Art and Property in The Forsyte Saga and A Modern Comedy

Abstract

<p>The Man of Property is unique among the Forsyte novels in that it is both the only pre-war book and the only book in which the Forsytes are seen in a completely negative light. Forsytes symbolize the forces of Property, which are always striving to suppress all forms of Art. By the end of The Man of Property Property stands triumphant. Bosinney, the Architect-Artist, is dead, and Irene, that embodiment of Beauty, has been enslaved by Soames. In Chancery and To Let trace the gradual changes in both Soames and Irene, and the new relationship of Property and Art. The villainous Soames looks better and better, whilee Irene's goodness begins to dim. When the crisis of Jon's and Fleur's love comes to a head, it is Soames who is noble and self-sacrificing and Irene who is manipulative. When the focus of the novels is not on these two old antagonists, it is increasingly taken up with the problem of Fleur and Jon. It turns out that the possessive Fleur is not as bad as she appears, while Jon is unable to live up to one's natural expectations of him. In the end it seems that Fleur's possessiveness may even be:an asset, as Property and Art arrive at a partnership by the end of To Let. The White Monkey and The Silver Spoon have been criticized as rambling books full of trivial incidents. They actually chronicle Fleur's quest for a still satisfying life which does not include Beauty--that is, Jon. These novels also succeed in illustrating the aimlessness of the post-war generation and the moral rot which seems to be invading all levels of society. In Swan Song the once villainous Soames must become the hero who saves the day for Fleur. She was sure that Jon was the answer to the problems of herself and her age, and he turns out to be a ghastly disappointment. If there is to be an answer, it must come through Soames's discovery of a classically simple peace among the traces of his forbears. In the end it is Soames who is the saviour of the modern age, and Fleur who is its Artist.</p>