Henry James

A cura di Annabel Pope
 
 A young governess is employed to take care of two beautiful and charming children who after a while turn out to have disquieting friends: the ghosts of a man and a woman who had been the servants of the country house.
 To defend her charges, the governess fights against these damned souls with all her strength. But are they real presences or hallucinations of a young woman’s sick mind?
 James’ artistry has made of this novel not only a literary masterpiece but also the object of a still ongoing psychoanalytic debate. The book also includes stimulating in-depth analyses. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Transcripts - Summing-up Activities
 
 Ad una giovane istitutrice vengono affidati due bambini belli e affascinanti che ben presto si rivelano avere tra le proprie conoscenze esseri molto inquietanti: i fantasmi di un uomo e una donna che erano stati domestici della villa di campagna.
 La governante lotta con tutte le sue forze per difendere i piccoli da questi spiriti dannati. Ma sono presenze reali o allucinazioni della mente della giovane donna?
 La maestria di James ha fatto di quest’opera un caso non solo letterario, ma anche un oggetto di dibattito psicoanalitico ancora in corso.

Chapter 1 – The beginning of the end

Extension – Lamb House

Chapter 2 – Meeting Miles

Extension – ‘The Master'

Chapter 3 – The question of innocence

Extension – The Society for Psychical Research

Chapter 4 – The chill of terror

Extension – The realist

Chapter 5 – The coming of Autumn

Extension – The Turn of the Screw

Chapter 6 – The screw is turned

Extension – A versatile tale

Summing-up Activities

Glossary

1 The beginning of the end BEFORE READING Chapter 1 What nationality was Henry James? Tick the correct answer. c English c American c Australian c Irish c Scottish 2 Henry James wrote stories about people in many different countries. Where do you think The Turn of the Screw takes place? Tick the answer you think is correct. c Italy c Paris c America c France c England 3 What kind of story do you expect The Turn of the Screw to be? Tick ( ) your choice. c A love story c A detective story c A ghost story c A science fiction story c A classical novel c A frightening, disturbing tale 4 Henry James called The Turn of the Screw a novella or tale, rather than a story. Is there a difference between a tale and a story? Which of the following definitions do you think is a tale and which a story? Put a T or an S in the boxes below. An account, often spoken, of what happened to somebody or of how something happened. An imaginative narrative especially one that is full of action and adventure. An exciting spoken description of an event, which may not be completely true. A description of events and people that the writer or speaker has invented to entertain people. 6 

TheTheTurn of the beginning of theScrew end Chapter 1 The scene was set for the story which we had all been waiting for so impatiently. Christmas dinner had been eaten. The fire in the great fireplace lit up the darkened room as the huge logs1 slowly burned and warmed the guests and the big, cold house. Douglas began to speak in his deep, clear voice. He was serious, but he could not hide his emotion.  I knew the lady who gave me this story very well,  he said.  She was my sister s governess, and a very fine person. We became close friends, although she was older than me. She had never told the terrible story to anyone before, and she left me the manuscript, written in her beautiful handwriting, when she died twenty years ago. She wrote down exactly what had happened to her, what she had kept secret all those years.   Is it a very frightening ghost story?  someone asked. Douglas replied sharply2.  This is no ordinary ghost story. Do not expect simply to be frightened by so-called supernatural phenomena. It is a strange and awful tale which has never been heard before. I do not know what effect it will have on you.  By now of course we were all extremely curious and no more questions were asked. We felt strangely cold, in spite of being so near to the fire. He went on.  Before I begin, I must give you a little background information, to help you understand the story better. This lady was the youngest daughter of a poor country clergyman3, well-educated but with no experience outside of the small village in which she lived. She badly needed to earn some money, so she answered an advertisement to be a governess to two children. She was just twenty years old. 1. log: a thick piece of wood cut from a tree. 2. sharply: quickly and suddenly. 3. clergyman: a male priest in the Christian church. 7 

Narrativa inglese, livello B2 intermedio. Una giovane istitutrice lotta contro inquietanti fantasmi. Realtà o allucinazioni? Un capolavoro di James.

The Turn of The Screw - Collana RAINBOWS

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The Turn of The Screw

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