The Turn of the Screw, the Aspern Papers and Two Stories

I did not care for this book at all. It ended up being yet another "classic" that will remain on my shelf (for that reason) that I can't understand why it's a "classic." I knew I was in for a rough ride when I had trouble discerning a coherent thought in the author's foreword. Most of the four stories included in this collection are only slightly more comprehensible than the foreword. All four also ended abruptly, so abruptly that absolutely no denouement exists leaving me "dazed and confused." James also shifts wherever he feels like throughout all the stories. He shifts between first-person narrators without informing the reader. He shifts location. He shifts chronology. Just one of these items would be enough to confuse even the most discerning reader who actually hoped to glean something from the book. (I consider myself to be a discerning reader but in this case I had absolutely no desire to come away from this book having learned something.) Once again, the only people I recommend this book to are those who want to read all the classics. Otherwise, stay far away.