The Two Magics

The Turn of the Screw, Covering End

by Henry James

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Pages: 177

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About this book

A Christmas gathering by the fire becomes the setting for a story that Douglas has kept private for years. He promises to read a governess's handwritten account, raising his listeners' expectations with hints of two children and a dreadful experience. Henry James opens The Turn of the Screw through this circle of eager listeners, making the act of telling part of the suspense. The Two Magics brings that tale together with Covering End in a volume published in 1898.

The governess's account turns ordinary domestic moments into occasions for anxious interpretation. A meal with Miles, his questions about Flora's health, and a pause beside a window acquire weight through the narrator's close attention to words and gestures. Readers interested in ghost stories and uncertain perceptions can follow how James builds unease through conversation, hesitation, and the thoughts that pass beneath polite exchanges.

About the author

Henry James

Henry James was an American-British writer and a master of the psychological novel. Works such as The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw, and The Ambassadors explore consciousness, society, and the clash between American and European life.