I first read The Aspern Papers, and it wasn't the kind of storytelling style that I truly enjoy. The writing seemed choppy, and it was a little difficult for me to follow along. I had a similar feeling when I read The Turn, although the psychological aspects of The Turn are rather fascinating. Many years ago, I read Daisy Miller and remember that I wasn't particularly fond of James's style at that time either.

Aside from the writing, some of the issues I had with The Aspern Papers is that the main character is rather loathsome and sneaky. His pursuit of Aspern the poet's lost papers leads him to seek out Juliana Bordereau, the former lover and muse of Aspern. This unnamed young man manages to convince Juliana to rent him rooms in her home in Venice. From there, he courts the niece and only companion of Juliana with the intention of gaining access to those valuable papers. To the very end, I hoped that he would not succeed in this quest. Where James excels is in bringing Venice to life; as a reader, I could almost feel the heat, smell the flowers, and see the canals.

The battle of wills between this unnamed young man and Juliana is intense. Will he or won't he manage to get his hands on those oh-so-valuable papers?

This was my second reading of The Turn of the Screw, and it is completely filled with hysteria and creepiness. Once again, we have another unnamed narrator relating the story of a governess and her experiences with two children in a remote country home. The governess, from the very beginning, is overly dramatic and firmly convinced that evil is surrounding the pupils in her care and in their home. The two children she is responsible for, Miles and Flora, seem innocent enough, but the governess always seems to be on the lookout for evil influences. It's like watching a guilty person pointing the finger at everyone else. When she discovers that the former governess, Miss Jessel, and the former manservant of the estate, Quint, were lovers and the primary caretakers of Miles and Flora, all hell breaks loose. There is the implication that these two were inappropriate with the children, and it is all left up to the reader to interpret. By the end, I felt like a little bit of crazy had turned into a whole lot of crazy.

The Turn of the Screw is a work that, to be honest, I found to be rather shit. I really don't even know what exactly happened within its pages.

It was a confusing and rather lackluster read for me. The story seemed to be going in various directions without a clear and coherent path.

Moreover, when it came time to write the essay for this, I wanted to pull my hair out. The lack of understanding and the complexity of the text made it extremely difficult to put my thoughts into a coherent and meaningful essay.

I struggled to make sense of the events and the characters, and it was a frustrating experience overall. I can't say that I would recommend this book to others based on my own experience with it.

Perhaps others may have a different perspective and be able to find more value in it, but for me, it was a disappointment.

This paperback offers a unique combination of physical and audio.

It contains two stories within one volume. "The Turn of the Screw" centers around a governess who becomes consumed with the idea of protecting two orphans from what she believes are malevolent spirits. The story builds tension and creates an atmosphere that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

In "The Aspern Papers," a scholar's fixation on a poet's letters leads him down a path of deceit. Both stories showcase Henry James's remarkable talent for crafting tales that are rich in tension, atmosphere, and psychological depth.

However, if I were to make one recommendation, it would be to skip "The Aspern Papers." I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it simply didn't hold my interest. After thoroughly enjoying "The Turn of the Screw," I was hoping for a similar creepy and eerie experience, but unfortunately, "The Aspern Papers" lacked that element.

That being said, "The Turn of the Screw" was indeed entertaining. The story had a great premise with a lot of potential, but the ending left me feeling dissatisfied. I'm not entirely sure what happened, and it seemed as if James simply decided to end the story abruptly. Overall, it was a bit of a letdown.

Henry James is a writer I've heard much about. Perhaps I've read some of his works along the way, but truly, I'm rather ignorant of his body of work. In fact, I even found myself confusing him with another famous American writer, Edgar Allan Poe.

Anyway, I came across this book containing two stories by Henry James and decided to educate myself.

My verdict: The stories are interesting, with a nice use of words and phrasing, and a clever development of tension and characters. However, they're not especially scary. They offer light entertainment, yes. But I didn't find them either believable or something I wanted to pursue further in terms of reading more of Henry James.

Both stories rely on big, wealthy (and unfriendly) houses, absent parents, and remoteness. The governess in "Turn of the Screen" is a smart young woman with apparently limited prospects due to her background. And Miss Tina in "The Aspern Papers" seems a complete victim of her aunt, unable to escape the confines of the house and utterly lost in the real world. Moreover, there is an underlying sexism in both stories, along with a very much "upstairs/downstairs" world that I find both foreign and nasty.

In "The Turn of the Screw" papers, there is a hint of pedophilia, unstated but very present. This was unsettling on its own. "Turn of the Screw" appeals to the gullible and the supernatural in ways that I can imagine being titillating but that I found lacking.

There are flashes of the life of Peggy Guggenheim, a wealthy, passionate art collector, American, living in Venice, in "The Aspern Papers". And I must admit to being somewhat confused about where Henry James was from because of his writing about England and America. So I did a bit of delving and found he was almost a mid-Atlantic person who lived both in America and Europe and maybe never felt completely at home in either place. But he was able to write effortlessly about both. For me, I give the book (and the two stories) 3 stars. I won't be seeking out more works of Henry James. It's not unenjoyable, but life is too short (for me) to spend more time with this writer.

No one seems to do gothic horror quite like the authors from this era. They have an uncanny ability to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Whether they are hinting at insanity or fully embracing it and giving it coffee, this novella is right up there with "The Yellow Wallpaper."

When the reader first delves into this tale, it seems like the perfect companion for a cold winter night by a cozy fireplace. After all, it's short in length and can be read fairly quickly if you can get a handle on the writing style. But don't be fooled by its brevity.

The main character, who is also the narrator, takes the reader on a journey through her eyes as the events unfold. We are introduced to a character who clearly doesn't know herself and shows no sign of self-discovery as the story progresses. As we view the world through her eyes, we become her companion as she descends into madness. Or does she? This is where one of the many twists comes in and leaves the reader wondering.

At times, I felt sorry for this character, while at others, she simply grated on me. I attribute this to the time period in which the book is set rather than poor writing. In fact, none of the characters in this novella are poorly written. Each one brings their own flaws and traits to the table as the storyline unfolds.

This book is definitely "old school" horror. Instead of being in-your-face gory and ghastly, it creates an atmosphere that is suggestive and perfect for scaring the stripes off a zebra. The eerie and creepy descriptives are used to full effect, and even though it's only 120 pages long, I found myself getting up to turn on a light partway through.

All the elements of a truly good ghost story are present in this novella, and the fact that the reader's imagination can run wild in response to the events is a major plus. I have to say that this is one of the better works by this author that I have read. If it had been a few pages longer, it would have received a full 5-star review.

If you're looking for a great ghost story to add a touch of spookiness to your holiday season without overwhelming it, I highly recommend reading this novella.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/12/08...

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

It's always a challenge to read, and subsequently write about Henry James. This is because most of the time, if you're not well-versed in James, you're not sure which aspect of his work you'll encounter. I picked up What Maisie Knew, expecting a touching tale of a child caught between her parents, which it indeed is. However, it was one of the most difficult books I read last year. And if you pick up the Penguin Classics edition of The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers, you're in for an interesting experience.

Admittedly, both stories aren't the hardest to read. They each have a distinct tone that may seem Gothic but is unique in its own way. What Maisie Knew had complex meanderings of a child's mind, which took me by surprise. But The Aspern Papers and The Turn of the Screw are no less psychological. In fact, The Turn of the Screw is a classic in psychological horror.

Aspern Papers

Of the two, The Aspern Papers is more reader-friendly. It's a psychological thriller in a conventional sense, but there's something deeper that makes the story more profound. I prefer this one over The Turn of the Screw, perhaps because I like straightforward narratives. The plot is clear - a publisher obsessed with Jeffrey Aspern tries to get his hands on the poet's missing manuscripts by locating one of his old flames. It's still a psychological thriller, with characters playing a game of cat and mouse. The narrator's actions in Venice, influenced by the mystical setting, add another layer to the story. It's not until the end that the true weight of the book becomes clear, with a woman's life and the narrator's at stake.

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw was originally published in a serialised format, so more knowledgeable readers recommend taking it slowly. I read it in about 3 days, but perhaps I should have taken my time. After finishing, I felt a sense of anticlimactic disappointment and struggled to remember the content. The story of a governess hired to take care of children in a mysterious mansion has an interesting flow, but I didn't find anything remarkable in it. Maybe as a horror story, it had more impact in the 19th century when readers were less used to being frightened. The Turn of the Screw may be an early work of horror literature, but it doesn't have the same impact on me now as it did then.

“A Turn of the Screw” is truly a remarkable piece of literature. It has the power to captivate readers from the very beginning and keep them on the edge of their seats until the very end.

I have always been a fan of Henry James, and this work is no exception. The way he weaves the story, creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, is simply masterful.

I only wish that all of his works, especially his later ones, could be as ecstatically readable as “A Turn of the Screw.” It seems that as he grew older, his writing became more complex and perhaps a bit too convoluted for some readers.

Nevertheless, “A Turn of the Screw” remains a classic and a must-read for anyone interested in great literature. It showcases James’ talent for creating vivid characters and exploring the depths of the human psyche.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling and thought-provoking read.

These two tales by Henry James are a reread for me.

They are like an autumnal treat, a guilty pleasure that always has the same astonishing effect. James's writing is truly remarkable.

Readers often complain about the "king of commas," but Henry knows that precision and delicacy, time and patience are needed to convey what he wants.

Those who love James understand this and don't have short attention spans. The rewards are numerous, and one always comes back for more, aware that a dependency has formed.

The Aspern Papers (1888) and The Turn of the Screw (1898) often go together in the book publishing world.

Both are tales of obsession and written from the perspective of an "unreliable narrator" who remains unnamed.

In The Aspern Papers, a literary critic and editor, obsessed with a long-dead poet Jeffrey Aspern, travels to Venice.

He tries to obtain the poet's papers from his (very) old flame, Juliana Bordereau. The woman lives a reclusive life with her niece Miss Tina in an old, run-down Venetian palace.

The narrator becomes their lodger under false pretenses and slowly builds a relationship with them. However, nothing turns out as he expected, and he finds himself in a moral and existential crisis.

Will he succeed? What choices will he make? First serialized in the Atlantic magazine, the story is not just a quest.

It is also an early critique of the publishing world and an exploration of what privacy means and the legitimacy of those who seek to expose it when fame is involved.

The Turn of the Screw is probably one of the most famous ghost stories ever written and one of the most cryptic.

James's masterpiece of horror and claustrophobia first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly. The narrator is a governess sent to a manor in Essex to care for two young orphans.

Helped by Mrs Grose, the housekeeper, the first idyllic weeks are soon disrupted. The governess becomes convinced that the premises are haunted and that the ghosts are after the children.

Protecting them becomes her obsession. But who are the ghosts? Are the kids as innocent as they seem? Do they see the ghosts? Are there really any ghosts? Is the governess mad?

What is going on? This gothic gem has been adapted for the screen countless times. The most famous and faithful adaptation is the 1961 film "The Innocents," starring Deborah Kerr and with a script by Truman Capote and William Archibald.

The Aspern Papers is definitely easier to read than The Turn of the Screw, but both are very satisfying reads.

They need to be savored slowly to appreciate the character developments and the various ambiguities hidden in the stories.

Most importantly, Henry James allows us, the readers, to make up our own minds about everything. We must decide if we trust the narrators or not, and that is the great strength of these unique literary works.

They can be read over and over again, just to make sure we didn't miss anything. You end up thinking you have the definite answer, but the truth is, you never do.

The cost of one's singular obsession can be far more tremendous than what was initially thought.

Although the two narratives presented are of different genres, they both hint at this psychological fixation. Whether it's the truth about what happened to poor Miles at school or the existence of Aspern's notes and letters.

This single-minded drive propels both protagonists through the narratives, gradually filling every page, every nuance, and every thought.

But what becomes of the subject who wastes their existence for the sake of their desired object?

Come in with an open mind and don't anticipate the answers to be easily accessible, or even available at all. Sometimes, more questions are raised than answered, and that's the charm of James's writing.

It keeps the reader engaged, constantly wondering and speculating, long after the final page has been turned.

James has a remarkable ability to create complex characters and situations that draw the reader in and make them question their own beliefs and values.

His works are not just stories, but profound explorations of the human psyche and the consequences of our obsessions.

So, if you're looking for a thought-provoking read that will challenge your assumptions and leave you with a new perspective on life, look no further than the works of Henry James.

I actually finished this about a week ago.

However, due to a minor disaster at home, I didn't have access to my laptop for a while.

This is the second time that I've read "Turn of the Screw". I think it's a great book, but unfortunately, it doesn't rank among my favorites.

The pacing was extremely slow, and the ambiguous style was all too obvious from the start. Miles and Flora were both great, and they certainly added to the suspense in the book. The mischievousness of Miles, especially when he sneaks outside in the middle of the night just to prove a point, was actually quite sinister.

Whether there was actually a touch of the supernatural or if the Governess is actually mentally ill is left open to the reader to decide for themselves.

A lot of people seem to have a problem with Henry James' writing style. I didn't have this problem, and I tend to love books of this nature. I'm not sure why I couldn't get completely invested in "Turn of the Screw" as much as the first time I read it.

Now that I have read this again, I think I'll need to revisit "Florence and Giles / The Turn of the Screw" soon as well. It's a re-imagining of "Turn of the Screw" from the kids' perspective. I remember thinking it was brilliant the first time around, so I'm looking forward to seeing if my opinion on that has changed over the last few years since I last read it.

Although the book is extremely dense, it begins to clarify after just one or two chapters, and reading James's writing becomes rather effortless. In fact, once you grow accustomed to it, his writing is quite clear and engaging. To be honest, I don't truly believe it was as eerie as some individuals claim, although there are indeed one or two parts that are very terrifying. Overall, there is a significant build-up leading to a great ending. I initially thought the ending wouldn't be overly dramatic or intense, but it most definitely is. Throughout the story, you are left with doubts regarding certain aspects of each character and what is actually transpiring. Things become muddled, and it becomes easy to lose oneself in the web of the real and the unreal that James weaves to ensnare all the readers.

Character development is what I cherish the most in books, and this one surely has it. The main character is so perplexing and complex that it truly pulls the reader into her experiences. One moment you are certain she is insane, and the next you can't fathom a way to disbelieve everything that occurs. James is a talented writer, and this book is highly captivating (and rather quick to read). I highly recommend it.

All the ghosts are on my back right now.

It has become such a book that gives me an extremely severe headache. Henry James is so clever.

I'm either too stupid to understand or Henry James has put all his efforts into writing this.

Maybe he has spent countless hours carefully crafting each sentence, using his profound knowledge and unique writing style to create this masterpiece.

But for me, it's like trying to solve a complex puzzle that seems insurmountable.

I find myself getting lost in the convoluted plot and the intricate language.

Yet, I can't help but admire the genius of Henry James.

His ability to create such a vivid and mysterious world is truly remarkable.

Even though I struggle to understand it fully, I know that this book holds great value and significance.

Perhaps with more time and effort, I will be able to unlock its secrets and appreciate it for what it truly is.