The Turn of the Screw is a short novel or a novella written by American writer Henry James. Originally publishe in 1898, it is ostensibly a ghost story that has lent itself well to operatic and film adaptation. Due to its ambiguous content and narrative skill, The Turn of the Screw became a favorite text of New Criticism. New Critics allege the reader is challenged to determine if the protagonist, a nameless governess, is reliably reporting events or instead is some kind of neurotic with an overheated imagination; however, James's contemporary letters and writings concerning it indicate he considered it an unambiguous ghost story.