Khazar university

Chapter II
Socio-literary analysis of “the desire for property” in “The Man of Property” by John Galsworthy.

In the background of the novels which enter the beginning of the XX century England, “The Man of Property” differs with the sharpness of the problem put. One of the young con-temporaries of Galsworthy, Compton Mackenzie wrote in his memoirs that, the impact of this book on young people of his age was like an electric light. There are a lot of evidences to think of “The Man of Property as a highest achievement in the literary activity of J.Galsworthy. The author himself came to such a conclusion at the end of his literary way, observing that he wrote novels with more pleasure rather than plays and that “The Man of Property” is the most beloved of them.

The system of characters:

The Forsytes constitute not one, but several systems of characters, which are related to each-other. Reacting to the viewed political, business, family and spiritual life of the previous time Forsytes reveal their family features. Galsworthy repeatedly points out that the Forsytes are close to each with their psychology of possession. Significant feature of them is their chin. This general feature of their appearance can be differently understood, but the author several times repeats that the Forsyte chin is associated with their intransigence and the ability to stand up for themselves.

Galsworthy pays a great attention to the formation of the speech of each character. Though they are nearly 200, each of them has his/her shades of character, interests, familiar to their clan, so all of them differ from each-other with speech differences. But not only their speaking, but also their behaviours are their distinguished features. And Galsworthy is tireless in finding individual motifs and ways of acting for each Forsyte and non-Forsyte.

The change of generations of Forsytes in the period of 100 years make difficult, from one side, the system of characters coming after, from other side the interrelation between them. The old generation does not go away from the scene immediately; the young generation does not emerge in one day, at all. It means that some characters influence both to dying and some coming to their turn generation. As an example Soames Forsyte can be pointed being the active person in the all six novels, his role is a dominating one in the rising systems of characters. The function of the old generation in “The Man of Property” quite responsible, but then with their death it immediately looses its importance.

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In each novel, Galsworthy constructs several punctures, places or situation where the interests clash. These zones of conflicts pull up the systems of character to themselves. In “The Man of Property” pointed function is fulfilled by Robin-Hill understood not only as a place and villa, but also as a creation of aesthetic values and conflicts around and beyond it.

Beside that, in the Forsyte cycle characters are introduced several times separately and also joined to open fights and intercourse, in order each could show himself separately and could evaluate the partner or competitor. The inner monologue and direct speech expresses the time of unity. Such kinds of occasions are viewed not only in the “Forsyte Saga”. Gals-worthy uses generally accepted methods of montage in literature. J. Joyce in “Ulysses”, espe-cially in “Finnegan‟s Wake” tries to picture that, the world is chaotic, only where you find organized and logical tendency, there it is unique, non-standard and creative. Such kind of concept is realized in a principal fragmentary novel writing, which finds and expresses rela-tions of characters as sketches. J.Joyce tries to give such a picturing, which candidates to analysis of temporary or permanent state of the world in order to cope with chaos, events as a result of the impression of chaos. He gives myth as an organizing power of creative reality.

But Galsworthy‟s world is not chaotic. It is organized with a special image and there dominate special laws. The systems of characters of the Forsyte cycle with its multilateral hampered mutual relations show though contradictory, but regulated social structure of the epoch. It is appeared that the comparison of “Ulysses” and Galsworthy‟s trilogies, which are so different in the way of writing, gives the proof of the some common features of XX cen-tury English writers and their ideas. As we know the period had a great impact to the writer, but at the same time one more power which forms the systems of characters – artistic conscious of the author. Galsworthy reflecting reality does not deprive himself of the right to group events and characters with special ways. For example: he renders the childhood of John, Holly and Jolly Forsytes, but Fleur is introduced us as a grown-up girl.

Separate characters play in several systems of characters. So it let the author to join these systems. Acting people all the time valued each-other and themselves, too. They analyze relations, emerging among them, so by this way, besides the characterization of the author, evolving logical events and interaction, arises several other points of view. This “internal backlight” gives an idea about the psychology of characters and simultaneously relates the systems of characters.

The author of the Forsyte cycle creates a flexible panorama of reality, using in a com-plete form opportunities, which opens before him chosen genre. If temporary and special bor-

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ders of one novel roughly predetermine measures of systems, so cycle of novels and stories turn out more capacious. Here include many branches from the main lines of plot and tran-sitions from nowadays to the past and future.