The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw is a book by Henry James, first published in 1898. This celebrated gothic novella opens with a framed narrative in which a young, inexperienced governess accepts a post caring for two orphaned children, Miles and Flora, at the remote country estate of Bly. Isolated from society and charged with absolute responsibility for the children’s welfare, the governess quickly becomes consumed by the atmosphere of secrecy and unease that surrounds the house.

As her tenure continues, she begins to encounter disturbing apparitions — most notably the former valet Peter Quint and the previous governess Miss Jessel, both long deceased. Convinced that these figures are attempting to corrupt the children, the governess resolves to protect Miles and Flora at all costs. Yet the children’s unsettling composure, coupled with the silence of the household staff, raises troubling questions about what is truly happening at Bly.

What makes The Turn of the Screw enduringly powerful is its deliberate ambiguity. James carefully blurs the line between supernatural horror and psychological breakdown, leaving readers uncertain whether the governess is perceiving genuine evil or projecting her own fears and repressed anxieties onto the children. The tension escalates through implication rather than action, drawing the reader deeper into a world of half-seen threats and moral dread.

Often regarded as one of the finest ghost stories ever written, the novella is also a masterful study of obsession, authority, and innocence. Henry James’s refined prose and subtle manipulation of perspective have made it a cornerstone of gothic fiction and a frequent subject of literary debate, adaptation, and reinterpretation.