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Abstract
English novelist and Nobel Prize winner John Galsworthy is best known for his literary series The Forsyte Saga, his portrayal of the British upper classes, and his treatments of social values. Also a dramatist, his reputation in his lifetime was second only to that of George Bernard Shaw. Through his plays, Galsworthy was a compassionate reformer who campaigned against long prison terms, harsh treatment of prisoners, class discrimination at the bar of justice, anti-Semitism, the intransigence of capitalists and labor union leaders, and other evils of society. His most esteemed plays are noted for their realistic technique and insightful social criticism. While working for his father, Galsworthy collected rents from the tenants of London slum properties, and several of his plays examine the contrast between the rights of the privileged upper classes and the poor.Galsworthy was also a successful dramatist, his plays, written in a naturalistic style, usually examining some controversial ethical or social problem. They include 'The Silver Box (1906), which, like many of his other works, has a legal theme and depicts a bitter contrast of the laws treatment of the rich and the poor; Strife (1909), a study of industrial relations; Justice (1910), a realistic portrayal of prison life that roused so much feeling that it led to reform; and Loyalties (1922), the best of his later plays. In The Silver Box, for example, the son of a wealthy member of Parliament steals a purse from a prostitute. Later, the husband of one of the familys servants steals a cigarette box from the purse. While the wealthy young man is released, the servants husband is convicted and sent to prison.Keywords : John Galsworthy, british upper class, reformer, class discrimination, naturalistic style etc.
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Copyright © 2023 Sapana Sahu. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
