John galsworthy (1867-1933)

Galsworthy began to write rather late. He was 27 when he made his first attempt. It was not very successful. It was only after he got well acquainted with Chekhov's and Maupassant's works that he became really interested in literature. He was greatly influenced by Russian authors. He knew little about Russia but in 1891 when he was still quite young, his father, who was a well-to-do person, sent him on business to the Cri­mea. John Galsworthy did not speak Russian, he stayed in Rus­sia only a short time, never came to St. Petersburg or Moscow and his first impressions of Russia were of something very ro­mantic and foreign. But it awoke interest in him. He read many books by Russian authors in English translations. In the days of Pushkin and Gogol the English public knew very little about Russian literature but towards the end of the last century Rus­sian writers became well-known in England. Galsworthy ranked the Russian realists first among the great authors of his time. "The men we swear by—he wrote,—are Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekhov, Maupassant, Flaubert, France." In 1920 he wrote to his friend: "Turgenev is the man of alt others I should like to have known." Turgenev influenced him strongly in the manner pf painting characters and scenes of nature. Galsworthy’smasterpiece is "The Forsyte Saga".

In the latter part of his life he wrote other novels: "Maid in Waiting" (1931) and "Over the River" (1933), which forms “The End of the Chapter.” Galsworthy also wrote many stories and 28 plays. Being a great artist he gave a compehensive and viv­id picture of contemporary England. His works reveal the au­thor's great knowledge of man's inner world. He penetrates into the subtlest windings of the human heart.

The forsyte saga

In the greatest work "The Forsyte Saga" Galsworthy gives the story of several generations of the Forsyte family who lives between the years 1886 and 1926. At the same time it is the history of the English society.

The first part of the book appeared in 1906. It was "The Man of Property". The idea of creating a series of novels portraying the history of the English mode of life occurred to him while writing "In Chancery". It took Galsworthy 22 years (1906-1928) to accomplish this monumental work. The story of the Forsyte family is presented in 2 trilogies each consisting of 3 novels and 2 interludes. The title of the first trilogy—"The Forsyte Saga" is generally applied to the whole epic. The parts of the epic are the following:

"The Forsyte Saga":

"The Man of Property (1906),

"The Indian Summer of a Forsyte (Interlude, 1917),

"In Chancery" (1920),

"Awakening" (Interlude, 1921),

"Lo Let" (1921);

"A Modern Comedy":

"The White Monkey" (1924),

"A Silent Wooing" (Interlude, 1927),

"The Silver Spoon" (1926),

"Passers-by" (Interlude, 1927),

"Swan Song" (1928).

“The Forsyte Saga" gives a profound and true picture of the life of the English society during a long period beginning from the 1880s up to the 1920s.

The Forsytes have possessive instincts to such a degree that property becomes the prime object of their worship and re­spect.

The first generation of the Forsytes is represented by old Jolyon, Timothy and James—sons of the farmer who made his fortune in house-building business in London. The second gen­eration is represented by young Jolyon (old Jolyon's son), and Soames (James' son). The man of property is Soames who is a most typical Forsyte, that is a middle-class bourgeois. Soames' sense of property is so strong that it extends even to the works of art, human feelings and personal relationship. He marries Irene—an embodiment of beauty—who has never been in love with him (the fact Soames is well aware of). She is his property. And then there happens something which Soames cannot comprehend: Irene leaves him. She falls in love with a young architect Bossiney and breaks off with her husband af­ter Bossiney's tragic death. Irene and Bossiney represent forc­es alien to Forsytism and to the very spirit of property. Their moral superiority over Soames shows that the ties of property are much weaker than Soames thought them to be.

Even inside the Forsyte family there are forces which under­mine the power of Forsytism. Young Jolyon breaks off with the family. June, his elder daughter, is not a Forsyte either. And finally old Jolyon himself (a character who enjoys all the sym­pathy of a reader) realizes that there is something more in the world than money. The fact that such characters appear among the family which was once a strong union, shows a deep crisis developing in their class.

After the divorce Soames marries a French girl, Annette, who regards their marriage as a means of gaining wealth and posi­tion (the fact Soames is aware of). Annette gives birth to a daughter. Now Soames has something which is his real prop­erty. But he had a good lesson. He would never show his daugh­ter that she is his property. The girl is given the name of Fleur.

The time passes by. England is engaged in the war in Africa. Young Jolyon's son Jolly is killed there. Different events take place. Young Jolyon marries Irene. Their son—John—falls in love with Fleur. And it is at this moment that we see that all char­acters of the Saga have undergone considerable changes. It is Soames who comes to Irene to ask for Fleur's happiness (no matter how difficult and unpleasant it was for him) and it is Irene who tears John away from Fleur.

In the second trilogy both John and Fleur are married peo­ple and Soames is contrasted to the post-war generation of young men and women acquiring rather many human quali­ties. The problem of art is much discussed by the author throughout the book. But during 22 years his views were chang­ing as well as his approach to this problem. In "The Man of Prop­erty" Bossiney—the architect—resents Soames Forsyte—the owner of the house he—Bossiney—is building for him. As the story unfolds the author comes to regard Soames in a new light as the pillar and true connoisseur of art, especially painting. Modern art is laughed at by Galsworthy, he criticized Futurists.

Galsworthy's style is remarkable for its powerful sweep, bril­liant illustrations and deep psychological analysis. Everything he touches seems to reflect the feelings of the heroes and pow­er in depicting their passions—hate, fear, revenge, remorse, love—is enormous.

Questions and tasks

1. Galsworthy was greatly influenced by Russian literature. Whose works produced a great impression on him?

2. What is the masterpiece of the writer?

3. What do Galsworthy's works reveal?

4. What events take place in “The Forsyte Saga”?

5. Speak about the main characters of the novel.

6. Translate into Russian:

"Soames belonged to two Clubs, "The Connoisseurs" which he put on his cards and seldom visited, and "The Re­move", which he did not put on his cards and frequented. He had joined this Liberal institution five years ago, having made sure that its members were now nearly all sound Соnservatives in heart and pocket, if not in principle."

(In Chancery, J. Galsworthy).