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The Turn of the Screw / The Aspern Papers and Two Stories
The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers and Two Stories, by Henry James, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:
All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.
Joseph Conrad once said of his friend Henry James, “As is meet for a man of his descent and tradition, Mr. James is the historian of fine consciences.” As it turns out, James was also incredibly gifted at writing exceptional ghost stories. This collection—including “The Beast in the Jungle” and “The Jolly Corner”—features James’s finest supernatural tales, along with criticism, a discussion of the legacies of James’s writing, and provocative study questions.
David L. Sweet is a professor of American and comparative literature at The American University in Cairo. He has also taught at Princeton, The City University of New York, The American University of Paris, and Columbia University, where he received his doctorate in Comparative Literature. His book Savage Sight/Constructed Noise: Poetic Adaptations of Painterly Techniques in the French and American Avant-Gardes will be published next year by the University of North Carolina.
All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.
Joseph Conrad once said of his friend Henry James, “As is meet for a man of his descent and tradition, Mr. James is the historian of fine consciences.” As it turns out, James was also incredibly gifted at writing exceptional ghost stories. This collection—including “The Beast in the Jungle” and “The Jolly Corner”—features James’s finest supernatural tales, along with criticism, a discussion of the legacies of James’s writing, and provocative study questions.
David L. Sweet is a professor of American and comparative literature at The American University in Cairo. He has also taught at Princeton, The City University of New York, The American University of Paris, and Columbia University, where he received his doctorate in Comparative Literature. His book Savage Sight/Constructed Noise: Poetic Adaptations of Painterly Techniques in the French and American Avant-Gardes will be published next year by the University of North Carolina.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1908
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1107 people want to read
About the author
Henry James
4,564 books3,952 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
October 4, 2020
Okay so I only read Turn of the Screw from this collection so I'll only be reviewing that one right now. I'll go back and read all the other things in this book later and will update this review with those thoughts when that happens. But I wanted to read Turn of the Screw in preparation for the upcoming show and this is the copy I happened to thrift, haha.
I knew exactly nothing about Turn of the Screw before starting. Plus this is my first Henry James. So. I went into this blind and I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing? Because this book is only 100 pages but, well, I STRUGGLED.
I think I am just not a fan of the writing style? Because it took me a LONG WHILE to get into this story. There are just so SO many words and very few of them actually ~move along the story. It's almost like James was trying to bEAT THE READER TO DEATH WITH TOO MANY WORDS. I zoned out every time there was an inner monologue (which was, like, ever page) and I'd suddenly have read 5 pages, have retained nothing so I'd flip back through and skim only to discover that I literally missed NOTHING. And then I'd zone back in every time something ~actually happened.
I did love the ghosty bits and thought they were interesting. But they weren't really scary? And, again, that's because there were too many words. Every time something potentially frightening would start up, so would the inner monologue and then any potential for scares would just be... gone. It was honestly one of the most frustrating reading experiences of my life.
And then the ending???? If anything needed to be BEATEN TO DEATH WITH WORDS, it was that ending. But no. That's where James decided to stop talking. That's where the inner monologues died off. And that's where we needed more information????
So I just think this entire story could've used a lot of editing. I think it had a lot of potential to be a really great, really scary pieces. But I was frankly bored and really struggled to actually get through this. The entire thing was 100 pages so I should've been able to read it in a day but it was so ~mentally taxing that it took me two.
But the reason why I gave this three stars is I did really like the ~framework of the story. The ghosty bits were really good and I did like the backstory. And I really do feel like this story will work better on the screen than in a book (mostly because all of those boring inner monologues will probably disappear). So I'm still very excited for the show and can't wait to see how it fixes up this story. I've also discovered that there's a movie version as well that was released in January so I'm going to see if I can dig up a copy of that as well. I think both of those will probably expand on this story and present it a little better.
So. I'm glad to have finished this. It was an interesting read but I wasn't really all that ~impressed with it. I am still willing to give James another chance though so I'll definitely be back to read the other things in this collection and will add them to this review when I do!
I knew exactly nothing about Turn of the Screw before starting. Plus this is my first Henry James. So. I went into this blind and I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing? Because this book is only 100 pages but, well, I STRUGGLED.
I think I am just not a fan of the writing style? Because it took me a LONG WHILE to get into this story. There are just so SO many words and very few of them actually ~move along the story. It's almost like James was trying to bEAT THE READER TO DEATH WITH TOO MANY WORDS. I zoned out every time there was an inner monologue (which was, like, ever page) and I'd suddenly have read 5 pages, have retained nothing so I'd flip back through and skim only to discover that I literally missed NOTHING. And then I'd zone back in every time something ~actually happened.
I did love the ghosty bits and thought they were interesting. But they weren't really scary? And, again, that's because there were too many words. Every time something potentially frightening would start up, so would the inner monologue and then any potential for scares would just be... gone. It was honestly one of the most frustrating reading experiences of my life.
And then the ending???? If anything needed to be BEATEN TO DEATH WITH WORDS, it was that ending. But no. That's where James decided to stop talking. That's where the inner monologues died off. And that's where we needed more information????
So I just think this entire story could've used a lot of editing. I think it had a lot of potential to be a really great, really scary pieces. But I was frankly bored and really struggled to actually get through this. The entire thing was 100 pages so I should've been able to read it in a day but it was so ~mentally taxing that it took me two.
But the reason why I gave this three stars is I did really like the ~framework of the story. The ghosty bits were really good and I did like the backstory. And I really do feel like this story will work better on the screen than in a book (mostly because all of those boring inner monologues will probably disappear). So I'm still very excited for the show and can't wait to see how it fixes up this story. I've also discovered that there's a movie version as well that was released in January so I'm going to see if I can dig up a copy of that as well. I think both of those will probably expand on this story and present it a little better.
So. I'm glad to have finished this. It was an interesting read but I wasn't really all that ~impressed with it. I am still willing to give James another chance though so I'll definitely be back to read the other things in this collection and will add them to this review when I do!
August 28, 2011
Why did it take me so long to read Henry James? "The Beast in the Jungle" is one of the best novellas that I've ever read; the craftsmanship and emotion in the final paragraph is absolutely stunning. I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with his longer works.
October 6, 2023
I read this collection in anticipation of spooky season and it affected me in ways I didn't expect. I liked all three stories except for "The Jolly Corner" (I just kept falling asleep during it).
The Aspern Papers was a blend of comedy and waiting to see the narrator's plan go up in flames. Lines like this made me laugh:
"I asked Miss Tina if her venerable relative were seriously ill, and she replied that she was only very tired-- she had lived so extraordinarily long. That was what she said herself--she wanted to die for a change." p. 42-43
Lines like this helped me know Henry was winking at the reader:
"I foresaw that I should have a summer after my own literary heart, and the sense of playing with my opportunity was much greater after all than any sense of being played with." p. 47.
Then this whole passage had me imagining the pettiness of King George evoked in the musical Hamilton:
"I had to be consistent, to keep my promise that I would smother the house in flowers. Moreover I clung to the fond fancy that by flowers I should make my way-- I should succeed by big nosegays. I would batter the old women with lilies. I would bombard their citadel with roses. Their door would have to yield to the pressure when a mound of fragrance should be heaped against it." p. 49
By the end of The Aspern Papers I just kept thinking how Henry James very much had to live the life of a closeted man in the 1800s. That was a thought that only got stronger as I progressed through the other three stories in this collection.
The Turn of the Screw starts off nearly exactly as the Netflix adaptation with people gathering around to hear a tale about Bly Manor, children, and ghosts. I'll admit, I was taken in by the governess' point-of-view at first. I'm susceptible to relating with women who are disconnected from reality (it's my favorite genre after all). Taking her tale at face value, I thought the ghosts of the two servants had simply taken hold of and possessed the two children when the governess thought she scared them away. From the moment Miles said on page 178, "Look here, my dear, you know...when in the world, please, am I going back to school?" I immediately thought there was a creepy middle-aged man inside him. From there on out the story felt like an acting class exercise on ambiguous scenes where each pair that presented a scene would be telling an entirely different story from any other pair even though the lines were exactly the same.
Here's an example from pgs. 209-210.
Person 1: Oh more or less. Not absolutely. We shouldn't like that!
Person 2: No-- I suppose we shouldn't. Of course we've the others.
Person 1: We've the others-- we've indeed the others.
Person 2: Yet even though we have them, they don't much count, do they?
Person 1: It depends on what you call "much"
Person 2: Yes, everything depends! ...Well, I think I'm glad Bly agrees with me!"
Lines that seemed to say nothing could say everything. But because there was no clear answer, I felt extremely uneasy when I finished the story. I turned the last page and was shocked to see there was nothing more.
"The Beast in the Jungle" felt like a fable and seemed to be the most personal tale in the collection.
"He was at all events destined to become aware little by little, as time went by, that she was all the while looking at his life, judging it, measuring it, in the light of the thing she knew, which grew to be at last, with the consecration of the years, never mentioned between them save as "the real truth" about him." p. 233
This quote reminds me of Yukio Mishima's Confessions of a Mask about being closeted in a society that demands heterosexuality: "What it had come to was that he wore a mask painted with the social simper, out of the eye-holes of which there looked eyes of an expression not in the least matching the other features. This, the stupid world, even after years, had never more than half-discovered." p. 234. Both Mishima and James had women in their life that they were extremely close to and those women very likely knew their sexuality. Even if these relationships weren't romantic, there was still a deep knowing of the other and feeling connected. I'm glad to be in an era where relationships between people aren't so restricted. I think it's very human to find people we connect with, feeling accepted as our full selves.
Lastly, here is my favorite quote from the collection taken from the end of "The Beast in the Jungle": "What it all amounted to, oddly enough, was that in his finally so simplified world this garden of death gave him the few square feet of earth on which he could still most live."" p. 259. While I struggled through some of Henry's more dense sentences, this one seemed the exact right length for the message it conveys. There's a certain loneliness I felt after finishing "The Beast in the Jungle." It made me want to know love in a form that is true to who I am.
The Aspern Papers was a blend of comedy and waiting to see the narrator's plan go up in flames. Lines like this made me laugh:
"I asked Miss Tina if her venerable relative were seriously ill, and she replied that she was only very tired-- she had lived so extraordinarily long. That was what she said herself--she wanted to die for a change." p. 42-43
Lines like this helped me know Henry was winking at the reader:
"I foresaw that I should have a summer after my own literary heart, and the sense of playing with my opportunity was much greater after all than any sense of being played with." p. 47.
Then this whole passage had me imagining the pettiness of King George evoked in the musical Hamilton:
"I had to be consistent, to keep my promise that I would smother the house in flowers. Moreover I clung to the fond fancy that by flowers I should make my way-- I should succeed by big nosegays. I would batter the old women with lilies. I would bombard their citadel with roses. Their door would have to yield to the pressure when a mound of fragrance should be heaped against it." p. 49
By the end of The Aspern Papers I just kept thinking how Henry James very much had to live the life of a closeted man in the 1800s. That was a thought that only got stronger as I progressed through the other three stories in this collection.
The Turn of the Screw starts off nearly exactly as the Netflix adaptation with people gathering around to hear a tale about Bly Manor, children, and ghosts. I'll admit, I was taken in by the governess' point-of-view at first. I'm susceptible to relating with women who are disconnected from reality (it's my favorite genre after all). Taking her tale at face value, I thought the ghosts of the two servants had simply taken hold of and possessed the two children when the governess thought she scared them away. From the moment Miles said on page 178, "Look here, my dear, you know...when in the world, please, am I going back to school?" I immediately thought there was a creepy middle-aged man inside him. From there on out the story felt like an acting class exercise on ambiguous scenes where each pair that presented a scene would be telling an entirely different story from any other pair even though the lines were exactly the same.
Here's an example from pgs. 209-210.
Person 1: Oh more or less. Not absolutely. We shouldn't like that!
Person 2: No-- I suppose we shouldn't. Of course we've the others.
Person 1: We've the others-- we've indeed the others.
Person 2: Yet even though we have them, they don't much count, do they?
Person 1: It depends on what you call "much"
Person 2: Yes, everything depends! ...Well, I think I'm glad Bly agrees with me!"
Lines that seemed to say nothing could say everything. But because there was no clear answer, I felt extremely uneasy when I finished the story. I turned the last page and was shocked to see there was nothing more.
"The Beast in the Jungle" felt like a fable and seemed to be the most personal tale in the collection.
"He was at all events destined to become aware little by little, as time went by, that she was all the while looking at his life, judging it, measuring it, in the light of the thing she knew, which grew to be at last, with the consecration of the years, never mentioned between them save as "the real truth" about him." p. 233
This quote reminds me of Yukio Mishima's Confessions of a Mask about being closeted in a society that demands heterosexuality: "What it had come to was that he wore a mask painted with the social simper, out of the eye-holes of which there looked eyes of an expression not in the least matching the other features. This, the stupid world, even after years, had never more than half-discovered." p. 234. Both Mishima and James had women in their life that they were extremely close to and those women very likely knew their sexuality. Even if these relationships weren't romantic, there was still a deep knowing of the other and feeling connected. I'm glad to be in an era where relationships between people aren't so restricted. I think it's very human to find people we connect with, feeling accepted as our full selves.
Lastly, here is my favorite quote from the collection taken from the end of "The Beast in the Jungle": "What it all amounted to, oddly enough, was that in his finally so simplified world this garden of death gave him the few square feet of earth on which he could still most live."" p. 259. While I struggled through some of Henry's more dense sentences, this one seemed the exact right length for the message it conveys. There's a certain loneliness I felt after finishing "The Beast in the Jungle." It made me want to know love in a form that is true to who I am.
September 17, 2022
Three stars is my strict rating. Henry James was such a good writer that my rating for this one is in the context of his entire career.
This little collection opens with The Aspern Papers (1888; 94 pgs), which I've read twice now with differing reactions. Set in Venice, the exotic qualities dominated my first reading -- exotic in place, exotic in psychology and character. Loved it the first time, appreciated it the second, when the basic tale of the protagonist's hunt for valuable literary papers became a kind of love story. The hunt was a seduction; don't want to say anything more, it's fun reading. A Henry James seduction is not like a Harold Robbins seduction, of course.
I had never read The Turn of the Screw (1898, 106 pgs), nor had I seen the movie. The title was poorly chosen for this Gothic bit about a governess who gets hired at a remote manor house to tend two children. That must be why the well-regarded movie was retitled "The Innocents," from 1961 -- Truman Capote did the adaptation. Some of James's supernatural touches were good, especially in the first half. But James did not write potboilers and his supernatural instincts were only average. He kept his tone and direction intact right to the end, for sure; but somewhere along the way the machinery had begun to show and this novella ended up being more of a curiosity piece for me.
Third story is "The Beast in the Jungle," (1903, 44 pgs), and it's a man and woman whose very odd courtship centers on one comment the man made to the woman years, maybe decades before, about himself. It seems to have many overtones of Henry James's own sexuality, which was not conducive to loving a woman, and these overtones and self-references added something to my reading. But even without that aspect, it is an absolute tour de force even as the egoism of the male protagonist becomes ever more dizzying; and the affection of the woman ever more touching.
"The Jolly Corner" (1908, 36 pgs) closes the book with another odd male-female courtship structure. This time it is a man who matches James in numerous details and has returned to New York City in middle-age to sell a piece of inherited real estate. The story has some great elements. So I hate to add that it didn't work, in the end, for me.
But each one of these four is interesting and, if you like James at all, fun to read. And they're short! Another virtue among the Henry James oeuvre.
This little collection opens with The Aspern Papers (1888; 94 pgs), which I've read twice now with differing reactions. Set in Venice, the exotic qualities dominated my first reading -- exotic in place, exotic in psychology and character. Loved it the first time, appreciated it the second, when the basic tale of the protagonist's hunt for valuable literary papers became a kind of love story. The hunt was a seduction; don't want to say anything more, it's fun reading. A Henry James seduction is not like a Harold Robbins seduction, of course.
I had never read The Turn of the Screw (1898, 106 pgs), nor had I seen the movie. The title was poorly chosen for this Gothic bit about a governess who gets hired at a remote manor house to tend two children. That must be why the well-regarded movie was retitled "The Innocents," from 1961 -- Truman Capote did the adaptation. Some of James's supernatural touches were good, especially in the first half. But James did not write potboilers and his supernatural instincts were only average. He kept his tone and direction intact right to the end, for sure; but somewhere along the way the machinery had begun to show and this novella ended up being more of a curiosity piece for me.
Third story is "The Beast in the Jungle," (1903, 44 pgs), and it's a man and woman whose very odd courtship centers on one comment the man made to the woman years, maybe decades before, about himself. It seems to have many overtones of Henry James's own sexuality, which was not conducive to loving a woman, and these overtones and self-references added something to my reading. But even without that aspect, it is an absolute tour de force even as the egoism of the male protagonist becomes ever more dizzying; and the affection of the woman ever more touching.
"The Jolly Corner" (1908, 36 pgs) closes the book with another odd male-female courtship structure. This time it is a man who matches James in numerous details and has returned to New York City in middle-age to sell a piece of inherited real estate. The story has some great elements. So I hate to add that it didn't work, in the end, for me.
But each one of these four is interesting and, if you like James at all, fun to read. And they're short! Another virtue among the Henry James oeuvre.
September 2, 2017
Call me an addict of Henry James now! Kudos to Dr. Dickey for mentioning him in our psychology classes! I enjoyed all four stories in this Barnes & Noble edition. The Turn of the Screw was definitely my favorite story. The Beast in the Jungle and The Jolly Corner were both surprisingly good! While the overall plot was a bit boring in The Aspern Papers, the Venice setting was intriguing and the characters made up for the slow plot.
July 18, 2018
The Aspern Papers: I loved reading a story set in Venice. The mercenary attitudes on both sides were fun to watch, and the ending got me right in the gut. Good work, story.
Turn of the Screw: I've read this a few times and it's still creepy.
"The Beast in the Jungle": I thought Henry James didn't realize how incredibly dense the protagonist was, but then I reached the end and JOKE IS ON ME also this story was upsetting ahahaha.
"The Jolly Corner": Spencer needs to get a better hobby.
Turn of the Screw: I've read this a few times and it's still creepy.
"The Beast in the Jungle": I thought Henry James didn't realize how incredibly dense the protagonist was, but then I reached the end and JOKE IS ON ME also this story was upsetting ahahaha.
"The Jolly Corner": Spencer needs to get a better hobby.
March 10, 2021
The Turn of the Screw was my favorite :)
November 24, 2013
I can't remember who recommended "Turn of the Screw" (I want to say it was Stephen King in On Writing...), but I'm glad I finally got through this book so I could read that story!
I read James' "Daisy Miller" for a college lit class and loved it, so I thought this book would be easy to get through, but the flowery language is pretty tough when you're not used to reading that sort of thing regularly. It takes a lot longer to get through because each word has so much more depth. All of the stories (there are four) in this book are short, or novella length, but they have a lot more content and substance to them than their page count might suggest.
I found the "Aspern Papers" (the first story in the book) to be a little tedious and not as revelatory or shocking as the synopsis made it out to be. I do love the setting though, so that made it worth the read.
Because of how slow I found the first story, I had a hard time finally getting around to "The Turn of the Screw", and an even harder time getting into it because it gets off to a slow start as well. When I finally picked the book up again (a few years after I had finished the "Aspern Papers"!), it was easy to enjoy it. Though a bit antiquated now because of how far the horror genre both in literature and film has pushed our sensibilities, it is still a great ghost story and told so beautifully.
"The Beast in the Jungle" is a great suspense at first, but it devolves as it goes on into a story far less fantastic (I mean that in the sense of "fantasy" not as a qualifier of its readability) than it starts out.
"The Jolly Corner" is sort of the opposite. It has a sort of generic beginning and becomes something much darker and more interesting as it progresses. The house on the Jolly Corner actually reminds me a bit of the House of Leaves, though I can't really put my finger on the connection I felt there.
Overall, even if I wasn't crazy about how the stories themselves played out, they are beautifully written. These days, a lot of authors and people giving advice on writing will tell you not to use such flowery language, but James knew what he was doing. It's not flowery in that it's excessive or confusing; he just has a way with words that makes everything sound so much lovelier and I felt a strong sense of nostalgia reading these stories. So romantic-sounding, in spite of the subject matter. I gave it three stars overall, but that's not really fair to place on all four stories as a whole because they were each very different and each had different merits and shortcomings.
"Aspern Papers": 3 stars
"The Turn of the Screw": 5 stars
"Beast in the Jungle": 3 stars
"Jolly Corner": 4 stars
I read James' "Daisy Miller" for a college lit class and loved it, so I thought this book would be easy to get through, but the flowery language is pretty tough when you're not used to reading that sort of thing regularly. It takes a lot longer to get through because each word has so much more depth. All of the stories (there are four) in this book are short, or novella length, but they have a lot more content and substance to them than their page count might suggest.
I found the "Aspern Papers" (the first story in the book) to be a little tedious and not as revelatory or shocking as the synopsis made it out to be. I do love the setting though, so that made it worth the read.
Because of how slow I found the first story, I had a hard time finally getting around to "The Turn of the Screw", and an even harder time getting into it because it gets off to a slow start as well. When I finally picked the book up again (a few years after I had finished the "Aspern Papers"!), it was easy to enjoy it. Though a bit antiquated now because of how far the horror genre both in literature and film has pushed our sensibilities, it is still a great ghost story and told so beautifully.
"The Beast in the Jungle" is a great suspense at first, but it devolves as it goes on into a story far less fantastic (I mean that in the sense of "fantasy" not as a qualifier of its readability) than it starts out.
"The Jolly Corner" is sort of the opposite. It has a sort of generic beginning and becomes something much darker and more interesting as it progresses. The house on the Jolly Corner actually reminds me a bit of the House of Leaves, though I can't really put my finger on the connection I felt there.
Overall, even if I wasn't crazy about how the stories themselves played out, they are beautifully written. These days, a lot of authors and people giving advice on writing will tell you not to use such flowery language, but James knew what he was doing. It's not flowery in that it's excessive or confusing; he just has a way with words that makes everything sound so much lovelier and I felt a strong sense of nostalgia reading these stories. So romantic-sounding, in spite of the subject matter. I gave it three stars overall, but that's not really fair to place on all four stories as a whole because they were each very different and each had different merits and shortcomings.
"Aspern Papers": 3 stars
"The Turn of the Screw": 5 stars
"Beast in the Jungle": 3 stars
"Jolly Corner": 4 stars
January 8, 2011
Talk about a case of the movie being better than the book! I put this on my list to read because I have, of course, heard of Henry James, seen one of the many movies of The Turn of The Screw, and it's listed as a "classic". I feel that I should read classics, just because they are. Ok, so I know that the English language of that era was more eloquent, had more flourish, which I can appreciate, than the demolished modern version of same. Also, I know that it seemed to take much longer to say something that we now would shorten to a few words. Still, Henry James just carries it too far. Verbose. I mean, really, did he actually find it necessary to use three pages to say what could have been said in one sentence? Especially in The Aspern Papers. Boring, boring. Same is true of The Beast In The Jungle, which was totally silly, and that's being kind. As for The Turn of The Screw, at first I thought he had a good supernatural story going there, but it really falls flat. Yep, the movie built more tension and made the end more dramatic. Sorry, Mr. James, you cannot tell a story.
July 9, 2014
I didn't manage to finish this...it was just too slow. That said, I really enjoy Henry James use of language, his careful description, and the way he steps into the protagonists. At times, I very much felt the creepy that he intended.
However--get to the point. Dan Brown isn't a fabulous writer, but he could teach James a few lessons about pacing.
However--get to the point. Dan Brown isn't a fabulous writer, but he could teach James a few lessons about pacing.
December 31, 2017
The Turn of the Screw: 5 stars
The Aspern Papers: 5 stars
Two Stories: Let's forget those existed...
I had read Turn of the Screw in my 12th grade English class as a Halloween story, and at that time, I didn't get very much from it. I didn't see how subtle the plot points were and my opinion of the story was largely influenced by the discussions that were held in class. However, this second reading of it was so much better! It is a fantastic Halloween read that actually managed to give me chills. It's not a standard horror novel, but one of the mind, where suspicion and creepiness abounds. It's a ghost story, though, and the three central questions are important and guided my reading: is the governess insane? are the children sinister? are the ghosts real? My answer is yes, no, and yes. Although I have heard many other theories that have just as much evidence as mine! I'm sure my opinion will change if I ever re-read this story. There is a haunting sense about this book which makes me wish it was made into a movie. At the end, you are left with more questions than answers, and theories for days! It's my go-to ghost story.
The Aspern Papers was something I had low expectations for. The premise was vague and I thought that in a novella format, not much could be done. I was wrong. This was an exceptional piece of short fiction in the classic style of Henry James. What I liked best about this book was its situational existence in Venice, during the era of Grand Tours when everyone spoke at least conversational French because that was what people in high society did. I wish I lived in that era. Going to Italy was a journey and although language was always a barrier, it somehow wasn't, and people managed to live extraordinary and often extravagant lives. The depiction of the era was beautiful. I also really appreciated how, although we didn't meet the friend of the narrator, through descriptions of him, his letter, and his association with the narrator's personality, one can know everything there is to know about that man. He's repugnant. And it's delightful that without seeing him, one can know his character. Very well written and well crafted. The narrator is despicable and gets what he deserves, though even by the last line, it seems he never learned his lesson.
The Two Stories seemed to have been written almost by a different person. The Beast in the Jungle was an emotional read and one that made very little sense until the ending, when all the feels hit. The Jolly Corner was one that seemed so abstract and odd that I wasn't a fan. It's a unique concept, but not one that I care to further pursue. Overall, the two stories are rather indifferent for me, as I didn't quite like them as much as the other two longer stories. This is what brings the rating to a solid 4 stars.
The Aspern Papers: 5 stars
Two Stories: Let's forget those existed...
I had read Turn of the Screw in my 12th grade English class as a Halloween story, and at that time, I didn't get very much from it. I didn't see how subtle the plot points were and my opinion of the story was largely influenced by the discussions that were held in class. However, this second reading of it was so much better! It is a fantastic Halloween read that actually managed to give me chills. It's not a standard horror novel, but one of the mind, where suspicion and creepiness abounds. It's a ghost story, though, and the three central questions are important and guided my reading: is the governess insane? are the children sinister? are the ghosts real? My answer is yes, no, and yes. Although I have heard many other theories that have just as much evidence as mine! I'm sure my opinion will change if I ever re-read this story. There is a haunting sense about this book which makes me wish it was made into a movie. At the end, you are left with more questions than answers, and theories for days! It's my go-to ghost story.
The Aspern Papers was something I had low expectations for. The premise was vague and I thought that in a novella format, not much could be done. I was wrong. This was an exceptional piece of short fiction in the classic style of Henry James. What I liked best about this book was its situational existence in Venice, during the era of Grand Tours when everyone spoke at least conversational French because that was what people in high society did. I wish I lived in that era. Going to Italy was a journey and although language was always a barrier, it somehow wasn't, and people managed to live extraordinary and often extravagant lives. The depiction of the era was beautiful. I also really appreciated how, although we didn't meet the friend of the narrator, through descriptions of him, his letter, and his association with the narrator's personality, one can know everything there is to know about that man. He's repugnant. And it's delightful that without seeing him, one can know his character. Very well written and well crafted. The narrator is despicable and gets what he deserves, though even by the last line, it seems he never learned his lesson.
The Two Stories seemed to have been written almost by a different person. The Beast in the Jungle was an emotional read and one that made very little sense until the ending, when all the feels hit. The Jolly Corner was one that seemed so abstract and odd that I wasn't a fan. It's a unique concept, but not one that I care to further pursue. Overall, the two stories are rather indifferent for me, as I didn't quite like them as much as the other two longer stories. This is what brings the rating to a solid 4 stars.
August 1, 2023
I think it is best to address the stories individually, since my thoughts on each were vastly different. I picked up this book out of curiosity about James (it was only a name to me), but my curiosity waned the more I read.
Oddly, I loved the Aspern Papers. Such strange subject matter, such a fervent fixation for the protagonist - over a trifle. But I was invested in the mystery of Juliana, the subtlety of the maneuvers between them, and the sexual undertones of this quest to procure the papers. Mix in some shock and horror at the end, and I was hooked.
Turn of the Screw is a story I'm more familiar with. Perhaps that contributed to the feeling that the story started to drag somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, this is a classic ghost story, and another compelling representation of obsession and paranoia with a shocker of an ending that almost makes you want to go back and read it again.
But then the stories began to go downhill. Not that I don't see the worth of Beast in the Jungle and The Jolly Corner. Both had their moments and their merits. In fact, I'm still debating if I didn't enjoy the stories or if I was robbed of enjoying the stories by James's bloated style and convoluted syntax. Oh, you will never read, with confounding clauses inserted here and there - and that is not to mention interjections that frequently break up the flow of thought - more run-on sentences, though perhaps not wholly abandoning the laws of grammar, with twists, turns, and syntactical reversals, than you will in James writing (see what I did there). It gets to the point where you almost forgot how the sentence began by the time you read the end. I frequently found myself rereading paragraphs in these last two stories. I even stooped to subvocalizing certain sentences to maintain my focus and make sure I could follow the point.
For this reason, I give the book a 3 when I might have given the stories themselves a 4. Although each story has prolonged periods, sometimes multiple pages, where nothing is really happening except the vague passing of emotions in the mind of the narrator, each surrounds a character that merits deep psychological analysis, and themes that represent some profound human thoughts and desires. James is certainly a master of subtlety - it's just, maybe it could use a little less subtlety, maybe a little less vagueness... at least for this modern reader.
Oddly, I loved the Aspern Papers. Such strange subject matter, such a fervent fixation for the protagonist - over a trifle. But I was invested in the mystery of Juliana, the subtlety of the maneuvers between them, and the sexual undertones of this quest to procure the papers. Mix in some shock and horror at the end, and I was hooked.
Turn of the Screw is a story I'm more familiar with. Perhaps that contributed to the feeling that the story started to drag somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, this is a classic ghost story, and another compelling representation of obsession and paranoia with a shocker of an ending that almost makes you want to go back and read it again.
But then the stories began to go downhill. Not that I don't see the worth of Beast in the Jungle and The Jolly Corner. Both had their moments and their merits. In fact, I'm still debating if I didn't enjoy the stories or if I was robbed of enjoying the stories by James's bloated style and convoluted syntax. Oh, you will never read, with confounding clauses inserted here and there - and that is not to mention interjections that frequently break up the flow of thought - more run-on sentences, though perhaps not wholly abandoning the laws of grammar, with twists, turns, and syntactical reversals, than you will in James writing (see what I did there). It gets to the point where you almost forgot how the sentence began by the time you read the end. I frequently found myself rereading paragraphs in these last two stories. I even stooped to subvocalizing certain sentences to maintain my focus and make sure I could follow the point.
For this reason, I give the book a 3 when I might have given the stories themselves a 4. Although each story has prolonged periods, sometimes multiple pages, where nothing is really happening except the vague passing of emotions in the mind of the narrator, each surrounds a character that merits deep psychological analysis, and themes that represent some profound human thoughts and desires. James is certainly a master of subtlety - it's just, maybe it could use a little less subtlety, maybe a little less vagueness... at least for this modern reader.
July 11, 2020
Every so often I have to read one of the old masters to hone my reading skills and appreciate good literature. Henry James doesn't disappoint in this collection of four stories. I will just touch on each story to avoid any spoilers.
In "The Aspern Papers", a less-than-scrupulous literary critic desires the romantic correspondence of a long-dead but important poet. He journeys to Venice where the poet's former mistress lives in an attempt to gain her letters. There, under an assumed name, he lodges in the home of the mistress, now old and shrewish, and her spinster niece. As he invents ruses to obtain the prize, he takes advantage (although, not in the romantic sense) of the niece to get around the suspicions of older lady. The niece, older than the critic and surely not a great catch in her spinsterhood, allows herself to be manipulated (to a degree). Yet, what prize will she yield, if any?
"The Turn of the Screw" is a ghost story about a sheltered parson's daughter who undertakes to become a governess to an attractive bachelor's niece and nephew. The bachelor sends her to his country house to care for the children. There she encounters the demonic spirits of two former servants who threaten the innocence of her charges. Her experiences with the ghosts would seem to any formerly addled survivor of the 1960s or '70s to be psychedelic hallucinations. Yet, the ghosts are very real to her and to the reader. As she struggle to protect the children, her suspicions and battles with the spirits reveal more about her than about her adversaries.
"The Beast of the Jungle" tells of a man waiting for something "rare" to happen to him and the woman who waits with him.
"The Jolly Corner" is also a ghost story. A man returns to New York after thirty-some years of dissipated living in Europe to discover what he could have been had he stayed. He owns two properties, one that he is turning into an apartment building and the other his childhood home. It is that family home on "the jolly corner" where he braves the spirits that haunt the place. The narrative has a suspenseful pace and a psychological realness. Although it is the shortest of the four stories, it is the one I find the most satisfying.
In "The Aspern Papers", a less-than-scrupulous literary critic desires the romantic correspondence of a long-dead but important poet. He journeys to Venice where the poet's former mistress lives in an attempt to gain her letters. There, under an assumed name, he lodges in the home of the mistress, now old and shrewish, and her spinster niece. As he invents ruses to obtain the prize, he takes advantage (although, not in the romantic sense) of the niece to get around the suspicions of older lady. The niece, older than the critic and surely not a great catch in her spinsterhood, allows herself to be manipulated (to a degree). Yet, what prize will she yield, if any?
"The Turn of the Screw" is a ghost story about a sheltered parson's daughter who undertakes to become a governess to an attractive bachelor's niece and nephew. The bachelor sends her to his country house to care for the children. There she encounters the demonic spirits of two former servants who threaten the innocence of her charges. Her experiences with the ghosts would seem to any formerly addled survivor of the 1960s or '70s to be psychedelic hallucinations. Yet, the ghosts are very real to her and to the reader. As she struggle to protect the children, her suspicions and battles with the spirits reveal more about her than about her adversaries.
"The Beast of the Jungle" tells of a man waiting for something "rare" to happen to him and the woman who waits with him.
"The Jolly Corner" is also a ghost story. A man returns to New York after thirty-some years of dissipated living in Europe to discover what he could have been had he stayed. He owns two properties, one that he is turning into an apartment building and the other his childhood home. It is that family home on "the jolly corner" where he braves the spirits that haunt the place. The narrative has a suspenseful pace and a psychological realness. Although it is the shortest of the four stories, it is the one I find the most satisfying.
July 6, 2018
This is a perfect introduction to Henry James, because it collects shorter works from his middle and late periods. As such, it gives you an idea of how his style evolved over the course of thirty years. I found The Aspern Papers (1888) to be the most accessible and somewhat realistic, whereas The Jolly Corner (1908) was rather obtuse and unrealistic.
However, I have a real problem enjoying Henry James. The central problem is a lack of lucidity, that obtuseness, a tendency toward abstraction, characters whose speech sound more like the narration than how people really talk, and those lengthy sentences that require not only concentration but also a willingness to put up with a lot of really stilted prose rife with phrases juxtaposed, inserted willy-nilly, causing the reader to slow down to a crawl and reject any hope of meaningful flow.
The narrator of The Turn of the Screw illustrates how James himself doesn't seem to be able to capture real human beings of various ages and walks of life. This simple governess writes as if she herself were a Cambridge don, whereas the children seem like miniature Henry Jameses themselves. I found myself distracted by all this instead of being immersed in the storyline.
But it is in the last two short pieces that this grandiose style overwhelms any possibility of emotional connection with the characters, who seem more like puppets for James' agenda than sympathetic people with anything resembling real-life problems. The Beast of the Jungle was a real grind; its premise is rather absurd. The Jolly Corner is sort of a variation on that one.
By default, I give the nod to The Aspern Papers as the best thing here, as it actually contains no sentences that are head-scratchers. For a way more enjoyable variation on that plot, I heartily recommend My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket, which is a laugh-out-loud take that is also a real send-up of L.A. in the 1970's.
However, I have a real problem enjoying Henry James. The central problem is a lack of lucidity, that obtuseness, a tendency toward abstraction, characters whose speech sound more like the narration than how people really talk, and those lengthy sentences that require not only concentration but also a willingness to put up with a lot of really stilted prose rife with phrases juxtaposed, inserted willy-nilly, causing the reader to slow down to a crawl and reject any hope of meaningful flow.
The narrator of The Turn of the Screw illustrates how James himself doesn't seem to be able to capture real human beings of various ages and walks of life. This simple governess writes as if she herself were a Cambridge don, whereas the children seem like miniature Henry Jameses themselves. I found myself distracted by all this instead of being immersed in the storyline.
But it is in the last two short pieces that this grandiose style overwhelms any possibility of emotional connection with the characters, who seem more like puppets for James' agenda than sympathetic people with anything resembling real-life problems. The Beast of the Jungle was a real grind; its premise is rather absurd. The Jolly Corner is sort of a variation on that one.
By default, I give the nod to The Aspern Papers as the best thing here, as it actually contains no sentences that are head-scratchers. For a way more enjoyable variation on that plot, I heartily recommend My Search for Warren Harding by Robert Plunket, which is a laugh-out-loud take that is also a real send-up of L.A. in the 1970's.
August 20, 2019
Henry James. Hmmm...
The Turn of the Screw is about a nanny who comes to care for two orphans at a country estate. She is to take charge of the children and not bother their guardian at all. At all! Things become difficult when the young boy is kicked out of school with no explanation and the nanny begins to see ghosts. There are supremely dark themes here that I think really need the context of research either before or after reading the story. (Unless you're much smarter than me, which is completely probable, and you pick them up while reading it.)
The Aspern Papers is about a writer in search of hidden material about his favorite poet, and the lengths he goes to attain these papers is astonishing and terrible. Thank goodness for smart women.
The Beast in the Jungle is about a man who believes that something...amazing is in store for him. Maybe great, maybe terrible. He spends his time waiting for this thing to happen, and a very noble women waits alongside him.
(I don't know what the 4th story in this book is because I didn't read it. I do plan to go back and finish it when I'm in the mood for...wordiness.)
So what I want to know is, does James EVER say anything outright? Good grief, a sentence that could be 5 words is said in 20. A scene that could be 2 paragraphs is 2 pages. And no one ever tells anything to anyone in a fashion that could be helpful. I'm guessing that's part of his charm?
BUT I can honestly say I am a fan of how James writes his characters, particularly women. And really, he has a magnificent grasp of how people interact with each other and the trouble with relationships when we are not direct with each other (at least in these stories). As I get further away from actually having read this, I find myself thinking again and again of what I've read. So, successful writing I'd say, in that way.
So, probably not the most accessible classic writer, but not the worst either.
The Turn of the Screw is about a nanny who comes to care for two orphans at a country estate. She is to take charge of the children and not bother their guardian at all. At all! Things become difficult when the young boy is kicked out of school with no explanation and the nanny begins to see ghosts. There are supremely dark themes here that I think really need the context of research either before or after reading the story. (Unless you're much smarter than me, which is completely probable, and you pick them up while reading it.)
The Aspern Papers is about a writer in search of hidden material about his favorite poet, and the lengths he goes to attain these papers is astonishing and terrible. Thank goodness for smart women.
The Beast in the Jungle is about a man who believes that something...amazing is in store for him. Maybe great, maybe terrible. He spends his time waiting for this thing to happen, and a very noble women waits alongside him.
(I don't know what the 4th story in this book is because I didn't read it. I do plan to go back and finish it when I'm in the mood for...wordiness.)
So what I want to know is, does James EVER say anything outright? Good grief, a sentence that could be 5 words is said in 20. A scene that could be 2 paragraphs is 2 pages. And no one ever tells anything to anyone in a fashion that could be helpful. I'm guessing that's part of his charm?
BUT I can honestly say I am a fan of how James writes his characters, particularly women. And really, he has a magnificent grasp of how people interact with each other and the trouble with relationships when we are not direct with each other (at least in these stories). As I get further away from actually having read this, I find myself thinking again and again of what I've read. So, successful writing I'd say, in that way.
So, probably not the most accessible classic writer, but not the worst either.
March 30, 2021
Mr. James I swear you must've been paid by the word.
Reviews in miniature in the order that I read them:
The Turn of the Screw: Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by this famous ghost story. It felt like the worst kind of "classic"— overly verbose prose draped around a slow moving plot and cetera. However, there are moments where interesting ideas or a good amount of suspense pop up, so I can't say it was a waste of time to read.
"The Beast in the Jungle:" Ok this one was a very pleasant surprise. While it too is written in sprawlingly convoluted and old fashioned sentences, they kinda add to the experience in a wonky way, making the story feel like proto-stream-of-consciousness. Thematically the story works for me too; although the initial plot device or macguffin or whatever you'd call it is a bit too vague for my liking, as the story unfolds and reveals what it's *really* about it's actually really satisfying.
"The Jolly Corner:" If "The Beast in the Jungle" was a pleasant surprise, this story was a let down. In fairness, I listened to an audiobook this time around, and it can be easier to zone out sometimes so maybe my lack of enjoyment is on me, but still. This was the worst offender of the "paid by the word" sensibility. It's another ghost story with some interesting themes that are totally obfuscated by the writing.
The Aspen Papers: Of the whole bunch, this was the easiest to read I feel. While there's still plenty of internal monologue and at the end of the day it's more of a character study vs. a plot-driven story, there is enough actual *events* for things to stay interesting across the 80-90 pages or so. The characters are well sketched and I could see an interesting comparison to be made to Nabokov's Pale Fire, of all things.
In all, while I don't plan on going out and buying up a bunch of other Henry James works, reading this collection was still worth the time it took.
Reviews in miniature in the order that I read them:
The Turn of the Screw: Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by this famous ghost story. It felt like the worst kind of "classic"— overly verbose prose draped around a slow moving plot and cetera. However, there are moments where interesting ideas or a good amount of suspense pop up, so I can't say it was a waste of time to read.
"The Beast in the Jungle:" Ok this one was a very pleasant surprise. While it too is written in sprawlingly convoluted and old fashioned sentences, they kinda add to the experience in a wonky way, making the story feel like proto-stream-of-consciousness. Thematically the story works for me too; although the initial plot device or macguffin or whatever you'd call it is a bit too vague for my liking, as the story unfolds and reveals what it's *really* about it's actually really satisfying.
"The Jolly Corner:" If "The Beast in the Jungle" was a pleasant surprise, this story was a let down. In fairness, I listened to an audiobook this time around, and it can be easier to zone out sometimes so maybe my lack of enjoyment is on me, but still. This was the worst offender of the "paid by the word" sensibility. It's another ghost story with some interesting themes that are totally obfuscated by the writing.
The Aspen Papers: Of the whole bunch, this was the easiest to read I feel. While there's still plenty of internal monologue and at the end of the day it's more of a character study vs. a plot-driven story, there is enough actual *events* for things to stay interesting across the 80-90 pages or so. The characters are well sketched and I could see an interesting comparison to be made to Nabokov's Pale Fire, of all things.
In all, while I don't plan on going out and buying up a bunch of other Henry James works, reading this collection was still worth the time it took.
April 28, 2021
'The Aspern Papers'. This one was kind of funny, really, but i don't think it's supposed to be which makes it even funnier???? Here's this dude, obsessed with a long-dead poet, and he finds that there is someone alive with stuff from said poet that has not been seen at all, so he lies and cons his way into their house, plants some flowers, tries to push this 150 yr old woman into showing him these papers which almost basically ends up killing her, and then her niece is like 'have sex with me for these papers' which makes the dude get so scared he leaves for a couple days. i mean he comes back to find the niece had burned the papers and the ending is just 'i'll never forget them--the papers' like dude lmao
'The Turn of the Screw'. Children are creepy and may be possessed by ghosts, but it's ok until it's not and one of them dies randomly. I did like the haunting aspect of it tbh. The mc sees the ghosts, but she's more active about it all instead of just fainting and going 'ooo dear meee it's a horror and ghoouull' and that's that. Which makes it a better read than some of the other ye olde ghost stories i've read.
'The Beast in the Jungle'. This is about the dude being gay, right? Like I've looked and saw that some people are like 'it's because he has no adventure in his life', but...that doesn't seem like it to me. I mean I know it takes a backseat to the girl dying, but like...before that with the big ole secret and it being more of a personal to Henry James himself. idk anyway the ending was weird and out of nowhere.
'The Jolly Corner'. This guy sees a ghost in his apartment and faints. He doesn't do shit about it, he just gets scared about a door closing and it takes like ten pages for him to walk outside of a room. This one was a slog to get through and just wanted to say, i am glad no one writes like this anymore lol
'The Turn of the Screw'. Children are creepy and may be possessed by ghosts, but it's ok until it's not and one of them dies randomly. I did like the haunting aspect of it tbh. The mc sees the ghosts, but she's more active about it all instead of just fainting and going 'ooo dear meee it's a horror and ghoouull' and that's that. Which makes it a better read than some of the other ye olde ghost stories i've read.
'The Beast in the Jungle'. This is about the dude being gay, right? Like I've looked and saw that some people are like 'it's because he has no adventure in his life', but...that doesn't seem like it to me. I mean I know it takes a backseat to the girl dying, but like...before that with the big ole secret and it being more of a personal to Henry James himself. idk anyway the ending was weird and out of nowhere.
'The Jolly Corner'. This guy sees a ghost in his apartment and faints. He doesn't do shit about it, he just gets scared about a door closing and it takes like ten pages for him to walk outside of a room. This one was a slog to get through and just wanted to say, i am glad no one writes like this anymore lol
November 4, 2024
I objected to the ambiguity of The Turn of the Screw, which evidently was James' intended style. He purposely did not provide a clear explanation at the abrupt ending, requiring readers to decide their own conclusions. Either the governess had mental delusions and imagined everything, or there really were paranormal forces. The critiques lean toward the mental imbalance argument; however, the way the story is told, I did not detect she had a serious dysfunction and assumed the ghostly appearances were meant to be what she actually saw and felt. I figured the others around her who didn't experience the phenomena were because they were not tuned in to the spiritual. If the governess was suffering from delusions, I did not relate to the vaguely expressed reasons: she was obsessively in love with the estate owner (met him once), she was sexually repressed (not described), she was damaged by her upbringing (no detail), she was neurotically protective of the children (maybe, but they were her primary responsibility), and/or the children were completely innocent (they appeared decidedly weird to me, i.e., Miles calling her "my dear", what nine year old does that?). I suppose the various analysts are right about her mental state, but that is not supported in the story enough for me to be persuaded. The apparitions appeared clearly without warning or expectation. Because the governess described accurately what she saw, Mrs. Gross readily accepted what she said. These circumstances led me to believe that something spooky was present, and the governess was not totally making it all up. I didn't appreciate not knowing the reason for Miles' suspension from school; it seemed left out to simply be annoying. Lack of specifics implies overt sexual activity at the boy's boarding school, but his inclinations were not later evident. Too much is not explained. What happened after he was dead and was the governess questioned about it? Where exactly did she go after she left Bly? It didn't sound like she received treatment. The narrative is very engaging at times, but other times, it is wordy, slow, and distracting. The plot is a good and memorable one, but that makes the ambiquity even more exasperating. I must conclude that the story's intended meanings escaped me. I have not read James' other works, and it's undoubtedly necessary they be studied to fully appreciate his writing style and messaging. This doesn't motivate me to pursue it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2024
Was pretty excited to read what's often called the "first modern Western ghost story", but it was a let-down. So much of it was:
"oh it was so horrible!"
"you don't mean--?!"
"yes! exactly! so evil!"
And I'm like...so what happened? You have to fill in the blanks yourself. Which I realize a lot of admirers of the story say is a feature, but I'm saying it's a bug. It's very unsatisfying.
It was really hard to tell how old the kids were supposed to be, because of the infantilizing way the narrator describes them. (This may be a conscious choice on the author's part for the character--or maybe people in Victorian England were just like that?) At first I thought they were like, 3 and 5 years old. But I think they're meant to be 8 and 10 or something. Maybe the most uncanny part of all of it was how the little boy spoke; very 10-going-on-50. At first, I thought James's just couldn't write children's dialogue, but in this respect I will concede that it's probably a conscious character choice.
What makes it worse is that, compared to the other stories in the collection, "The Turn of the Screw" was practically action-packed. I didn't even know what was going on in "The Beast in the Jungle." I think all of the plot happens in 3 sentences. The rest of it is just incoherent, where I'm wondering if it's legal to string together so many words and have it be so meaningless. I had to reread pages just to make sure I didn't miss something significant buried underneath all that--nope. Nothing happened.
So yeah, think I'm good on James.
"oh it was so horrible!"
"you don't mean--?!"
"yes! exactly! so evil!"
And I'm like...so what happened? You have to fill in the blanks yourself. Which I realize a lot of admirers of the story say is a feature, but I'm saying it's a bug. It's very unsatisfying.
It was really hard to tell how old the kids were supposed to be, because of the infantilizing way the narrator describes them. (This may be a conscious choice on the author's part for the character--or maybe people in Victorian England were just like that?) At first I thought they were like, 3 and 5 years old. But I think they're meant to be 8 and 10 or something. Maybe the most uncanny part of all of it was how the little boy spoke; very 10-going-on-50. At first, I thought James's just couldn't write children's dialogue, but in this respect I will concede that it's probably a conscious character choice.
What makes it worse is that, compared to the other stories in the collection, "The Turn of the Screw" was practically action-packed. I didn't even know what was going on in "The Beast in the Jungle." I think all of the plot happens in 3 sentences. The rest of it is just incoherent, where I'm wondering if it's legal to string together so many words and have it be so meaningless. I had to reread pages just to make sure I didn't miss something significant buried underneath all that--nope. Nothing happened.
So yeah, think I'm good on James.
May 21, 2019
The dawdling descriptive style in James' earlier novels serves him well in the Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers. Both are completely engrossing and fascinating study of human intentions, perceptions, and ultimately shocking conclusions. James is clearly at his best with the novella and short story form.
The Turn of the Screw—a nail-biting, brilliant horror show of an incredibly brave woman hired to be in charge of two children in a foreboding house—under the worst circumstances one could find themselves in as a first time governess.
The Aspern Papers—tight and rhythmically slow at the right moments—takes us on the journey of a man obsessed in a game to pry, impress, wheedle into the lives of two reclusive, piteous women in order to procure a dead poet's papers.
The Turn of the Screw—a nail-biting, brilliant horror show of an incredibly brave woman hired to be in charge of two children in a foreboding house—under the worst circumstances one could find themselves in as a first time governess.
The Aspern Papers—tight and rhythmically slow at the right moments—takes us on the journey of a man obsessed in a game to pry, impress, wheedle into the lives of two reclusive, piteous women in order to procure a dead poet's papers.
July 14, 2019
I really enjoyed "The Aspern Papers", but had difficulty getting into the others. "Turn Of The Screw" I did not find to be particularly unsettling, however I tried to keep it in the context of when it was written and found it moderately enjoyable; ultimately it was the language that proved more of the draw for me than the story itself. With "Beast" and "Jolly Corner" I eventually gave up all hope of being compelled by the stories themselves (at least at the glacial pace with which they were drawn out), at which point it became an exercise solely in trying to appreciate the flowery language while no longer caring about the story.
I started this book thinking I would be a new convert to James' style, but by the end my feelings had shifted pretty strongly the other way.
I started this book thinking I would be a new convert to James' style, but by the end my feelings had shifted pretty strongly the other way.
August 20, 2017
Of the selected writings contained in this book, I most enjoyed "The Aspern Papers," followed by "The Beast in the Jungle." The main event, "The Turn of the Screw," had such beautifully ornate narration and dialogue, but the vague nature of what was actually happening beneath all those gorgeous words was frustrating. And the concept of "The Jolly Corner," was cool, but, for me, it was the least successful, because the scant action and character development were just absolutely drowned in excess verbiage, which was not especially pleasant to the ear (like it was in "Turn of the Screw") and instead was only ornately neurotic and off-putting.
September 24, 2019
To say that I've finished this book is not entirely true. I did not allot myself enough time to finish it before it had to be mailed along to the next person in my group. I did read The Aspern Papers (why is that story first in the book if the title starts with The Turn of the Screw?) and read most of The Turn of the Screw.
I do not understand the point of The Aspern Papers. It was a long drawn out story that never really accomplished anything.
The Turn of the Screw was more difficult to read, and the thickness of the language made me lose interest in the story.
I just don't understand why old writing is so dense.
I do not understand the point of The Aspern Papers. It was a long drawn out story that never really accomplished anything.
The Turn of the Screw was more difficult to read, and the thickness of the language made me lose interest in the story.
I just don't understand why old writing is so dense.
June 9, 2019
Definitely good to have read from a historical perspective-- The Turn of the Screw has been cited as an inspiration in a lot of the books I've read this year. James is certainly a master of tension. I think I actually liked The Aspern Papers best, though it would be a stretch to say I really enjoyed either (didn't bother with the short stories). The convoluted language/style got in the way of the story too much in The Turn of the Screw, and the dropping of the framing device seemed sloppy.
June 22, 2020
I re-read "The Aspen Papers." This is a good example of James' writing if you haven't read him before. He was a favorite author of James Baldwin, and Baldwin's sentence structure often echoes Henry's. The story concerns an ardent fan of a dead poet, and the poet's former paramour, who hates "publishing scoundrels." Will the fan succeed in acquiring the unpublished papers of his idol? Read it and find out.
March 17, 2023
I've discovered that I just don't have much of an appetite for most books/writing of this era--they're often so wordy I just get exhausted reading them, ha ha!
Of all the stories in this collection, I'd have to say that The Turn of the Screw was the most interesting and actually prompted me to analyze what happened, though most of the time I found myself lost as per the wretched wordiness of Henry James' style of prose.
Of all the stories in this collection, I'd have to say that The Turn of the Screw was the most interesting and actually prompted me to analyze what happened, though most of the time I found myself lost as per the wretched wordiness of Henry James' style of prose.
October 16, 2023
I read this because 1. The Mike Flanagan show and 2. Stephen King recommended it in Danse Macabre.
Turn of the Screw was obviously the highlight. Lovely weird atmosphere, unreliable narrator, the whole shebang.
The Aspern Papers was bizarre and darkly hilarious.
The two short stories were far more opaque. Beast was interesting, but I could not make it through the Jolly Corner. Boring, overly verbose, and, well, opaque.
Turn of the Screw was obviously the highlight. Lovely weird atmosphere, unreliable narrator, the whole shebang.
The Aspern Papers was bizarre and darkly hilarious.
The two short stories were far more opaque. Beast was interesting, but I could not make it through the Jolly Corner. Boring, overly verbose, and, well, opaque.
January 19, 2025
I enjoyed The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers even though they were a little difficult to get into. I’d rather watch paint dry than read The Beast in the Jungle again. The ending and message were good, but most of the story felt like filler that could easily have been taken out and made the story shorter and more comprehensive. The Jolly Corner was another story that could have had been condensed. It also didn’t have as much suspense as I was expecting for a ghost story.
August 1, 2020
James is on the wordy side (like, really really wordy), which makes him a challenging read, but he’s great at getting inside hisncharacters’ heads. The Aspern Papers was a surprise delight, Turn of the Screw let me down a little (but I had high). Beast in the Jungle is a testament to life’s disappointments, and Jolly Corner had a delightfully twisted ending.
October 26, 2024
4 / 5
"...but even while they pretend to be lost in their fairy-tale they're steeped in the vision of the dead restored to them." (p 170)
I only read The Turn of the Screw from this collection and it rips. It was a bit hard to read at first, but once I settled into Henry James' writing style, I found myself very much enjoying the read. It's a classic Victorian ghost story.
"...but even while they pretend to be lost in their fairy-tale they're steeped in the vision of the dead restored to them." (p 170)
I only read The Turn of the Screw from this collection and it rips. It was a bit hard to read at first, but once I settled into Henry James' writing style, I found myself very much enjoying the read. It's a classic Victorian ghost story.
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