The Turn of the Screw

• Genre: Fiction; novella; Gothic/horror; mystery
• Originally Published: 1898
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1090L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 24 chapters; approximately 121 pages; approximately 4 hours, 40 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story is narrated by a young, unnamed governess who is hired to care for two children at the remote Bly estate. The central conflict involves the governess’s belief that the estate and the children are haunted by former employees, leading to a struggle between reality, imagination, and the supernatural.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Supernatural elements; psychological horror; themes of death; implied abuse

Henry James, Author

• Bio: Born 1843, died 1916; American-British author; known for his novels, short stories, and literary criticism; work often explores themes of consciousness, morality, and societal expectations; key figure in transatlantic literature; one of the greatest novelists in the English language; received the Order of Merit from King George V in 1916
• Other Works: The Portrait of a Lady (1881); The Bostonians (1886); The Ambassadors (1903); Daisy Miller (1878)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Ambiguity and The Limits of Knowledge
• Sexuality and The End of Innocence
• The Social Control of Female Identity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will: