The Turn of the Screw

by Henry James · audio summary, about 10 min

An inexperienced governess hired to care for two orphaned children at a secluded country estate becomes convinced that malevolent spirits are haunting the grounds to possess them.

Key ideas

• The governess views herself as a protective screen standing between innocent children and supernatural corruption.
• The children's polished manners and unnatural silence conceal a dark past and secret alliances with former servants.
• Doubt and ambiguity cloud every encounter, leaving it uncertain whether the ghosts are real or a projection of fear.
• An absolute demand for total authority without communication forces an isolated caretaker into fatal desperation.

This summary and its voice are made with AI from the public-domain book. They can be wrong.

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