This volume contains two acclaimed short works by the great American writer Henry James (1843-1916). His famous novella The Turn of the Screw, concerning the governess of two small children, brilliantly illustrates James's theory of the horror story. A true psychological thriller, it leaves open the question whether the children are being "corrupted" by malevolent spirits or by their neurotic mistress. The Lesson of the Master is a richly told tale of the young writer Paul Overt, who is "saved" by the renowned novelist Henry St. George. St. George leads Overt on the path of renunciation to literary greatness, even as he, St. George, renounces his own art for a life of comfort and complacency.
