Here's a summary of the plot:
The story begins with a group of people gathering at a house to share ghost stories. One of the guests, Douglas, tells the tale of a young governess who was hired to care for two orphaned children, Flora and Miles, at a remote country estate in Essex, England.
Upon arriving at Bly, the governess becomes enamored with the charming and precocious children. However, her idyllic experience soon takes a sinister turn when she begins to see the ghosts of Peter Quint, the former valet, and Miss Jessel, the previous governess. These apparitions appear to exert a malevolent influence over the children.
The governess learns from Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, that Quint and Miss Jessel had been involved in an illicit relationship while they were alive. Both ghosts are now dead, but their influence seems to persist. The governess becomes increasingly obsessed with protecting the children from the corrupting influence of these apparitions, even though she is the only one who can see them. She struggles with her own sanity and the possibility that the children might be aware of the ghosts' presence.
The novella is characterized by its ambiguity, leaving readers to question whether the ghosts are real supernatural entities or figments of the governess's imagination. The story explores themes of innocence, corruption, and the blurred line between reality and the supernatural. The psychological tension and uncertainty make "The Turn of the Screw" a compelling and enduring work in the genre of psychological horror and gothic fiction.
