D.H. Lawrence on Galsworthy part 2

     The later novels are purely commercial and, if it had not been for the early novels, of no importance -
When you arrive at To let, and the end, at least the "promised" end, of the Forsytes, what have you? Just money!
Money, money, money and a certain snobbish silliness, and many more anti tricks and poses.  Nothing else.  The story is feeble, the characters have no blood and bones, the emotions are faked, faked, faked, It is one great fake.  Not necessarily of Mr Galsworthy.  The characters fake their own emotions.  But that doesn't help us.  And if you look closely at the characters, the meanness and low-level vulgarity are very distasteful.  You have all the Forsyte meanness with none of the energy.  Jolyon and Trene are meaner and more treacherous to their son than the older Forsytes were to theirs.  The young ones are of a limited, mechanical, vulgar egoism far sufpassing that of Swihin or James, their ancestors-
There is in it all a vulgar sense of being rich, and therefore we do as we like: an utter incapacity for anything like true feeling, especially in the women, Fleur, Trene, Annette, June: a glib crassness, a youthful spontaneity which is just impertinence and lack of feeling; and all the time a creeping "having" sort of vulgarity of money and sell-will, money and self-will (obstination opiniatrete) money and self-will so that we wonder sometimes if Mr Galsworthy is not treating his public in real bad faith, and being cynical and rancorous and his rainbow sentimentalism.
     Fleur he destroys in one word: she is "having". It is perfectly true.  We don't blame the young Jon for clearing out. Trene he destroys in a phrase out of Fleur's mouth to June: "Didn't she spoil your life too?" - and it is precisely what she did.  Sneaking and mean, she prevents Fleur. She is the bitch in the manger (la chiemme du jardinier qui n'aime pas les choux et empethe qui conque d'en manger) She is the sneaking "anti". Trene, the most beautiful woman on earth! And Mr Galsworhty, with the cynicism of a successful old sentimentalist, turns it off by making June say:  "Nobody can spoil a life, my dear.  That's nonsense. Things happen, but we bob up." (nous swinageous)

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