The literature of great britain in XX century

Honours

In 1921 he was elected as the first president of the PEN International literary club and was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929. Galsworthy was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for Literature, having been nominated that same year by Henrik Schück, a member of the Swedish Academy. He was too ill to attend the Nobel Prize presentation ceremony on 10 December 1932, and died seven weeks later. He donated the prize money from the Nobel Prize to PEN International.

Works

The Forsyte Chronicles

1. 
   The Salvation of a Forsyte (The Salvation of Swithin Forsyte) (1900)
   
2. 
   On Forsyte 'Change (1930) (re-published 1986 as "Uncollected Forsyte")
   
3. 
   Danaë (1905–06) in Forsytes, Pendyces, and Others (1935)
   
4. 
   The Man of Property (1906) – first book of The Forsyte Saga (1922)
   
5. 
   The Country House,) 1907)
   
6. 
   "Indian Summer of a Forsyte" (1918) – first interlude of The Forsyte Saga in Five Tales (1918)
   
7. 
   In Chancery (1920) – second book of The Forsyte Saga
   
8. 
   "Awakening" (1920) – second interlude of The Forsyte Saga
   
9. 
   To Let (1921) – third book of The Forsyte Saga
   
10. 
    The White Monkey (1924) – first book of A Modern Comedy (1929)
    
11. 
    The Silver Spoon (1926) – second book of A Modern Comedy
    
12. 
    "A Silent Wooing" (1927) – first Interlude of A Modern Comedy
    
13. 
    "Passers-By" (1927) – second Interlude of A Modern Comedy
    
14. 
    Swan Song (1928) – third book of A Modern Comedy
    
15. 
    Four Forsyte Stories (1929) – "A Sad Affair", "Dog at Timothy's", "The Hondekoeter" and "Midsummer Madness"
    
16. 
    Maid in Waiting (1931) – first book of End of the Chapter (1934)
    
17. 
    Flowering Wilderness (1932) – second book of End of the Chapter
    
18. 
    One More River (originally Over the River) (1933) – third book of End of the Chapter
    

Plays

• 
  The Silver Box, 1906
  
• 
  Strife, 1909
  
• 
  Joy, 1909
  
• 
  Justice, 1910
  
• 
  The Little Dream, 1911
  
• 
  The Pigeon, 1912
  
• 
  The Eldest Son, 1912
  
• 
  The Fugitive, 1913
  
• 
  The Mob, 1914
  
• 
  The Little Man, 1915
  
• 
  A Bit o' Love, 1915
  
• 
  The Foundations, 1920
  
• 
  The Skin Game, 1920
  
• 
  A Family Man, 1922
  
• 
  Loyalties, 1922
  
• 
  Windows, 1922
  
• 
  Escape, 1926
  
• 
  Punch and Go, 1935
  

Essays

• 
  Quality, 1912,
  
• 
  The Inn of Tranquility, 1912,
  
• 
  Addresses in America, 1912
  
• 
  Two Essays on Conrad, 1930
  

Collections

• 
  The Manaton Edition, 1923–26 (30 vols.)
  
• 
  The Grove Edition, 1927–34 (27 Vols.)
  

Other works

From the Four Winds, 1897 (as John Sinjohn)

• 
  Jocelyn, 1898 (as John Sinjohn)
  
• 
  Villa Rubein and Other Stories, 1900 (as John Sinjohn)
  
• 
  A Man of Devon, 1901 (as John Sinjohn)
  
• 
  The Island Pharisees, 1904
  
• 
  A Commentary, 1908
  
• 
  Fraternity, 1909
  
• 
  A Justification for the Censorship of Plays, 1909
  
• 
  A Motley, 1910
  
• 
  The Spirit of Punishment, 1910
  
• 
  Horses in Mines, 1910
  
• 
  The Patrician, 1911
  
• 
  Moods, Songs, and Doggerels, 1912
  
• 
  For Love of Beasts, 1912
  
• 
  Treatment of Animals, 1913
  
• 
  The Slaughter of Animals For Food, 1913
  

3

 The first decade of the twentieth century is a period of great promise and considerable achievement in the field of drama. With the plays of George Bernard Shaw, Galsworthy, Barrie, Granville Barker and Synge (in Ireland) the drama after a lapse of over a century had burst out into a new and vigorous life and resumed its place in literature, which it had forfeited in the interim. It was not a mere form of entertainment but had become a form of literature, rivalling poetry and novel, This spectacular advance, it may be noted, was the result of much pioneering work and had been slowly prepared for some time past. It is, therefore, necessary to look back and to take stock of the dramatic literature before this period. Sheridan was practically the last great English dramatist to attain somewhat of stage success. His plays The Rivals and The School for Scandal appeared in 1775 and 1777 respectively. From that date till 1865, which is the date of Robertson's delightful play of comedy, Society, no British play of social interest and literary and technical merit had appeared on the stage, in spite of the attempts ot the great poets of this period to write successful stage plays. The audience, too, were apathetic or hostile. They wanted only sentimental and romantic stuff in the theatre - a pleasure for the eye and ears, rather than food for mind.

 In this low state of dramatic activity came the new plays of Robertson which were concerned with the problems of contemporary life, thus marking the dawn of the new drama. He was followed by A. W. Pinero and H. A. Jones who had brought into the stage a further breath of naturalism; the latter especially made the drama an instrument of social criticism. He was the direct ancestor of Shaw and Galsworthy. In the last decade of the last century there was also the outstanding success of the plays of Oscar Wilde. His sense of comedy, brilliant wit, superb artistry, brilliant dialogues considerably improved the literary standing of the drama. Then came the influence of the famous Norwegian dramatist, Ibsen whose plays in English translations by William Archer, the famous dramatic critic and friend of Shaw apppeared in succession for ten years ending 1899. The genius of the Norwegian had conquered the English stage and gave impetus to the realist movement, deeper study of character, a more subtle conception of plot and characterisation. Shaw wrote his tamous Quintessence of lbsenism and lbsen paved the path for Shaw in founding and forging the 'new drama'. The drama waited for a great genius to receive it and that genius was George Bernard Shaw.

 Shaw was just the man specially fitted for this task of the reconstruction of the English drama on lbsenite lines. He has conceived his function to be teacher of his age. His experience in novel-writing convinced him that his genius did not lie that way. At the time when he began to write plays, the doctrine of 'art for arť's sake, as propounded by Pater and Wilde had held the field. This was the theory of the decadents' as we have already seen. Shaw saw in it a ready-made excuse on the artist's part to hide his poverty of thought and incapacity to deal with the fundamental problems of life and society and to probe deep into the human heart. And he said- "For art's sake alone, I would not face the toil of writing a single line". His slogan was not art but life. This is what Ibsenism meant to him and he forged the drama not as an instrument of recreation and relaxation for the idle moments but as a substantial food for thought and reflexion in serious moments. The stage became to him a 'school' or 'church' a place for education and enlightenment. As he had confessed- "I write plays with the deliberate object of converting the nation to my opinions in these matters".

 Thus the drama in his hands became 'problem play' which focusses light on the problems of the age, with the suggestion of his own opinion on them in such a vigorous and humorous manner that the audience are persuaded to his view. Shaw's plays are propaganda plays, but he has made propaganda an art-form. It is not a blatant direct expression of his point of view. His point of view is developed and established by the contrast and confrontation of ideas and through humour, wit and fun. But stimulating thought on them and yet making them not serious tracts but plays irradiated by humour, wit, imagination and sparkling dialogues. In this he was followed by Galsworthy, Granville-Barker and Barrie in some of his plays. Thus the drama came to its own after a long interval since the days of Shakespeare, with whom Shaw is often compared. Shaw was greatly influenced by the Norwegian dramatist, Ibsen. He perceived three innovations by Ibsen: Stimulating the audience into thinking about themselves, fusing ideas into the 'well made' play, and portraying both characters and events realistically. The most characteristic Shavian quality is the ability to make people think by compelling them to laugh. His plays are comedies of ideas. He deals with serious ideas in a light-hearted manner. From his first play in 1892 to Buoyant Billions in 1949, there flashes an unflagging wit and humour. No other playwright has ever matched Shaw in lengthy speeches and long stage conversation that somehow never drag or lose out as theatre.