ñThe Freelandsî by John Galsworthy is a novel that explores the social and political tensions of the Edwardian era through the lens of a family deeply connected to the land. The story revolves around the ñFreelandsî a family whose members are each engaged in different aspects of the social and environmental issues of their time.
At the heart of the novel is the conflict between rural life and the encroaching forces of industrialization. The Freelands, who are landowners, find themselves grappling with the impact of industrialization on the countryside and the traditional ways of life that have long defined their existence. This conflict is particularly embodied in the generational divide.
Galsworthy uses the familyÍs internal dynamics to highlight broader societal issues, such as the struggle for social justice, the effects of industrialization on the environment, and the class struggles that arise from these changes. The novel also delves into the environmental concerns of the time, as the characters confront the degradation of the natural world and the moral questions surrounding land use and ownership. The novel serves as a reflection on the changing landscape of rural England and a commentary on the need for progress.
John Galsworthy OM was an English dramatist and novelist who lived from 14 August 1867 to 31 January 1933. His novels, “The Forsyte Saga” and two more trilogies, “A Modern Comedy” and “End of the Chapter” are his best-known works. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932. Galsworthy, who came from a wealthy upper-middle-class family, was expected to become a lawyer, but, he found the profession unappealing, so he resorted to literature. Before his first book, “The Man of Property” about the Forsyte family, was released in 1897, he was thirty years old. It wasn't, until that book—the first of its kind—that he saw true popularity. His debut play, “The Silver Box” had its London premiere the same year. As a writer, he gained notoriety for his socially conscious plays that addressed issues such as the politics and morality of war, the persecution of women, the use of solitary confinement in prisons, the battle of workers against exploitation, and jingoism. The patriarch, Old Jolyon, is based on Galsworthy's father, and the Forsyte family in the collection of books and short tales known as “The Forsyte Chronicles” is comparable to Galsworthy's family in many aspects.
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