The Forsyte Saga (2002 Miniseries) - Differences From The Novels

Differences From The Novels

The main differences between the serialisation of The Forsyte Saga and To Let and the Galsworthy novels are as follows:

Timing

The timing of the events in the series and novel differ considerably. The novel begins in 1886 and the series begins in 1874. The writers of the series understood how difficult it would be to present the series in the order that events take place in the novel. Producer Sita Williams stated that "The novels actually start with the engagement of June to Bosinney, in the middle of the story. You learn about Soames's wooing of Irene and about Young Jolyon's affair with the governess, Helene, through the gossip and memories of the other characters. It's great for a novel, but not for TV. This isn't like adapting Dickens, who wrote perfect, straightforward, linear narratives. Galsworthy is more complicated than that. So we had to look at the back story and tease out the important things and put them on screen."

Irene

In the novels, the character of Irene is rather mysterious. She has no voice within the narrative and is described only by her effect on the characters around her. In the series the character of Irene is far more complex and the viewer is able to form a more personal relationship with the character and more readily sympathise with her. In the novel Irene is described more than once as having fair hair and dark eyes, this physical appearance being key to her particular brand of her attractiveness to nearly all the men in the novels. Actress Gina McKee, who portrayed Irene in the series, did not. This mattered little to Director Christopher Menaul "The hardest part of casting was the search for Irene. She's an elusive character - even Galsworthy admitted that he'd drawn her in shadows, that she presented a different facade to every character in the book".

Forsyte siblings

The early novels put more emphasis on the older generations of Forsytes. All ten of the older Forsyte siblings feature in the novels which include several chapters devoted to Timothy (Afternoon at Timothy's, Timothy Prophesies) who shares his house on the Bayswater Road with his sisters Ann, Hester and Mrs Small (Aunt Juley). Roger (George Forsyte's father) features in the novel, as do the other Forsyte siblings Nicholas and Susan, none of whom appear in the television series. Much of the dialogue of the older, generation and their Victorian sensibilities are an ironic counterbalance to the new, younger generation of Forsytes and the sometimes scandalous and dramatic events in their lives. Many other characters such as George Forsyte's siblings Francie and Eustace, and Nicholas's children Young Nicholas and Euphemia are also not featured in the television series. Imogen Dartie features briefly in the early television episodes and not seen again in the later series. Her presence is much greater in the novels.

Writer Jan McVerry explained that there were tough decisions to be made and that many of the secondary characters had to be omitted from the series. "We were concentrating on the strongest stories." she said "We went through the novels and decided which episodes were going into the script and which weren't You have to do that with any adaptation: you can't represent every incidental character or you'd go on for thousands of hours and bore everyone to death. This is drama and you have to pare it down a bit".

Other differences include:

The interlude Indian Summer of a Forsyte, which takes place in the summer of 1892, describes the rekindling of Old Jolyon and Irene's relationship (parts of which are featured in Episode Four of the 2002 television series). In the novel Helene is abroad with Young Jolyon and June at that time and dies in 1894, in the series she has already died.

Bosinney's death is the background of the novel but is vividly displayed on screen in the series More contact with his Aunt Baines including a trip to Wales to visit her during his engagement to June, is featured in the novels.

Similarly the rape of Irene by Soames in the fourth episode of the series is only mentioned in the novel as the opening lines of the chapter entitled Voyage into the Inferno the fourth chapter of The Man of Property: “The morning after a certain night on which Soames last asserted his rights and acted like a man, he breakfasted alone”. This event, quite overlooked by the novel in some respects, features as a major catalyst which ultimately determines the future of many of the characters in the television adaptation.

In the novel Jolly and Val meet while both at Oxford and it is Young Jolyon and Holly's visit there that begins Holly and Val's relationship. In the series Holly and Val's meeting takes place at Robin Hill just as Jolly has left for the university, and it is combined with Soames's first approach to Jolyon, as Irene's trustee, to find out if there is evidence for him to undertake divorce proceedings.

Irene does not visit Robin Hill to tell Young Jolyon to tell him of Soames approaching her to resume their marriage in the novel, nor does Soames attempt to approach her in the street while Irene is assisting her "ladies of the night" as depicted in the series - rather Young Jolyon visits Irene several times and meets Soames in the street when he has been at Irene's flat in Chelsea and his discovery is made there.

The character of Montague Dartie continues on into the second To Let series but does not appear in the novels. It is stated in the series of novels that Monty's death occurs in 1913, seven years before the To Let events occur.

In the novel Irene and June resume their friendship prior to Young Jolyon and Irene becoming romantically involved. Their reunion is delayed in the series until after the birth of their son Jon, at the end of the last episode.

In To Let, Michael Mont meets Soames in June Forsyte's Cork Street Gallery, not at an auction, and this occurs moments before Fleur and Jonhave their first encounter. The series shows a meeting of Jon and Fleur at the home of June's Aunts on Hester's birthday when they are both around nine years old but this is not described in the novel.

The series shows Fleur going incognito to Robin Hill and making the acquaintance of Young Jolyon thereby providing an excuse for Young Jolyon to behave angrily toward her later and to provide evidence to his son that she is not to be trusted. This does not occur in the novels.

The painting of the girl in the hat by Degas is not a feature of the novel. It is a painting by Goya that is mentioned several times but a painting does not feature in Irene and Soames's later meeting in the novel.

In the novel To Let, Jon Forsyte is provided the information regarding his mother‘s past relationship to and ultimate violation by Soames in a letter written by his father. Those revelations are provided by his father face to face, together with Irene, in the series. This conversation does not, in the novel, immediately precede Young Jolyon’s death (though it comes soon after) and it is Jon, not Irene who learns of his illness first.

In the novels Jon and Fleur do not have a sexual encounter during their initial romance. In a later Galsworthy novel, Swan Song, Fleur wishes she had trapped Jon into marriage by sleeping with him and being "compromised," and later Jon and Fleur do have a one night stand, while both married to other people, many years after events of To Let take place.

In the novels the character of Aunt Hester dies in 1907 but in the series she's still alive in 1920.

The scene between Soames and Fleur on her wedding day that includes his confession about his grand passion for Irene and his lingering regret at what happened between them does not occur in the novels.

The character of Prosper Profond is less important to the events that occur in the novels. In contrast, in the series he is quite prominent, being instrumental to the lives of some characters and often behaves in a rather clownish manner which is in contrast to the rather shadowy figure he is depicted as in the novels.

At the end of the novel Jon Forsyte goes to work in British Columbia, rather than in New York as the series suggests. In the novel his mother Irene joins him but this is not made clear in the series.

Finally, the hand shake that takes place between Irene and Soames in the last scene of the television series does not occur in the novel. In the novel it is Soames who refuses Irene's hand but this scene takes place in the gallery, not at Robin Hill and some time later than the series depicts.