Content. I. Introduction II. Chapter I english literature in XIX and XX centuries III. Chapter II

Chapter I. British literature in XIX and XX centuries.
It is quite difficult to known how to define 20th Century literature, because many authors began to produce their works in the XIX century, and continued their literary activity in the XX century, too. We can enumerate authors belonging to this cycle, such as Thomas Hardy, Robert Bridge,⁵ Galsworthy and Arnold Bennett⁶. These authors belong to the XX century; even they began their literary career at the beginning of the Edwardian English. Their works especially reflected the English society, they hardly spoke about the ideal way of living in their surrounding, there was not any peace and the society was governed by the higher classes. Life was full of possibilities and cheers, but not everyone could enjoy them, because the society divided people to the rich and the poor. Only the rich could get these possibilities, which bothered the poor. Also the Christian faith which was dominated by the Victorian laws became problematic. These discriminations lead to discontent between the classes. So, these social problems were demonstrated in the literary activity of the authors of the time. The core of this chapter consists of finding how “The Forsyte Saga” gathered in it hard social processes, spiritual and lawful problems of the proprietorship England. As some conflicts emerge in the first trilogy, Galsworthy needed to continue their progress and solution in the second trilogy - “Modern Comedy”, especially, it concerns social collisions. For this reason “The Forsyte Saga” by John Galsworthy consists of several comparisons. Sometimes a great interest arises, what was the difference between Soames Forsyte in 80‟s of XIX century and in the 20‟s of the XX century, how the socio-psychological condition changed. Another type of comparison brings explanation to the features of Galsworthy‟s outlook and different periods of work on Forsytes‟s history. Social storms of the XX century encouraged the author of the “Saga” sharply to change the frames of writing, and involve the creative investigation of lives of the whole classes of the English society. Also from the comparison of the first trilogy with the second one, we can come to the same conclusion. Galsworthy entered the literature in the early XX century, when political opposition of Empire straightened, by means of which England tried to solve internal conflicts, the protest of the working class about their condition increased day by day against “the other nation”. Galsworthy revealed the real essence of the internal politics of England in the disgraced English-Boer War in 1899-1902.

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⁵ poets
⁶novelist

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The influence of Charles Dickens‟s traditions was of great importance in the literary activity of John Galsworthy. The characters introduced by Dickens were very close to him. So, we can say that, he continued the way brought by the XX century classical realism. The author’s view of literature had a deep value. He tried to give shortcomings of live, good and bad sides of society with literature. Also the author thought that, literature should carry high humanistic ideas. Though he had been of a wealthy family, the author differed from them, who had not any kind of humanity. It was due to his education and the people who could influence him deeply. Generally, European writers discussed social problems more than morals, and Galsworthy was one of them. To his mind, moral problems stand on the social matters.

Broadly defined as “the representation of reality”,realism in the arts is the attempts to represent subject matter truthfully,without artificially and avoiding artistic conventions,as well as implausible,exotic and supernatural elements.Realism has been prevalent in the arts at many periods,and is in large part a matter of technique and training ,and the avoidance of stylization.In the visual arts,illusionistic realism is the accurate depiction of lifeforms ,perspective,and the details of light and colour.Realist works of art may emphasize the ugly or sordid,such as works of social realism ,regionalism ,or kitchen sink realism.There have been various realism movements in the arts,such as the style opera style of verismo,literary realism,theatrical realism .
The 20^th century opened with a great hope but also with some apprehension,for the new millennium.For many,humankind was entering upon an unprecedented era.H.GWell’s utopian studies ,the aptly titled Anticipants of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress upon “Human life and Thought”(1901)and a “Modern Utopia”(1905),both captured and qualified this optimistic mood and gave expression to a common conviction that science and technology would transform the world in the century ahead.To achieve such transformation ,outmoded institution and ideals had to be replaced by ones more suited to the growth and liberation of the human spirit.The death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and the accession of Edward VII seemed to confirm that a franker,less inhibited era had begun.
Many writers of the Edwardian period,drawing widely upon the realistic and naturalistic conventions of the 19^th century (upon Ibsen in drama and Balzac,turgemev,Flaubert,Zola,Eliot,and Dickens in fiction)and in tune with the anti-Aesheticismunleashed by the trial of the archetrypal Aesthete, Oscar wild,saw their task in the new century to be an unashamedly didactic one. In a series of wittily iconoclastic plays,of which “Man and Superman”(performed 1905,published 1903)and “Major Barbara”(performed in 1905,published 1907) are the most substantial ,George Bernard Shaw turned the Edwardian theatre into an arena for debate upon the principal concerns of the day.
Nor was he alone in this,even if he was alone in the brilliance of his comedy. John Galsworthy made use of the theatre in Strife(1909) to explore the conflict between capital and labour,and in “Justice”(1910) he lent his support to reform of the penal system,while Harley Granville-barker,whose revolutionary approach to stage direction did much to change theatrical production in the period,dissected in the “ The Voysey Inheritence”(performed 1905,published 1909)and “Waste” (performed 1907,published 1909) the hypocrises and deceit of upper-class and professional life.
Many Edwardian novelists were similarly eager to explore the hortcomings of English social life.”Wells -in Love and Mr.Levisham “(1900);”Kipps”(1905);”Ann Veronica”(1909),his pro-suffragist novel;and “The history of Mr.Polly(1910)-captured the frustration of lower-and middle-class existence ,even though he relieved his accaunts with many comic touches.In “Anna of the five towns”(1902),Arnold Bennet detailed the constrictions of provincial life among the self-made business classes in the area of England known as the Potteries;in “The Man of Property “(1906),the first volume of the “The Forsyte Saga” Galsworthy described the destructive posseviness of the professional bourgeoisie;and ,in “Where Angels Fear Journey” (1907) ,E.M.Forster portrayed with Irony the insensitivity,self-repression,and philistinism of the English middle classes.
These novelists,however,wrote more memorably when they allowed themselves a larger perspective.In “The Old Wive’s Tale”(1908),Bennett showed the destructive effects of time on the lives of individuals and communities and evoked a quality of pathos that he never matched in his other fiction;in “Tono-Bungay”(1909),Wells showed the ominous consequences of the uncontrolled developments taking place within a British society still dependent upon the aristocracy ;and in “Howards End”(1910),Forster showed how little the rootless and self-important world of contemporary commerce cared for the more rooted world of culture,although he acknowledged that commerce was a necessary evil.Nevertheless,even as they perceived the difficulties of the present,most Edwardian novelists ,like their counterparts in the theatre ,held firmly to the belief not only that constructive change was possible but also that this change could in some measure be advanced by their riting.Other writers, including Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling,who had established their reputations during the previous century,and Hilaire Belloc,G.K.Chesterton,and Edward Thomas,who established their reputations in the first decade of the new century,were less confident about the future and sought to revive the traditional forms -the ballad,the narrative poem,the satire,the fantasy,the topographical poem,and the essay-that in their view preserved traditional sentiments and perceptions.The revival of traditional forms in the late 19^th and early 20^th century was not a unique event.There were many such revivals during the 20^th century.
The most significant writing of the period,traditionalist or modern,was inspired by neither hope nor apprehension but by bleaker feelings that the new century would witness the collapse of a whole civilization.The new century had begun with Great Britain involved in the South African War(the Boer war;1899-1902),and it seemed to some that the British Empire .In his poems on the South African War,Hardy(whose achievement as a poet in the 20^th century rivaled his achievement as a novelist in the 19^th) questioned simply and sardonically the human cost of empire building and established a tone and style that many British poets were to use in the course of the century,while Kipling ,who had done much to engender pride in empire.