J. Galsworthy "The Owner": writing history, summary, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The novel "The Owner" by Galsworthy is one of the parts of a monumental series of diverse works by the English prose writer John Galsworthy, in which he describes the fate of the Forsyte family. He wrote his iconic Forsyte Saga from 1906 to 1921. In 1932, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature with the wording "for the high art of storytelling", the pinnacle of which was considered precisely this series of works.

History of Creation

Galsworthy's "Proprietor" was the first novel in this cycle, and the second in the entire Forsyte Saga. For the first time, an English writer made this family the heroes of his creation in 1901, when a short story called "Forsyth's Rescue" appeared in print. Interestingly, Galsworthy published it under the pseudonym John Singlejohn.

In 1922 he released a cycle of works en titled "The Forsyte Saga". It is opened by the book "The Owner" by Galsworthy, written in 1906. It is followed by the interlude "Forsythe's Last Summer", the novels "In the Loop", "The Awakening", "For Hire".

In 1930, the collection of short stories "On the Forsyth Exchange" was published, which, according to the author himself, was supposed to become a bridge to his next cycle of works - "Modern Comedy".

The plot of the novel

Summary of "The Owner" Galsworthy allows you to quickly refresh the memory of the main events of this work.

The action of this book takes place in the English capital in 1886-1887. A family celebration is planned in the nursing home of Jolyon. Everyone is getting ready for the reception that is going to be given on the occasion of the engagement of Mr. Philip Bosinney to Miss June Forsythe.

A large number of guests gather for the celebration, besides, the Forsyte family itself is very numerous. On such an occasion, all its members come almost in full force. At the same time, there is a turbulent situation within the family, as well as in the surrounding society, competition reigns here. Six brothers named James, Jolyon, Nicholas, Swithin, Timothy and Roger compete for the right to be called the we althiest member of the family.

Success story

Summary of the chapters of Galsworthy's "Proprietor"will help you quickly prepare for an exam or test dedicated to this work. It is from this book that we learn the family's success story.

The father of the six Forsyth brothers came to London at the very beginning of the 20th century. He started as a simple bricklayer, then became a contractor, building houses for we althy people. This is where he got rich. He had ten children, all of them are alive. Moreover, the next generation of Forsytes already has 21 representatives.

Thanks to a successful entrepreneurial streak, the family entered the top of the English bourgeoisie. Among the people who are now considered equal to them are lawyers, financiers, rentiers, members of large joint-stock companies. All of them are self-confident, and their conversations constantly revolve around dividends, stock prices, the cost of things and houses.

Bosinney

Restore the events of the novel "The Owner" Galsworthy summary will just help as well as possible. All participants of the upcoming celebration look respectable and even brilliant. However, there is some tension between them. It is caused by a feeling that something unreliable and unusual is approaching.

The object of distrust of this society becomes a person, for the sake of acquaintance with whom everyone gathered. This is the architect Bosinney - a man who, unlike all those present, has no fortune, he is eccentric, artistically careless in clothes. Roger's son George even calls him a pirate, a nickname that is assigned to him among his relatives. With special contempt for the choice of a granddaughter, the aged Jolyon treats. For him, this is especially difficult, since he does not have a soul in a girl. Jolyon is sure that with this reckless guy she will still suffer, since he is completely impractical, and his June is very stubborn.

Fathers and Sons

Meanwhile, in Galsworthy's The Owner, the aged Jolyon hopes to mend his relationship with his son, June's father. They haven't seen each other for 14 years. Almost a decade and a half ago, young Jolyon left the family because of what the Forsytes saw as unlawful love. Now he lives very modestly, paints watercolors, works as an insurance agent.

Father sets up a seemingly random meeting at a club, during which he invites his son to visit him. Then he comes to him with a return visit, falling in love with his grandchildren, whom he had not seen before. Their names are Holly and Jolly.

Problems in the family of Soames, the son of James, which he hides from his father in every possible way. His wife is perceived by all the other Forsytes as something alien and unusual for their circle. A dark-eyed and golden-haired woman named Irene strongly resembles a pagan goddess to others, while distinguished by her refined manners and taste.

After the death of her father, Professor Eron, she was left practically without a livelihood, as a result, she was forced to give in to Soames, who sought her hand for a year and a half. At the same time, she married without love, believing that if the marriage fails, then her husband will give her unlimited freedom. About what mistake she made, Irene understands already at the very beginning of her marriage. her everythinga burden in a marriage in which she was given the role of a beautiful thing, the possession of which exclusively flatters her husband's vanity, adding to his self-confidence. His wife treats him with hostility and coldness, which infuriates him.

Now he worries about the spark that slipped between Bosinney and Irene. He hired an architect to build his country house. Sympathy between his wife and the architect flows into a strong mutual feeling. But Soames is not going to give his wife a divorce. The beauty of the girl captivated him 4 years ago, he is not going to part with his trophy. June is having a hard time with the change in her relationship with Philip, feeling uncomfortable around her.

Rumors and gossip

Problems in the Soames family become a topic of discussion in Timothy's house. At the same time, he himself is very annoyed that Bosinney constantly spends over the estimate, he plans to sue him through the court in order to recover damages and ruin the upstart.

Even more, Soames is thrown off balance by how indifferent and cold Irene is to him. One night, when the romance between lovers was in full swing, he manages to get his way, breaking the resistance of his official wife.

The very next day, George witnesses a secret rendezvous of lovers, during which Irene tells what happened. Then, out of ordinary curiosity, he follows Bosinney, who is running around the city in great excitement, not knowing what to do. He is a desperate man who cannot figure out where to hide from grief.

New Testament

The aged Jolyon, for the sake of reconciliation with his son, redoes the will, restoring his rights to the inheritance. He himself experiences deep satisfaction from his act. He regards it as the revenge of time, all the hardships that have befallen him. And also the contempt that he, along with the rest of his relatives, rewarded his son all these years.

Soames still files a lawsuit against Bosinney. But the architect is absent from the process. Irene also disappears, leaving the house, leaving her jewelry and all her belongings. Her husband cannot come to terms with the idea that she has completely disappeared from his life. June, who attended the court session, hurries to warn Philip about what is happening, wants to support him. In his apartment, she meets Irene, telling her everything that she has boiled over this time. After all, she used to be on friendly terms with a woman who now ruined her life.

The denouement of the novel

The ending of the novel "The Owner" by J. Galsworthy turns out to be tragic. Jolyon plans to bring everyone close together. June persuades him to buy a house in Robin Hill, because on the same day that Bosinney learned about what had happened, he was hit by an omnibus in the fog, which crushed him to death.

Young Jolyon perceives what is happening around him as the first crack in the stronghold of the general well-being of the whole family. Soames is very sad. Suddenly, his Irene returns to the house, she behaves like a wounded animal that hides in a hole, trying to heal the wounds. She is lost, unable to understand how to behave further, howenroll.

Old Jolyon, sympathizing with her, sends his son to the girl. However, Soames declares that he will not allow anyone to interfere in his family affairs. At the end of the novel, he slams the door in his face.

Reviews of the novel

In reviews of the novel "The Owner" by Galsworthy, readers and critics noted that this was the sharpest and most critical work of the entire multi-volume epic about this family.

The main characters here appear as rentiers who do not produce anything themselves, their main concern is the most profitable allocation of capital. The Forsytes in John Galsworthy's The Owner are portrayed in an unfavorable light as greedy hoarders, rigid conservatives who desperately cling to their we alth.

The most typical representatives of the family are James Forsyth and his son Soames. According to readers, without this novel it will not be possible to fully understand Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga. It is in this work that one manages to feel what money-grubbers and owners they are.