The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

YOUNG ADULT

STAGE 4

READERS

HENRY JAMES

Henry James

The Turn of the Screw

In this reader you will find: - Information about Henry James’s life - Sections focusing on background and context - Glossary of difficult words - Comprehension activities - FCE-style activities - Exit test

THE TURN OF THE SCREW

A young woman starts her first job as a governess in charge of two young orphans, Miles and Flora, at a country house called Bly. The children are beautiful and well-behaved, but are they too good to be true? When the governess starts to experience strange visions, she suspects that the children are hiding a terrible secret. Are there ghosts at Bly, or is the governess going mad? Henry James’s classic ghost story is retold here at level B2.

STAGE 4

Eli Readers is a beautifully illustrated series of timeless classics and specially-written stories for learners of English.

HENRY JAMES THE TURN OF THE SCREW

Tag Ghost story

Elementary

600 headwords

A1

STAGE 2

Pre-Intermediate

800 headwords

A2

KET

STAGE 3

Intermediate

1000 headwords

B1

PET

STAGE 4

Upper Intermediate

1800 headwords

B2

FCE

STAGE 5

Advanced

2500 headwords

C1

CAE

STAGE 6

Proficiency

Unabridged Texts

C2

CPE

Classic

IS

S ER AD w l. RE re -4 .r. I c 18 I s EL e S 05 EL LT f th 36U o -5 AD rn 88 G u 8N T 7 U The N 9 B

YO

with Audio CD

www.elireaders.com

with Booklet

YOUNG ADULT ELI READERS

STAGE 1

B2

YOUNG ADULT

READERS

MAIN CHARACTERS

‘Then your manuscript –?’

‘Is in old, faded ink, and in the most beautiful handwriting.’ He paused. ‘A woman’s. She has been dead for twenty years. She sent me the story before she died.’

They were all listening now, and some people, of course, were wondering about Douglas and the woman. He wasn’t annoyed. ‘She was a charming person, ten years older than I. My sister’s governess*,’ he quietly said. ‘She was the nicest governess I have ever known. It was a long time ago, and this story happened many years before that.

I was at university, and when I came home the second summer, she was already looking after my sister. It was a beautiful summer and we often went for walks in the garden. We talked a lot and I thought she was extremely clever and nice. Oh yes, don’t smile like that: I liked her very much and she liked me too. If she hadn’t liked me, she wouldn’t have told me the story. She had never told anyone.’

‘Because it was so frightening?’

He continued to stare at me. ‘You’ll easily see why. You will.’

I stared back at him. ‘I see. She was in love.’

He laughed for the first time. ‘You are perceptive. Yes, she was in love.

I mean, she had been in love. That was clear. I remember the time and the place – the beautiful garden, the shade of the trees and the long, hot summer afternoon. It wasn’t the place for a horror story; but oh –!’

He walked away from the fire and sat down in his chair.

‘You’ll receive the envelope Thursday morning then,’ I said.

‘Probably not until the second post.’

‘Well then; after dinner–’ ‘You’ll all meet me here?’ He looked at us all again. ‘Isn’t anybody going?’ He seemed to hope. governess in the past, a woman whose job was to teach and look after children at home

12

AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

Reading Comprehension 1

Answer the questions about Chapter Eight. Support your answers with evidence from the text.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

116

How does the governess describe her feelings after Mrs Grose and Flora have left for London? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ How does the governess think Miles is feeling? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Why, in your opinion, does the governess feel it necessary to show her “high status”? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ The governess tells Miles why she has decided to stay with him.

What explanation does she give? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Why did Miles take the letter? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ According to Miles, why was he expelled? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Who sees the ghost of Peter Quint at the window? Miles, the governess, or both of them? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What were Miles’s last words before he died? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

Speaking 2

Work in pairs. Discuss your answers and give reasons for them.

• Are the ghosts real or are they in the governess’s imagination?

• Are the children innocent or are they under the ghosts’ influence?

• Did your opinion of the governess and the children change at different points in the story?

• When Miles says ‘– you Devil!’ is he referring to Quint or the governess?

• Did you enjoy reading The Turn of the Screw?

FCE – Writing 3

You recently saw this notice in an English-language magazine called Literature Today.

REVIEWS REVI RE VIIEWS VIEW S NEEDED! NE EED EDED ED D! Have books recently? your review.

Have yyou ou rread eadd an ea anyy bo book okss re rece ceent ntly ly?? If sso, o, w wee wa want nt yyou ourr re revi view ew.. ew All overview plot, characters All yo youu ne need ed ttoo do iiss gi give ve aann ov over ervi view ew ooff th thee pl plot ot,, th thee ch char arac acte ters rs and setting whether would recommend an nd th thee se sett ttin ingg an andd sa sayy wh whet ethe heer yo yyou u wo woul uldd re eco omm men endd th thee bo book ok to oother th her ppeople. eopl eo ple. e.

The reviews will appear magazine website.

Th he be bbest st rrev evie iews ws w wil illl ap appe pear ar oon n th thee ma maga gaazi zine ne w web eb bsi site te..

Write your review in 120–180 words.

117

FOCUS ON...

Henry James (1843 - 1916) Henry James was an American writer who spent much of his life in England. He was one of the major novelists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, writing a total of 20 novels. He also wrote plays, more than 100 short stories, as well as essays, works of literary criticism and an autobiography.

Early Life He was born on April 15th, 1843 in New York City and was the second of five children. His father, Henry James (Senior), was a well-known theological writer and intellectual, and the family mixed socially with some of the greatest writers and thinkers of the time. Henry James Senior felt that a wide education was very important and, in 1855, when young Henry was only 12 years old, the family set off on a 3-year tour of Europe.

Henry was tutored in the language and literature of the countries that the family visited. His international education made him a great reader of literature from many different countries and influenced his writing.

Writing Career When Henry was 19 years old, he went to Harvard to study law. However, he only stayed a year, realizing that he much preferred reading literature to the law. This was the start of his writing career and, in 1864, he published his first story in a monthly magazine.

In 1869 Henry left America for Europe. He lived in Italy and then in Paris, where he wrote his first novel, Watch and Ward. He moved to London in 1876, and worked as a journalist, also earning a small income from his stories and plays.

118

In 1879, his short novel, Daisy Miller, was published. It was his first great success and he went on to produce his first series of novels.

Then, in 1890, he began to concentrate on writing for the theatre. Unfortunately, in 1895, his play, Guy Domville, was a total disaster and Henry stopped writing plays. Soon after this, he moved away from London and went to live in a large house in the south of England. This was where, in 1898, he wrote The Two Magics, a collection of stories which included The Turn of the Screw.

Later Years In 1904, Henry returned to America for the first time in twenty years. He gave a series of lectures in many different locations, before returning to England. Over the next few years, he visited America more frequently than before, although he remained resident in England for the rest of his life. In 1915 he became a British Citizen in protest at America’s refusal to enter the First World War. He was also awarded the Order of Merit. Later that year, he suffered a stroke. He died in February 1916.

The Three Periods Henry James’s novels are often divided into three periods of James’s life.

THE FIRST PERIOD MAINLY ANGLO-AMERICAN SUBJECTS Daisy Miller, Washington Square, Portrait of a Lady and The Bostonians.

THE SECOND PERIOD PURELY ENGLISH SUBJECTS The Tragic Muse, The Spoils of Poynton, What Maisie Knew and The Awkward age.

THE LAST PERIOD ANGLO-AMERICAN The Wings of a Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl.

Daisy Miller first edition (1878)

Task Complete the form with the information about Henry James.

Name: Date of birth: Occupation: Place of birth: Number of novels written: First novel: Date of The Turn of the Screw: Reason he became a British citizen: Date of death:

______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

119