The Silver Spoon by John Galsworthy (1925)

In this second novel of The Modern Comedy trilogy, Galsworthy once again focuses on the state of England following The Great War. This time he provides a bit more substantial plot (although it is still secondary), and rather cleverly ties his political/sociological commentary and his story progression together thematically. He straightforwardly announces his theme in the title: The upper classes of England, personified by the central character Fleur, have been spoiled by a past of wealth and privilege and have devolved into living only for the moment, satisfying their sense of entitlement without regard for traditional values or the future or the welfare of others. Just in case a reader might miss his point, Galsworthy repeats "silver spoon" references many times.

The plot centers on a bitchy catfight between Fleur and one of her young society rivals, Marjorie Ferrar. The rival gossips about Fleur at a party, calling her a "snob." She is overheard by Soames Forsyte, Fleur's father, who publicly asks her to leave. When Fleur finds out, she responds by writing notes to several of her "friends," calling Marjorie "a snake of the first water" without "a moral about her." The "friends," of course, tell Marjorie, who decides to sue for defamation. The most lively part of the book comes when Fleur's clever lawyer cross examines Marjorie at the trial, leading her into gradually admitting that she is indeed without a moral about her, at least in the traditional sense. That Fleur shares this fashionably "modern" outlook is not mentioned, of course.

Fleur's husband Michael is a Member of Parliament and Galsworthy channels his substantial political commentary through him. He is the most sympathetic character in the novel, one of the few to evidence unselfish concern for the problems of others or an awareness that England might be headed for grave problems. As I am sure Galsworthy intended, Fleur is an entirely unsympathetic character.. In the end, she runs away from the mess she has made, leaving husband and child to take a trip around the world with her indulgent father, who had put the silver spoon in her mouth in the first place.

This second installment of the trilogy is more interesting than the first, The White Monkey, but it is not nearly on a par with Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga trilogy. It seems like nothing so much as the gloomy observations of a grumpy old man, who perceives that the younger generation is "going to the dogs."