ABSTRACT
The day of the literary family chronicle seems long past, and occasionally when one sees on the library shelves the long sets of Galsworthy and de la Roche, one feels a pang of regret that the richness of those leisurely studies of generations of Forsytes and people of Jalna seem to modern readers tedious. Yet, a recently begun television series from the BBC brings into vibrant life the splendid group of property owners who went by the name of Forsyte, and makes their family history once more a thing of wonder, even for the young viewer. One of those responsible for the rejuvenation of the Forsytes has spoken with some astonishment of the interest this series has stirred up. He admitted that, when the television version of The Forsyte Saga was begun, he had suspected it would appeal only to those viewers over forty-five. To his astonishment he is now fully aware that it has found appeal among young men and women who hardly remember World War II! With this in mind, I turned over the pages of the long series of novels which make up The Forsyte Saga to see what there could be in those gentle chapters to appeal to those whose reading tastes, according to publishers, center more on violence and shock effects than on such genteel introspection as found in Galsworthy.
