Book Anatomy · The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1898, 39,992 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1898, 39,992 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
39,992 words. Modern gothic and horror often runs 70,000 to 90,000 words, so this is short for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 40,000 words, the book is shorter than modern gothic novels but longer than contemporary short stories. It fits the novella form, which suits its focused narrative and single setting.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1898, 39,992 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The book was serialised in Collier's Weekly in 1898 across ten instalments. Each instalment likely ended on a cliffhanger: c4 (mysterious man), c5 (Quint identified), c9 (Quint on stairs), c10 (Miles in grounds), c14 (Miles demands school), c16 (letter taken), c18 (Flora missing), c20 (Flora rejects governess), c23 (Miles evasive), c24 (Miles dies).
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 14, Ch 16
He had come for someone else. (Ch 4, para 5)
Yes. Mr. Quint is dead. (Ch 5, para 83)
The presence on the lawn—I felt sick as I made it out—was poor little Miles himself. (Ch 10, para 11)
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps include Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (isolated governess, mysterious house, ambiguous threat), The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (supernatural ambiguity), and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (gothic atmosphere and unreliable narrator).
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today it would be shelved in literary fiction, gothic horror, and psychological thriller sections. It appeals to readers of classic literature, gothic fiction, and psychological suspense.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: ambiguous child endangerment, psychological manipulation, death of a child, possible sexual undertones involving minors, isolation and gaslighting, mental health crisis.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 11, Ch 17, Ch 20, Ch 24
The little girl who accompanied Mrs. Grose appeared to me on the spot a creature so charming as to make it a great fortune to have to do with her. (Ch 1, para 2)
Think me—for a change—bad! (Ch 11, para 7)
She’s not alone, and at such times she’s not a child: she’s an old, old woman. (Ch 19, para 16)
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
A young governess arrives at a grand house to care for two beautiful children, only to become convinced they are being corrupted by the ghosts of a dead servant and governess. As she fights to save them, her grip on reality, and the children's loyalty, begins to slip.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is simple and direct, typical of James's era. Modern gothic titles tend toward longer, more atmospheric phrasing. The simplicity makes the book's ambiguity more striking.
Ask The Turn of the Screw a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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