Authors

This article attempts to examine the sociocultural space of the United Kingdom, along with its peculiarities based on “The Forsyte Saga” by John Galsworthy. Today, the notion of such a sociocultural space still provokes heated debate among scholars. This paper is an attempt to define the main characteristics of this during one particular period. The sociocultural space of the UK in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was in a state of flux, where the norms and values of two epochs were in bitter conflict. The main focus of the novel is on the representatives of the elite. The author masterfully depicts the ideals, norms and values that formed the basis of upper-class English life during this time. The Forsytes were a highly conservative family, whose outlook was based on cold calculations and a hunger for profit. By contrast, intellectuals and artists of the time saw this world differently. They valued love, family, and sincerity over cash. These contradictory mindsets form the core of a sharp conflict that completely reshaped the sociocultural space of the United Kingdom (particularly England). The ideals and values of a world of feelings and emotions prevailed over the norms and principles of a more materialistic world, and determined the many peculiarities of the sociocultural space of the new era.

The sociocultural space of the UK, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was in a state of flux. During the time, the norms and values of two different epochs were in sharp conflict, bringing to light such phenomena as conformism and nonconformism. In “The Forsyte Saga”, John Galsworthy masterfully described the interaction between people from different social classes and their different mindsets. Strict compliance with acceptable norms and values, in the case of “The Forsyte Saga”, is what conformism refers to. Nonconformism refers to the struggle for freedom, love and happiness. It was a revolution against the ethos of the Forsytes, an ethos based on cold calculations and a need for profit. Based on the analysis of this phenomenon, the dynamics of the development of society can be traced. The Victorian era faded into the past. The Forsytes, the embodiment of the passing era, were the representatives of a society in which there was nothing more important than an impeccable reputation and a stable income. The new era belonged to those who put family, art and beauty above money and public opinion. Their aim was to determine the basis of a new sociocultural space.