John Galsworthy plays And Works (1867-1933)

John Galsworthy plays And Works (1867-1933)

His Works- In Galsworthy's family the career of a novelist was not considered a particularly worthy or desirable one. The idea that the eldest son might one day become a writer was not acceptable to his parents. His father wanted him to become a leading barrister or a judge. His mother also did not want her son to be a distinguished writer at all. The thought rather pained and disappointed Galsworthy's father. This was probably one of the reasons why his first four books, including, Villa Rubein, came under the pseudonym: "John Sinjohn", (John son of John). It would never have done for the family name to be linked with such a venture as serious writing, till the author had become more or less established.

John Galsworthy was twenty-eight when he began writing. He writes, "Until I was twenty seven years and eight months old it never occurred to me to write anything. And then it didn't occur to me; it occurred to one who was- not then my wife. Why don't you write ? You're just the person', she said. "He sums up the experience of his early days as an author: "If one has been brought up at an English public school and university, is addicted to sport and travel, has a small independent income, and is a briefless barrister, one will not take literature seriously, but one might like to please her of whom one was fond. I began. In two years I wrote nine tales. They have every fault." 

John Galsworthy was a prolific writer. He wrote for more than thirty years. During this period he wrote many novels, plays stories, poems, essays, specches and satires. He wrote nineteen novels, eighteen full-length plays and six one-act plays. His first book was a volume of short-stories, From the Four Winds, published in 1897. This was a failure in every way. Galsworthy was not very happy with it, and called it "My First Sins". He withdrew it from circulation. His first novel Jocelyn was published in 1898. It presents a conflict between love and duty. Then Galsworthy came under the influence of lurgenev and Maupassant. In 1900, he wrote his next novel Villa Rubein. None of these works gave any promise of a great writer. In 1901, he wrote A Man of Devon, A Knight and Salvation of a Forsyte. The tide began to turn with his third novel The Island Pharisees which appeared in 1904. It is a powerful satire on English society.

The year 1906 proved to be a turning point in Galsworthy's career. In this year, he published The Man of Property which was the first of his chronicles of the Forsyte family. Some people think it is his best work, In this year he took to writing plays. Between 1906 and 1918 he occupied himsel with plays. His first play, The Silver Box, appeared in 1906. It gave him instant recognition. His next play Joy appeared in 1907. It deals with domestie affairs. His novel, The Country House, also appeared in the same year. 

In 1909 appeared Strife. Galsworthy himself regarded it as his best play It presents the conflict between Capital and Labour. His novel Fraternity was also published the same year. In 1910 came out Justice. In this play he attacks the English judicial system. It is a scathing attack on English prison system. especially solitary confinement. His next novel The Patrician appeared in 1911. In this novel the writer focuses attention on the harmful effects of aristocracy. In the following year appeared his famous collection of essays entitled The Inn of Tranquility: Studies and Essays. It contains some very important essay in which he propounded his literary theory. Moods, Songs and Doggerels-a collection of poems, The Pigeon, The Eldest Son-a domestic drama, were also published in 1912. The Dark Flower, a powerful love novel, was published in 191. Then followed The Fugitive, The Freelands (1915) and The Foundations. 

The Forsyte chronicle was resumed with Indian Summer of a Forsyte, In Chancery (1920), Awakening and To Let (1921) They, along with The Man of Property, appeared in one volume as The Forsyte Saga (1922). Between the years 1920 and 1922 Galsworthy produced his best works. He again returned to writing plays and published The Skin Game (1920), A Family Man (1921), Loyalties (1922), Windows (1922) and Old English (1924). Loyalties is Galsworthy's masterpiece. It was an intent hit and had a long run. He continued with the Forsyte group and produced The White Monkey (1924), The Silver Spoon (1926) and The Swan Song (1928). These novels are collectively entitled A Modern Comedy. His next trilogy End of the Chapter (1934) contained Maid in Waiting (1931), Flowering Wilderness (1932) and Over the River (1933). 

John Galsworthy wrote about a hundred poems also. They were published in two collections entitled Moods, Songs and Doggerels (1912) and Verses New and Old (1926). In these poems he expresses his thoughts with which he deals fully in his prose. His poems are loaded with thoughts and philosophy. It is not as a poet that Galsworthy is remembered today. His reputation rests on his novels and plays.