The action takes place in London in 1886-1887. At old Jolyon's house there is a family celebration, a reception in honor of Miss June Forsyth's engagement to Mr. Philip Bosinney. There are many guests, the family is very large. Within the Forsyte clan, as well as in society, the law of competition reigns, the six brothers - Jolyon, James, Swithin, Nicholas, Roger and Timothy - are competing which of them is richer. Their father "Proud Dosset", a farmer, arrived in London at the turn of the century, worked as a bricklayer, a contractor, and built houses. He had ten children, and all are still alive, the next generation already has twenty-one young Forsyths. The family now belongs to the top of the British bourgeoisie, among its members are financiers, lawyers, rentiers, members of joint-stock companies. All of them are distinguished by possessive self-confidence, conversations in their midst always revolve around stock prices, dividends, the value of houses and things. The audience looks grand, brilliant and respectable, but there is a certain tension caused by an instinctive feeling of the immediate proximity of something unusual and unreliable. The object of mistrust is the person, for the sake of acquaintance with whom they have gathered here. Bosinney is an architect, he has no fortune, he is artistically careless in his dress and somewhat eccentric. George - Roger's son - calls him a pirate, and this nickname is fixed among relatives. Old Jolyon disapproves of the choice of a granddaughter in whom she does not want a soul, she will take grief with this reckless, impractical youth, but June is a baby with character and very stubborn.
Old Jolyon is trying to mend a relationship with his son, Father June, whom he has not seen for fourteen years. Then young Jolyon, in the name of "unlawful", according to Forsyte norms, love left his family, he lives modestly, works as an insurance agent, paints in watercolors. The father, having arranged a kind of random meeting in the club, invites his son to his place, then pays a visit to him, and his grandchildren - kids Jolly and Holly - take over his heart.
James's son, Soames, has a dysfunctional family, although he hides it in every possible way. The Forsytes perceive his wife as something unusual and alien to their circle. The golden-haired, dark-eyed Irene looks like a pagan goddess, she is full of charm, distinguished by the sophistication of taste and manners. After the death of her father, Professor Aaron, the young girl was left without funds and in the end was forced to yield to Soames, who had been stubbornly seeking her hand for a year and a half. She married without love, believing the promises of a fan that if the marriage was unsuccessful, she would receive complete freedom. Already at the very beginning of marriage, Irene realized what a mistake she had made, she was burdened by a closed sphere, where she was assigned the role of a beautiful thing, the possession of which flatters her husband's possessive self-confidence. The coldness of his wife and undisguised dislike for him drive Soames to fury.
Successful Soames commissions Bosinney to build a new country house in Robin Hill. He is increasingly worried about the sympathy that arose between his wife and the young architect, gradually developing into a deep mutual feeling. In vain Irene starts a conversation about divorce, the husband believes that he has the right to own his wife, and does not intend to indulge her extravagance. Four years ago, Soames was captured by the exciting beauty of Irene, and he does not want to part with what was conquered, June is hard going through the change in relations with Philip, feeling that he is embarrassed and painful with her.
At Timothy's home, where his unmarried sisters Anne, Esther and the dowager Julie live and where the rest of the family often visit, Soames's situation and the relationship of Irene and Bosinney, who are increasingly seen together, become a topic of gossip. Soames has long been annoyed that during the construction of the house, Bosinney admits expenses in excess of the budget, he intends to sue and recover damages in court in order to ruin the ragamuffin. He is pissed off by Irene's alienation. One night, when Irene and Bosinney's romance was already in full swing, Soames finally manages to insist on his rights, break the resistance of the one who was his lawful wife. The next day, George accidentally witnesses the date of the lovers, where Irene talks about what happened, and then, out of idle curiosity, watches Bosinney, who in great excitement rushes through the city, not making out the road, like a man who does not know where to go from grief.
Old Jolyon alters the will, restoring his son's rights to inheritance, he feels satisfaction from this act, regarding it as revenge of time, adversity, the interference of strangers in their lives and the contempt that they have awarded his only son for fifteen years.
At the trial, where Bosinney is absent, it was decided to satisfy Soames's claim against the architect. Irene leaves the house without taking her belongings and jewelry with her. Soames cannot come to terms with the idea that she will leave his life. June, who was present at the trial, hurries to notify Philip and support him, having met with Irene in his apartment, she tells her everything that has boiled over, this woman, with whom she was once on friendly terms, ruined her life.
Old Jolyon informs his loved ones of his intention to gather them all under one roof. June begs his grandfather to buy Soames' house in Robin Hill, or at least pay the lawsuit. It turns out that on that unfortunate day, Bosinney was hit by an omnibus in the fog and was crushed to death.
Young Jolyon sees what happened as the first rift in the fortress of Forsyte well-being. Soames is oppressed by melancholy. Suddenly Irene returns to the house, like a wounded animal in its hole; hunted down, lost, she is unable to realize how to live on, where to go. Old Jolyon, out of sympathy, sends his son to her, maybe Irene needs help. But Soames, announcing that he would not allow interfering in his family affairs, slams the door in front of him.
Forsythe's last summer
Four years pass. Old Jolyon bought the ill-fated house of his nephew Soames and settled there with his family. June with her father and stepmother went on a trip to Spain, and the old man, bored, awaits their return and willingly indulges the fantasies of the grandchildren left with him. He loves to sit in the shade of an oak tree in front of the terrace of the house, admiring the beautiful view. The beauty of nature finds a deep response in his soul, here in Robin Hill, he ceases to feel his age, and in fact he is already eighty-five.
Walking around the neighborhood on a May day, old Jolyon meets Irene, who visits these places where she was once happy. He involuntarily succumbs to the charm of this extraordinary woman, invites her to dine, pays a visit to her modest apartment, they attend the opera together. Irene is captivated by his warm-heartedness, affectionate concern, she is pleased with the opportunity to talk about her deceased lover. If before old Jolyon was longing, now he is waiting for the return of his son and June almost with fear. As he will explain this strange friendship, apparently, he will have to admit that he is an old man, surrender to the mercy of cares and love. But he couldn't bear it if the opportunity to see Irene was taken away from him. He lives by these encounters, not the past, like people of his age. On a hot July day, on the eve of the return of his family, in anticipation of Irene's arrival, he falls asleep in his chair with eternal sleep.
In the loop
The novel takes place in 1899-1901.
At Timothy's home, which is a kind of foresight exchange, family gossip is still exchanged and family shares are quoted. The older generation of Forsytes has thinned out, Ann, Swithin, Susan are no longer in the world, Roger dies. Relatives still cannot calm down about the almost secret funeral of old Jolyon, who died in 1892, he first betrayed the family crypt in Highgate, ordering to bury himself in Robin Hill. And just think - according to his will, Irene left fifteen thousand pounds - to the escaped wife of his nephew Soames. It was then that old Jolyon's right to the title of true Forsythe collapsed once and for all. And Soames' capital during these twelve years of a lonely life, during which he had little interest in anything, grew extraordinarily.
His sister Winfrid is in misfortune: her reckless husband Montague Dartie fled with a Spanish dancer. Earlier in the family he was considered a "dandelion", he never liked money for the sake of money and despised the Forsytes for their passion for investments. Dartie always appreciated in money that it is possible to buy "sensations" with it, Winfrid, whose family life has been quite difficult all these years, is in disarray, despite everything, she is still used to considering the unlucky husband as her property. What it is like to be alone with four children at forty-two! Soames is sympathetic to his sister, both of them in the preposterous position of undiluted Forsytes. This uncertainty has been especially troubling for Soames in recent times. He is increasingly worried about the thought that he has no heir. He looked for a suitable option for a new marriage - twenty-year-old Frenchwoman Annette, daughter of Madame Lamet, owner of the restaurant "Brittany" in Soho. Soames is preparing the divorce proceedings for his sister, and he himself is not averse to dissolving the marriage, which actually ended twelve years ago, as soon as possible.
Young Jolyon is going through a period of success, he is at the forefront of watercolor painters, his paintings are well sold. June, always taking an ardent part in the fate of those who find it difficult, takes care of the future geniuses of the artistic world, dreams of acquiring an exhibition salon. After the death of his father, Jolyon is a very wealthy man, for several years he has been a widower. A visit to Robin Hill by Soames, accompanied by nineteen-year-old nephew Bel Darty, is quite unexpected for him. The young man is going to study in Oxford, where Jolyon's son Jolly is studying, it would be nice for the young people to meet. From the first meeting, Val falls in love with Holly, who loves him. Soames informs Jolyon of his intention to dissolve the marriage with Irene and asks him to act as an intermediary in this matter.
Jolyon goes to see Irene, whom he has not seen for twelve years. He is greatly impressed by the noble beauty of this woman, over whom time seems to have no power. People who do not live are well preserved, she notes bitterly and readily responds to the proposal for a divorce. But Soames will have to take the initiative. How strangely paralyzed the lives of both these people are, Jolyon muses, as if they were both in a noose.
Soames visits Irene to force the divorce case, and is forced to admit that the woman still worries him. He leaves her house confused, confused, with pain in his heart, with vague anxiety. His next visit he timed to coincide with the thirty-seventh anniversary of Irene's birth, he brings a diamond brooch as a gift. He agrees to forget everything, asks her to return, to give birth to his son. The answer sounds like a blow of a whip: "I would rather die." In an effort to get rid of the harassment of her ex-husband, Irene goes abroad. Soames turns to the detective agency with an order to establish surveillance for her. He justifies himself by the fact that he cannot continue to be in the web, and in order to break it, he has to resort to such a vile method. Jolyon goes to Paris, where he meets Irene, his belated infatuation turns into a strong feeling. And then Soames himself goes to Paris with the intention to once again break Irene's resistance, her unwillingness to accept a reasonable offer and create a relatively bearable existence for herself and him. Irene is forced to hide again from his persecution.
At the hearing on the claim of Winfrid, a decision was made on the restoration of marital rights. Soames's calculation that this will turn out to be a stepping stone to the divorce of his sister is not justified, after a while the pacified Dartie returns home. The wife agrees to accept him.
The Boer War breaks out. June is preparing to become a sister of mercy. Jolly learns that Val and Holly are engaged. He has long disliked the young rake caring for his sister. To thwart this alliance, Jolly encourages Val to volunteer for the front too. Holly also travels with June to Africa.
After the children leave, Jolyon feels depressing loneliness. But here comes Irene, and they decide to join their fates. During his stay in Paris, discrediting Irene has already been accumulated information, which Soames intends to use at the trial. Since he is unreasonably trying to put the blame on her, it would be wiser to cut the knot, to support his version. Jolyon is grieving at the news of the death of his son, who died in a foreign land from dysentery.
There is a divorce process, in which Soames finally finds freedom, there is no defendant, Irene and Jolyon travel to Europe. Six months later, Soames and Annette's wedding is celebrated. Val and Holly got married in Africa, Val is injured and asks James's grandfather to buy a plot of land and a farm there so he can raise horses. For Soames, this is another blow: his own nephew married the daughter of his rival, Irene has a son, which brings Soames new suffering. He and Annette are also expecting offspring. But the hope for an heir is not justified, a daughter is born, who is given the name Fleur. Annette's childbirth was difficult, and she will not have more children. To a dying father who has long dreamed of a grandson, Soames is forced to lie that he has a son. And yet, despite the disappointment that befell him, he experiences a sense of triumph, a joyful sense of possession.
For rent
The action takes place in 1920. Jolyon is already seventy-two years old, his third marriage lasts twenty years. Soames is sixty-five, Annette is forty. Soames loves his daughter, Fleur completely filled his heart. With his wife, they are absolutely strangers, people, he does not even care that the rich Belgian Prosper Profon is hovering around Annette. Now he knows little about his relatives. The aunts have died, there is no longer the Forsyte exchange, only Timothy remained from the older generation, who, due to a manic fear of infection for many decades, was almost invisible to the rest of the Forsytes, he is one hundred and one years old, and he fell into senile dementia. Val returned from selling a farm in South Africa and bought an estate in Sussex.
Soames has become an avid collector; in understanding paintings, he is no longer limited to knowing their market prices. Once in the showroom, which turns out to be June, he meets Irene with his son. Much to his displeasure, Fleur and John get to know each other. Soames is then forced to explain to his daughter that he and this family are in a long-standing enmity.
Fleur and John happen to be together visiting Val and Holly. Among the idylls of rural nature, their romance begins. The owners in every possible way avoid talking about the reasons for the enmity - that was Jolyon's admonition.
Soames is alarmed by his daughter's infatuation. He gives a clear preference to another of her fans - Michael Mont, the future owner of the title and land holdings, persistently seeking her favor. He constantly instills in Fleur that he wants nothing to do with that branch of the Forsyte family. Irene is also worried, trying to separate the lovers, she takes her son for a couple of months to Spain. June, taking care of Jolyon, who was left alone, reproaches his father for cowardice, it was necessary to tell John everything as it is. If young people really love each other, why make them unhappy in the name of the past?
Fleur finds his father's photographs of a young woman, whom Irene recognizes, and is tormented by conjectures about what lies behind it all. Monsieur Profond willingly reveals the family secret to her. Soames persuades Fleur to back down, nothing will work out anyway, those two hate him. How awful that Fleur inherited a passion for her son Irene. But his feelings are already thirty-five years old, and their acquaintance lasts only two months. He advises his daughter to leave this madness, which obviously will not end well.
Jolyon is getting worse every day. Sensing that a serious conversation with his son might not take place, he writes a letter to John, where he tells the whole truth about the past and demands to part with Fleur. If he does not end this love, he will make his mother unhappy for the rest of her days. A cruel, dark past falls on John, but he does not have time to explain to his father, Jolyon dies. Upon learning of his death, Soames regards it as retribution: for twenty years, his enemy enjoyed his wife and home taken from him.
Fleur is tenacious. She still manages to persuade her father to go to visit Irene. Soames again at Robin Hill. Here is the house built for him and Irene, the house whose builder destroyed his family hearth. There is some irony in the fact that Fleur can enter it as a mistress. Irene puts the decision on John. The same one decisively declares that everything is over between him and Fleur, he must fulfill the dying will of his father. Although Soames is satisfied that this unnatural, in his opinion, marriage will not happen and that he has returned his daughter, even at the cost of her happiness, he cannot overcome bewilderment and annoyance: these people also rejected his daughter.
Fleur finally agrees to marry Michael Mont, however, without giving a sign, deeply worries about what happened. A magnificent wedding is being celebrated, the young go on a honeymoon trip.
Timothy dies. A sign appears on the memorable Forsyte house: "For Rent." The auction sells things for which there are few hunters, since they do not meet modern taste, but Soames has so many memories associated with them, he bitterly thinks that the last comfort of the old world is disappearing. Soames walks into a gallery where Jolyon Forsythe's watercolors are on display. Here he sees Irene for the last time - John bought land in British Columbia, and she leaves for her son. The house in Robin Hill is for sale.
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The image of Irene Forsyth in the novel by John Galsworthy"The Forsyte Saga"
Kholmanskikh Valeria Viktorovna
Relevance the chosen theme lies in the monumentality and solidity of the system of images in classical literature. Everything modern seems to be fussy, short-lived and transient, and the classics are ideas for all times, ideas that will always be relevant. And we usually don't argue with the classics. For consideration, we have chosen the image of Irene Forsyth.
Irene Forsyth is the heroine of a series of several works about the life of a wealthy English family "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. Her literary image is quite interesting and unusual, causing conflicting feelings, from complete admiration to persistent rejection. One thing can only be argued - for her time, Irene was quite brave, not afraid to challenge society and act as she sees fit for her happiness, in the sense in which she understands it. Irene's beauty, her grace and the ability to present herself only add dignity to the heroine. galsworthy literary foresight
One of the leading realist writers in 20th century English literature, the son of a prominent lawyer and himself a lawyer, Galsworthy left the profession to pursue literary work. In novels, stories, plays, essays, Galsworthy vividly and truthfully portrayed hypocrisy, selfishness, snobbery and the triumph of prejudice in the private and public life of his compatriots. His works created before the First World War are especially significant (for example, the novel The Owner, 1906). The writer constantly worked to improve his skills, studied the work of French and Russian realists, considered himself a student of Turgenev, L. Tolstoy, Chekhov. Of his dramatic works, the most significant are "Silver Box" (1906), "Grasp" (1920), "Loyalty" (1922). Recognition and fame came to Galsworthy during his lifetime. For many years he was the president of the largest association of writers - the Pen Club. In 1932 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
The purpose This work is a consideration of the image of the heroine of the work of John Galsworthy "The Forsyte Saga".
This work is the pinnacle of Galsworthy's work. This trilogy, like its sequel, The Contemporary Comedy, is dedicated to the history of several generations of the English bourgeois Forsyte family. The book consists of the novels The Owner (1906), In the Vise (1920) and For Rent (1921). The Saga begins in 1886 and ends in the late 1920s. XX century. In the first part of the trilogy - the novel The Owner - Galsworthy gives a detailed description of the large foresight family, draws vivid types of the "Victorian" bourgeoisie with its possessive psychology, caste and inert traditionalism. Passion, beauty and art, deeply alien to the prosaic Forsyte, invade their close-knit family along with Soames Forsyth's wife Irene and her friend the architect Bosinney. After the death of Bosinney, Irene leaves her husband - a man who most consistently embodied proprietary "forsayism" and at the same time is especially acutely aware of the crisis of old England. The trilogy also includes the so-called "interludes" - short stories linking its parts. In the interlude "The Last Summer of Forsythe" (1918), with deep psychologism and subtlety, the exalted feeling of old Jolyon Forsythe for Irene, who left Soames, is described. This interlude is one of the writer's artistic masterpieces.
John Galsworthy, in the preface to the trilogy "The Forsyte Saga", written in 1922, defining the main theme of his book, speaks of "the raids of Beauty and the encroachments of Freedom on the world of property owners." The image of Irene, in his opinion, is "the embodiment of exciting beauty bursting into the world of owners." Therefore, all sensual accents, which include coloristic definitions and light and shade images, are subordinated to the mentioned image of Irene.
Accustomed to seeing Irene, depicted by the author in pastel colors, the reader reacts the more strongly to the emergence of a new, not quite characteristic of her color. And this happens at the moment when Irene, suddenly noticed by Soames from the window, returns from a date with Bosinney. Not only her burning cheeks, "as if burnt by the sun", her lips, eyes betray her unusual state, but also her "light pink blouse with wide sleeves", which "Soames has never seen on her." Everything at that moment was bright, intense, extraordinary, "she burned as if on fire, her cheeks, eyes, lips and this unfamiliar blouse seemed so bright."
If the appearance of all Forsytes is characterized by gray eyes, which, in the words of Galsworthy, have a "predatory instinct", gray heads - "the embodiment of moderation, order and love of property," then Irene is outwardly depicted by the author as a delicate beautiful flower, like naturalness itself in all charms. “The gods gave Irene dark brown eyes and golden hair - a peculiar combination of shades that attracts the eyes of men and is said to indicate a weakness of character. And the smooth, soft whiteness of the neck and shoulders, framed by a golden dress, gave her some kind of unusual charm. " Here, as in many other paintings, Galsworthy manifests himself as a colorist-psychologist, revealing the meaning of coloristic artistic definitions: dark brown eyes are evidence of "weakness of character", soft whiteness of the shoulders in combination with golden framing gives her appearance an "unusual charm", etc. Therefore, it may be logical to conclude that color contrasts are characteristic of Galsworthy the artist.
Attention is drawn to the special artistic use of gray in the process of creating the image of Irene. If in the initial chapters the color definition “gray” is almost never used in the depiction of Irene (only occasionally do we find it in combination with other artistic color definitions), then in the interlude “The Last Summer of Forsyth” Irene appears in a different color. Here it is consistently uniform - basically gray (grayish, silver, gray-lilac).
Thus, in The Forsyte Saga, color appears as a very important aesthetic sensory-evaluative category and evokes various emotions and moods. Microimages of color have a wide variety of artistic and semantic loads. In particular, through color, the image of Irene is created, whose beauty serves as a counterbalance to the gloom, stiffness, death, or rather, the repulsive coldness inherent in the Forsytes. Irene's nature-given traits and taste in the overall composition of the cycle are asserted as very active counterbalances to the nature of the Forsytes, their foundations and the way they look.
Literature
1. Galsworthy J. Collected works: In 16 volumes / Per. from English; Ed. M. Lorie. Moscow: Pravda, 1962. - T. 1.: The Forsyte Saga. -1962. - 612 p.
2. Tugusheva M. Eternity of change: entry. Art. / M. Tugusheva // Galsworthy J. The Forsyte Saga. - T. 1. - M., 2003 .-- S. 7 - 20.
3. Yalysheva N.A. The image of beauty in the novels "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy: [female images] / N.А. Yalysheva // Arzamas philological readings - 2006. - Arzamas, 2007. - pp. 193-196.
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The Forsyte Saga is a cycle of works by the English writer John Galsworthy about the members of the Forsyte family - capitalists of the twentieth century, written in the 1906-1921s. The work is the most famous of all the writer's works, the crown of his work, which was deservedly awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "the high art of storytelling, the pinnacle of which is the Forsyte Saga." I think many of you are familiar with this book, and those who have not yet had the pleasure of plunging into the wonderful, melancholic, rich in tradition, at times prim, but such a charming world of old England with all its five o'clocks, races, top hats and hats might be interested in this after my post :) 
Galsworthy himself comes from a similar family, from a family of wealthy capitalists, wealthy middle class. I will not bore you with the details of his biography, I will give you only a brief reference. By the way, in Nabokov's Lolita, Humbert-Humbert casually calls Galsworthy a “petrified writer,” with which I absolutely disagree and think that Nabokov, for all his talent, should have refrained from such harsh attacks. John Galsworthy
vs Vladimir Nabokov :)
Biography of the writer So John was born in Surrey. He graduated from Oxford University as a barrister (as well as the main character), which did not attract him at all and instead of working as a lawyer he traveled to look after the family's shipping business. During his travels, he visited many countries, including Russia. On the deck of one of the ships, he met Joseph Conrad, the future novelist, and the two became friends. He soon began secretly dating his cousin's wife, Ada Nemesis Pearson, whom he married ten years later. John's first work was a collection of short stories "From the Four Winds", released under the pseudonym John Sinjon. 
Joseph Conrad His first play, The Silver Box, was a great success and was followed by the novel The Owner, the first book in the Saga trilogy. 
The house where Galsworthy lived the last years of his life and was buried During World War I, John worked as a hospital attendant in France. He was elected the first president of the PEN International Literary Society, which he also founded. In 1918 he refused to receive the knighthood, and in 1929 he became a member of the Order of Merit for his services to literature. In November 1932, Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. At this time, he suffered from severe headaches as a result of a steadily growing brain tumor. Galsworthy died on January 31, 1933 in London. 
Ada Pearson Galsworthy's future wife was unhappy in her marriage to John's cousin, Arthur Galsworthy. She, like Irene Forsyth, was a dowry, and she had no choice but to accept Arthur's offer. When John realized this, he was filled with pity for her and subsequently fell in love. This is what he wrote to her in one of his letters during their long ten-year meetings: “To bite into any specialty in order to make money is a disgusting boredom ... How much I would like to have talent, I really think that to make a living is to be a writer. " And, meeting with him once again, Ada said: “Why don't you write? You are made for this. " It was Ada who prompted him to pursue a career as a writer. It was Ada who served as a prototype for Irene Forsyth, although, according to people who know Ada personally, she looked little like Irene in appearance. Irene breathed warmth and sensuality - from Ada - cold and austerity, Irene was gentle, feminine, about Ada they said that “it was difficult to meet a more muscular woman than she”. However, she considered it her duty to support her husband in everything, love him and be a faithful wife. And Galsworthy paid her the same. When the marriage cracked and he became interested in the nineteen-year-old dancer Margaret Morris, Ada was ill at that time, and John ended all relations with Margaret, writing in a farewell letter that: “Neither you nor I can build happiness on other people's suffering and illness ... Ada won't be any better until it's over between us. Forget and forgive me. " 
Fanart: Soames and Irene
Saga The Forsyte saga consists of three cycles. The first came out directly under the title "The Forsyte Saga", the second - "Contemporary Comedy" and the third - "End of the Chapter". The key character of the saga is Soames Forsyth. Soames runs through the entire plot line. He is a lawyer who describes himself with the word "owner", because he knows the happiness of possessing. Soames is married to Irene, a beautiful, orphaned woman who lives with a grumpy aunt who dreams of getting rid of her. Lacking a livelihood, Irene marries Soames, who worships her, but cannot achieve reciprocal feelings. Soames' niece June is engaged to a young, poor architect, Philip Bosinney, who, by order of Soames, is building an estate for him and his wife. Irene falls in love with Philip, Soames is plagued by jealousy, the honor of the Forsyte family is threatened. The situation is heating up, and all this can lead to disaster. This is the story of the first part of the cycle. Usually the sympathies of readers are shared - some are on the side of Soames, while the rest support Irene, because it is very difficult to love both heroes equally, although you sympathize with both. Of course, Soames did a terrible thing and realized very late that you can buy a lot: houses, dresses, beautiful trinkets, a collection of paintings - but not love, but I really got very attached to him and beluga roared at the end of the book. Galsworthy's trick is that he sympathizes with Soames, does not condemn him, and for the whole saga I became so attached to him that I had an acute dislike for this Irene, who ruined everything. I believe that initially Irene showed weakness of character, and did not even try to improve relations with her husband. In general, how dare she treat my sweetheart Sommy like that, I'm outraged! Also, the general love for Soames was promoted by the actor who played his role in the film adaptation, if you know what I mean;))) In the first part, I was very impressed with June Forsyth - daring, small, original, which later almost did not appear in the novel, but also in the second part she played a very important role. 
Demian Lewis, who played Soames in the 2002 film adaptation
June brings sad news The second part tells about the love of Soames' daughter from her second marriage - Fleur and the son of Irene and Jolyon - John. It's immediately clear in honor of which heroine I took the nickname on Gossip :) I can't say that I fully justify Fleur's actions, but I also love her very much, firstly, because she is Soames's daughter, so I will love her a priori , whatever she may be, secondly, I really appreciate in her her recklessness, courage, passion and ability to fight for her love, which was never in John. John in general for me is some kind of a slob and a mama's son, who was not worthy of Fleur. And, oddly enough, my other favorite character is Michael Mont, Fleur's husband, the editor of the newspaper, whom in the first part I simply hated and all of whose merits were manifested in the Modern Comedy. In general, I think Galsworthy had an amazing ability to inspire readers' love for the very characters on whose behalf he narrates. Finally, the third part moves somewhat away from the Forsytes - it tells the story of Michael's cousin Dinny Cherell. How successful it is, I cannot judge - I have not read it. It was not in my two-volume Saga. 
Barbara la Mar, who played Fleur in the first film adaptation - in a silent movie! Against the background of all these passions, the appearance of England appears in all its charm, the changes occurring in the lives of its inhabitants, from such insignificant as changing the top hat for a hat, to which no one could get used to Soames, to the appearance of cars instead of good old cabs. 
Adaptations of the Saga The Forsyte saga was filmed several times, the first silent films based on the works of Galsworthy appeared in the early 1920s. In 1949, The Forsyte Saga was released by Metro Golden Mayer, starring Garson Greer as Irene. In 1967, a 26-episode BBC television film appeared, which gained great popularity in our country. The film stars Kenneth More (Joe Forsyth), Eric Porter (Soames Forsyth), Nyri Porter (Irene Forsyth), Michael York (Jolly Forsyth) and others. The film adaptation of Donald Wilson, Constance Cox. By the way, an incident occurred during the filming. During the scene of violence Irene, Eric Porter, who played Soames, began to feverishly free her from the corset. Suddenly, to the horror of the crew, the corset was covered in blood. It turns out that Eric touched his hand on the Nairi-Irene brooch, and blood began to flow from the wound. In 2002 Granada Media filmed a new version. 
Irene and Soames 1949 adaptation
Screen adaptation of 1967
And finally, the adaptation of 2002
Quotes“Isn't it too solitary?” “No,” she said, drawing on the ground with an umbrella, “A man always has a companion — his shadow. * * A woman always needs the soul of a man, a child, a dog. Men are content with the body. * * - ... We live in an empty time - didn't you know? - And there is no limit? “The limit,” Skaala Fleur, “is something that cannot be crossed; and emptiness can be perfected ad infinitum. * * People will now be born like that, onlookers. And that's not bad. Movies, cheap cigarettes and football matches - as long as they exist, there will be no real revolution. And all this, apparently, is increasing every year. * * - We, in England, Ann, tragedy is not in use. - Why? - How can I tell you, tragedy is an extreme; and we do not like extremes. Tragedy is dry, but England is damp. In conclusion, I want to say a huge thank you to Miracle, without whom this post would not have been and who patiently answered all my stupid questions in the style: “how to turn on the computer at all”: D 
Miracle, this is for you :)
Ladies of Epoch # 50 - doll-heroine - Irene Forsyth, The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy.
The doll came out in Russia.
The Forsyte Saga is a monumental series of diverse works by the English writer John Galsworthy, describing the life of the wealthy Forsyte family. In 1932, Galsworthy received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his excellence in storytelling, culminating in the Forsyte Saga.
Irene Forsyth Announced
Half a century of history of the Forsyte family, from the Victorian era to the 1920s. Passion, beauty and art, deeply alien to the prosaic Forsyte, invade their close-knit family together with Soames Forsyth's wife Irene and her friend, the architect Bosinney.
Soames Forsyth and his wife Irene are unhappy in their marriage. Irene and the young architect are dancing at Roger's ball, and they look obscenely happy.
Golden-haired, dark-eyed Irene similar to a pagan goddess, she is full of charm, distinguished by the sophistication of taste and manners. After the death of her father, she was left without funds and in the end was forced to yield to Soames, who had been stubbornly seeking her hand for a year and a half. She married without love, believing the promises of a fan that if the marriage was unsuccessful, she would receive complete freedom. Already at the very beginning of marriage, Irene realized what a mistake she had made, she was burdened by a closed sphere, where she was assigned the role of a beautiful thing, the possession of which flatters her husband's possessive self-confidence. The coldness of his wife and undisguised dislike for him drive Soames to fury.
Photo of the doll (without finishing touches):
Ladies of the Epoch 50 - Irene Forsyth, a doll without finishing touches. Blouse - thin cotton, skirt - thin silk-like fabric.
The skirt in the back is of an interesting cut, tailored to fit the bustle, but there is no bustle itself, you need to sew a petticoat with a backing, then the top will fit as it should.
Three dolls from the Lady of the Epoch collection.
Soames is a character at the same time unlike people of the same class, but in many ways a typical Forsyth. Like Forsyth, he looks at Irene and says: Mine! ...
Announcement of the doll. Ladies of Era 50 - Irene Forsyth.
Successful Soames commissions Philippe Bosinney (a young architect) to build a new country house in Robin Hill. He is increasingly worried about the sympathy that arose between his wife and the young architect, gradually developing into a deep mutual feeling. However, Philip will die (he will fall under the wheels of a taxi when he finds out how Soames treated Irene).
The Forsyte Saga is a very large piece, with many heroes and characters. All works dedicated to different generations of the Forsyte family are grouped into three large cycles. The first came out directly under the title The Forsyte Saga. After finishing the Saga, Galsworthy continued to write about Forsytes, under the title Modern Comedy, a series of works came out here. The general cycle about Forsytes was completed by three novels under the general title End of a Chapter. The novel Saving Forsythe was published in the collection The Man from Devon.
John Golsworthy (John Galsworthy) - English prose writer and playwright, author of the famous Forsyte Saga.
Adaptations of the Saga
The Forsyte saga was filmed several times, the first silent films based on the works of Galsworthy appeared in the early 1920s. 
In 1949, the film The Forsyte Saga was released ( That Forsyte Woman) Metro Goldwyn Mayer with Garson, Greer as Irene.
In 1967, a 26-episode BBC television film appeared, which gained great popularity in our country. The film stars Kenneth More (Joe Forsyth), Eric Porter (Eric Porter - Soames Forsyth), Nyree Dawn Porter (Irene Forsyth), Michael York (Michael York - Jolly Forsyth) and other wonderful artists. Screen adaptation of Donald Wilson, Constance Cox.
In 2002, Granada Media filmed a new version over 11.5 hours long. Starring Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves, Gina McKee, Corinne Redgrave, Ioan Griffith.
The fundamental difference between the Forsyte Saga of 2002 and the black-and-white version of the BBC is that Soames has ceased to be portrayed as the world's evil.
Collection with films based on the Saga (there are 4 DVDs at once in ozone: The Forsyte Saga: The Man Of Property / In Chancery / The Forsyte Saga: To Let. 
The remastered old version of the film is here. The cover of this variation is pictured on the right.
The Forsyte Saga belongs to the Family Saga genre - there are many such works,... In the same place - and the Singing in the Thorns, and many other famous works.
I will not touch on the content of the work, since you can read about it in other places, but I will go straight to the characters. I warn you: very categorical judgments! I have already been rebuked for them in the offline blog. And, nevertheless, being impressed by the book I just read, I could not write in another way. Of course, my opinion is just my opinion, or, more precisely, perception, and no one is obliged to perceive the heroes of the novel in the same way :)
Irene Forsyth... What can I say? It has been a long time since I came across a female character who aroused such deep antipathy. For the psychological abuse that Irene and her second husband, Jolyon Forsyth, perpetrated against their son John, does not fit into any civilized framework.
Okay, let's say Irene would really get very unhappy if her only son married the daughter of her first husband, whom Irene hated. Let’s even assume that Irene had the moral right to fight against this marriage. But me to the core of my soul is outraged by her hypocrisy and duplicity! Apply massive psychological pressure on a 19-year-old boy, and then, when he is already mentally broken, declare:
- Don't think about me son ... Think about yourself and your happiness ...
You know, gentlemen ... There is a limit to any cynicism and hypocrisy.
Make her son sacrifice his love and at the same time want to look “white and fluffy” in the eyes of this son ... Well, I understand Irene: any mother wants to remain “white and fluffy” in the eyes of her child, even by committing meanness ... However, the concepts “ everyday cunning "and" decency "are not the same thing, and one must be honest, if not before others, then at least before oneself. I didn’t notice it with Irene.
Verdict: hypocrite, prude and sanctimonious.
The "great evil" inflicted by Soames Forsythe Irene
I don't understand what it is. Irene says that Soames allegedly tortured her for many years and used her as a thing, as a slave ...
But, excuse me, my dear ... What measures have you taken to break out of this very slavery? You didn't even bother to file for divorce! And when Soames proposed a divorce, they began to hide from him and run away.
Again, Irene lived with Soames for only three years. So it’s impossible to say that he tortured her for many years. She wanted to leave - and left, and Soames could do nothing. Only now it was necessary to leave earlier, as soon as love began to spin with this architect Bosinney. Why did you not leave your husband, what did you expect? Waiting for Bosinney to build a house for your husband and rake off the dough and fame? Forgive me, gentlemen, but this ... somehow does not fit into the framework of decency at all.
She waited, waited, and finally waited for the moment when her husband's nerves lost and he raped her. And what does Irene do next? Runs to her lover and tells him about it! Well, isn't she a fool, eh? And the lover, upset, falls under the carriage and dies. Who is guilty? In my opinion, clearly not Soames Forsyth.
And by the way, this fellow Bosinney is also good! How did he hide from his fiancee when he fell in love with Irene? I met on the street, turned around and gave the drapak, instead of honestly saying that he had changed his mind to marry, and ask for forgiveness! As they say, no comment.
In general, this whole company of moralists - Irene, her second husband Jolyon and their son John, causes me great disrespect. Who are they, in essence? Consumers who can only live on money that someone else has earned for them.
How did Jolyon raise his two sons? Raised them out of them gouging! John was not capable of any business at all and was glad that his parents were rich. He himself says, they say, what happiness it is that the ancestors have money, otherwise I can't imagine how I would make a living. Well, at least this one is honest with himself!
So such a mattress just needed a wife like Fleur Forsyth! So as not to disappear in the event of some economic crisis. In addition, Fleur fell in love with him for who he is, looking at him without rose-colored glasses. That is, realizing that he is a mattress and that his only merit lies in a kind and faithful heart. In my opinion, the couple would have turned out to be successful - each has something that the other lacks. But Irene didn't care! The main thing is not to have anything to do with your ex-husband.
So what was Irene's selfless love for her son? Nothing, her love is selfish. Irene sacrificed nothing for her son, on the contrary, she demanded a sacrifice from him. And, by the way, Irene and her husband often traveled, leaving their son with a nanny for a long time. In my opinion, this also speaks of her NOT selfless attitude towards her son. You could have taken the kid with you ... but why the hell is he needed, just extra chores on the trip :))
Verdict: hypocrite, prude, sanctimonious and selfish
Jolyon Forsyth, Irene's second husband.
He went on a spree in his youth from his wife and went to his mistress, leaving his little daughter. Then, when his father forgave him and blessed him with money, he forced this very daughter to live in the same house with the woman who had done evil to her late mother. Then, having buried his second wife, Jolian falls in love in old age with Irene and marries her - not the woman who stole the groom from his daughter!
Okay, everything happens in life, "no one is holy except the Lord God." But how can such a person dare to consider himself decent and condemn, for example, the same Soames ?! Divine! Delightful! As the saying goes, "we distinguish a straw in someone else's eye" ...
But Soames Forsyth aroused my warm sympathy and sympathy.
His many years of love for Irene, his selfless love for his daughter, his business acumen, his ability to deeply feel and worry ... Yes, he lacks emotional sensitivity and open-mindedness. But that is why he is a “sensory logician” and not an “ethic-intuitionist”, that is, everything is natural, one cannot reproach a person for the fact that some qualities are not given to him by nature. But Soames is capable of love, loyalty and active care, he is decent and reliable. He is an integral nature, does not rush about in search of "shit meaning of life", but is engaged in BUSINESS.
And yet, Soames is capable of spiritual growth, development. And with Irene, I did not notice any spiritual growth. Rather, there is a degradation from a well-fed and careless life on gratuitous grub.
Stills from the film: Irene and Soames; John and Fleur; Irene, Soames and Bosinney; Irene and Soames; Soames and Fleur; Irene and Soames; frame from another film, 40s.