Denov state university of department of english language and literature course paper

His Literary Work

Galsworthy was no longer young when he started writing. His first notable work was "The Island Pharisees" (1904) in which he attacked the stagnation of thought in the English privileged classes, with their avoidance of any emotion, and their preference for a dull settled way of living. The five works that followed ( "The Country House" (1907), "Fraternity" (1909),"The Patrician (1911), "The Dark Flower"(1913)

and "The Freelands"(1915) reveal a similar philosophy. The author criticizes country squires, the aristocracy and artists, and shows his deep sympathy for strong passions, sincerity, true love Galsworthy's masterpiece is, however, the trilogy entitled "The Forsyte Saga". It consists of three novels and two interludes, as the author calls them: "The Man of Property" (1906) "In Chancery"(1920) "To Let"(1921) "Awakening "(interlude) "Indian Summer of a Forsyte" (interlude) "The Forsyte Saga" is followed by "A Modern Comedy", also a trilogy, consisting of three novels and two interludes: "The White Monkey" (1924) "The Silver Spoon"(1926) "The Swan Song" (1928) "A Silent Wooing" (interlude) "Passers-By"( interlude). The trilogy called "End of the Chapter" was written at a later period. It consists of the following novels: "Maid in Waiting" "Flowering Wilderness" "Over the River". “In the first trilogy, which was written in the most mature period of his literary activity, Galsworthy mercilessly attacks the commercial world of the Forsytes, and in particular, the main character, Soames Forsyte, "the man of property".”^8

In his later works, "A Modern Comedy" and The End of the Chapter", written after World War I Galsworthy's criticism becomes less sharp. The old generation of the Forsytes does not seem so bad to the author as compared to the new one. During his progress through six novels and four interludes Soames becomes almost a positive character, in spite of the author's critical attitude towards him at the beginning of the Saga.
Galsworthy is also known as a playwright. His plays deal with burning problems of contemporary life. The author describes the hard life of workers ("Strife"), attacks cruel regime in English prisons ("Justice"), expresses his indignation towards wars ("The Mob"), rejects the colonial policy of British imperialism ("The Forest"), and presents some other aspects of capitalist evils and injustice. Galsworthy's plays were very popular, but it is thanks to "The Forsyte Saga" he became one of the greatest figures in the world literature.