1.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (JOHN GALSWORTHY)

1.1. The life

John Galsworthy (14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and
playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.
Galsworthy was born at Kingston Hill in Surrey, England, into an established
wealthy family, the son of John and Blanche Bailey (nee Bartleet) Galsworthy. He
attended Harrow and New College, Oxford, training as a barrister and was called to
the bar in 1890.
However, he was not interested in practicing law and instead traveled abroad to
look after the family's shipping business interests. During these travels he met
Joseph Conrad, then the first mate of a sailing-ship moored in the harbor of
Adelaide, Australia, and the two future novelists became close friends.
In 1895, Galsworthy began an affair with Ada Nemesis Pearson, the wife of one of
his cousins. After her divorce the pair eventually married on September 23, 1905,
and stayed together until his death in 1933. During World War I, he worked in a
hospital in France as an orderly after being passed over for military service. John
Galsworthy lived for the final seven years of his life at Bury in West Sussex. He
died from a brain tumor at his London home, Grove Lodge, Hampstead. In
accordance with his will he was cremated at Woking, and his ashes scattered over
the South Downs from the air.
1.2. The careers
From the Four Winds was Galsworthy's first published work in 1897, a collection
of short stories. These, and several subsequent works, were published under the
pen name John Sinjohn, and it would not be until The Island Pharisees (1904) that
he would begin publishing under his own name, probably owing to the death of his
father. His first play, The Silver Box (1906), became a success, and he followed it
up with The Man of Property (1906), the first in the Forsyte trilogy. Although he
continued writing both plays and novels, it was as a playwright that he was mainly
appreciated at the time. Along with other writers of the time, such as Shaw, his
plays addressed the class system and social issues; two of his best known plays
were Strife (1909) and The Skin Game (1920).
Over time his reputation shifted; he is now far better known for his novels and
particularly The Forsyte Saga, the first of three trilogies of novels about the
eponymous family and connected lives. These books, as with many of his other
works, dealt with class, and in particular upper-middle class lives. Although
sympathetic to his characters, he highlights their insular, snobbish, and acquisitive
attitudes and their suffocating moral codes.
He was elected as the first president of the International PEN literary club in 1921,
was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929—after earlier turning down a
knighthood—and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932.
1.3. The works & writing styles
John Galsworthy, a prominent English writer and playwright, is known for his
distinctive writing styles. He was part of the literary movement called Realism,
which emphasized portraying life as it is, without idealization or romanticism.
Galsworthy's writing is characterized by its attention to detail, vivid descriptions,
and meticulous observation of human behavior. His prose is often introspective and
explores the complexities of human emotions and relationships.
In his works, Galsworthy often.delves into social issues and critiques the societal
norms of his time. He addresses themes such as class distinctions, morality, and the
impact of societal expectations on individuals.
Galsworthy's writing style is marked by its clarity and precision. He carefully
chooses his words and constructs sentences with elegance and precision. His use of
dialogue is notable, as it reveals the nuances of his characters' thoughts and
motivations.
Overall, John Galsworthy's writing styles are characterized by their realism,
attention to detail, and social commentary. His works continue to be celebrated for
their insightful portrayal of human nature and the complexities of society.
II. PLOT SUMMARY/ SUMMARY
"The Island Pharisees" is a novel written by John Galsworthy. It tells the story of a
group of wealthy and privileged individuals living on an island off the coast of
England. The novel explores themes of social class, hypocrisy, and the
consequences of materialism. The main characters, the Ercourts, are depicted as
self-centered and disconnected from the realities of the world around them. As the
story unfolds, their superficial lives are contrasted with the struggles and hardships
faced by the common people. Galsworthy's novel serves as a critique of the upper
class and a commentary on the moral decay of society.
Chapter 1: Chapter 1 describes the thoughts and experiences of Shelton, an
English man on the train from Dover to London. There, he met and observed
people sitting on the train with him, pursuing their own thoughts. After that, he met
and had a conversation with a young stranger named Louis Ferrand. Louis studied
human nature. Shelton was impressed by Louis's thoughts and the way he
commented on others. Louis told Shelton about the story of the beautiful girl who
was sitting near them. She didn't have money to buy a ticket, was rejected, and was
terrified of being abandoned in a strange place. Shelton gave the girl money to buy
tickets, as well as write down the address when she needed help.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2 tells the story of five years before the train trip mentioned in
chapter 1, where Shelton, on one of his cruise ships, met Antonia, a young girl 12
years younger than Shelton. 2 years after the meeting, Shelton confessed his love
to Antonia, but without official acceptance from the girl, Shelton left for England.
Chapter 3: After returning from the train from Dover to London, Shelton wrote
Antonia a letter telling about what he had met on the train, about the foreign boy
with strange thoughts. Then one afternoon, Shelton received a letter from that
strange foreign boy, asking for his help. However, when Shelton went to the
address on the letter, the other man had disappeared without leaving an address,
and so Shelton left a letter so that when Louis returned he could contact Shelton.
There, Shelton met the old actor, and other poor people, and he listened to
anecdotes from the old actor who was said to be always drunk.
Chapter 4: Describe Shelton's thoughts and observations after leaving the address
where Louis left him. Shelton observed and saw couples on the street. Then he
received a response letter from Antonia, and it caused Shelton to have confusing
thoughts. Later, Shelton went to the theater with his friend, Halidome, after they
had dinner together. Shelton observed the people he was watching the play with.
The play is about a couple living together without any feelings. Shelton sees
through the fakeness that lies beneath the surface of happiness, and he wonders
why they live together in the name of civility.
Chapter 5: After leaving the theater, Shelton felt unhappy about the end of his
drama wife. He and his friend Halidome had an argument about each person's
moral values and the equal rights of men and women. Halidome thinks that Shelton
is too sentimental and that no woman will hate or stand him. While Shelton
expressed that morality is personal self-preservation and that a man will become a
scoundrel when trying to keep a woman who does not love him by his side.
Chapter 5 ends with Shelton returning home and wondering if he will become a
scoundrel like the man in the drama.
Chapter 6: Shelton received a letter from his uncle, and had a meeting to discuss
the terms of his wife's purchase agreement. He and Uncle Ted had been at
loggerheads over what would happen if Shelton died, and Antonia married again.
Mr. Paramor, Shelton's uncle, thinks that Antonia will lose her rights in life, and
Shelton thinks that is normal. Finally, after thinking about love and material
benefits, Shelton decided to sign the wife purchase agreement. Then Shelton and
his uncle went into the Strand, and had a conversation about plays, marriage, and
the difference in opinion of the French, the Russians, and the English.
III. ANALYSIS

III.1. The main content

The Island Pharisees is a novel written by John Galsworthy. It was first published
in 1904 and tells the story of a group of upper-class people living on an island off
the coast of England. The novel explores themes of social class, hypocrisy, and the
clash between traditional and modern values. This novel's central societal theme is
the tension between material goals and the emotional realm.
In this book, the main character Shelton represents Galsworthy's ideas. Over the
course of the three-month voyage, he comes clean and considers the state of British
society today. Shelton's self-reflection and admission are embodied in his
conversations with three representative types.
Then, in the chase of worldly luxuries, how do the creatures of good form, often
symbolized by Shelton's future mother-in-law, Mrs. Dennant, become slaves of
commodities? What predicament does Shelton find himself in as a result of his
repeated contacts with a homeless man named Ferrand? Why does the stunning
Antonia, who will be his fiancée, decide to sign a legally binding agreement that
isn't founded on genuine love? How can Antonia's interactions with Shelton help
her to progressively reify herself? The aforementioned concerns will be analyzed
in this thesis.From the perspective of ideology attacking commodity fetishism,
whose introduction, development, and extension have their own distinct historical
context and social conditions, the theory of Lukacs's Reification is progressively
taking shape. It is used by the thesis to examine the developmental logic of the
reification of individuals and objects, the reification of interpersonal relationships,
and the reification of the individual in the novel.
The first chapter focuses on the reification of people and things. It examines a
phenomenon of reification between commodities and "The Creatures of Good
Form" first. The pursuit of worldly pleasures by members of the top and middle
classes leads to their eventual enslavement to material commodities. The thesis
then uses several textual elements to demonstrate how Mrs. Dennant exhibits her
obsessive interest with and worship of goods, which leads her to become a slave to
them in certain social situations. The focus of the second chapter is on reified
interpersonal relationships. It is crucial to talk about how Ferrand uses Shelton's
special insights—expressed in the letter—to get his financial aid. The individual's
self-reification is given significant focus in Chapter 3, particularly in Chapter 6.
Being Shelton's fiancée, Antonia sees herself as a product that can be bought. She
wants to sell her beauty in order to gain wealth and influence. She ultimately
becomes lost in the world of things.
Chapter 6 of John Galsworthy's novel "The Island Pharisees" delves deeper into
the dynamics between the characters, highlighting their contrasting personalities
and the evolving relationships among them.
III.2. The main characters
III.2.1. Richard Paramor Shelton
Shelton, is a young man on the cusp of adulthood, grappling with the expectations
of his class and his own burgeoning independence. He is torn between his love for
the conventional and respectable Antonia and his attraction to the unconventional
and passionate Ferrand. Shelton's journey is one of self-discovery as he challenges
the societal norms that have been imposed upon him and seeks to define his own
values.
III.2.2. Louis Ferrand
Ferrand is a bohemian artist who serves as a foil to Shelton, representing the
antithesis of the conservative upper class. He is free-spirited, intellectually curious,
and unafraid to challenge the status quo. Ferrand's influence on Shelton is
profound, awakening him to the limitations of his own upbringing and inspiring
him to question the social order.
Ferrand challenges Shelton's preconceived notions and encourages him to think
critically about the world around him. Shelton is drawn to Ferrand's free-spirited
nature and his ability to see beyond the superficial layers of society.
III.2.3. Antonia
Antonia, Shelton's fiancée, embodies the epitome of upper-class respectability. She
is beautiful, well-bred, and thoroughly conventional. However, beneath her
polished exterior lies a deep-seated insecurity and a fear of nonconformity. She
clings to the social norms that define her, unable to accept Shelton's changing
views and his growing attraction to Ferrand. Antonia's character highlights the
stifling nature of societal expectations and the inability of the upper class to
embrace individuality and genuine connection.
III.2.4. Halidome
Halidome is a successful businessman who represents the darker side of the pursuit
of wealth and status. He is ruthless, manipulative, and utterly devoid of
compassion. Halidome's character serves as a warning against the corrupting
influence of materialism and the dangers of sacrificing one's principles for personal
gain.
III.2.5. Edmund Paramor
Edmund Paramor, Shelton's uncle, was also a representative of the upper class in
British society. He is assertive, and has opposing views to Shelton, which also
contributes to Shelton's inner struggle about the relationship between material
things and emotions.
III.3. The author’s viewpoints
In chapter 6 of John Galsworthy's novel The Island Pharisees, Galsworthy
continues to expose the hypocrisy and moral decay of the British upper class. He
focuses on the character of Shelton, a young man who is struggling to reconcile his
own values with those of the class he is trying to join.
Shelton is torn between his own sense of right and wrong and the expectations of
the upper class. He knows that their values are often hypocritical and harmful, but
he also feels pressure to conform in order to be accepted.