The two stories by Henry James in this volume show him in his characteristic personal manner of tale-telling, but to entirely different effect, the one leading to tragedy, the other to subtle and delicate comedy. The Turn of the Screw is set in an English country house, with the characters being two tragic children, two grown-ups, and two ghosts. The Aspern Papers has its scene in Venice, with two derelict American ladies and their very alert fellow countryman with "the literary heart" who wants to get hold of Jasper Aspern's relics, are perfectly conceived to suit the purposes of the story and to present the other character--the old palace itself!.
