The forsyte saga

MAJOR CHARACTERS
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“Old Jolyon” Forsyte - An eighty-year-old former tea merchant, he is estranged from his son
“Young Jolyon” but dotes on his granddaughter June. He lives in the past and regrets that
nothing is as good as it used to be in the old days.
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Swithin Forsyte - Old Jolyon’s younger brother, he is a bachelor and a former land agent who
loves the pretensions of aristocracy.
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James Forsyte - Swithin’s twin brother, he is a solicitor whose god is money. Soames is his
son.
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“Young Jolyon” Forsyte - He became estranged from his family when he deserted his wife
and young daughter June to run off with the family governess, with whom he has two
children, Jolly and Holly. He is a watercolor artist. Eventually he marries Irene after she
leaves Soames.
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June Forsyte - Young Jolyon’s daughter, she is initially engaged to Philip Bosinney, but he
leaves her for Irene, then dies. She eventually purchases a gallery and becomes a patron of
young artists, whom she takes under her wing.
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Jolyon “Jolly” Forsyte - Young Jolyon’s son by the governess, he goes to Oxford where he
wastes his time and money. He dies of an intestinal virus in South Africa during the Boer
War.
•
Val Dartie - The son of Soames’ sister Winifred, he is a ne’er-do-well who marries Jolly’s
sister Holly.

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Philip Bosinney - An architect who is June’s fiancé, he builds a house for Soames and Irene
at Robin Hill. The Forsytes, somewhat uncomfortable with his background and status, refer
to him as the Buccaneer. He falls deeply in love with Irene, thus he never marries June, but
is run over by a carriage and killed after losing a lawsuit over the house to Soames.
•
Soames Forsyte - The son of James, he is married to the beauteous Irene, though their
marriage is not a happy one. He is a solicitor, and the central figure in the trilogy.
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Irene Forsyte - Soames’ lovely wife, she has a flirtation with Philip Bosinney and ultimately
leaves her husband and marries his cousin Young Jolyon.
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Jolyon “Jon” Forsyte - The son of Young Jolyon and Irene, he falls in love with Fleur at first
sight but refuses to marry her on order to avoid hurting his mother.
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Annette Lamotte - A French girl who keeps the books in her mother’s restaurant in London,
she becomes Soames’ second wife though she is twenty-five years his junior. The marriage
is a loveless one, and she has an affair with Prosper Profond.
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Fleur Forsyte - Soames and Annette’s vivacious and strong-willed daughter, she falls in love
with Jon Forsyte but eventually marries Michael Mont.
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Prosper Profond - A Frenchman of Armenian heritage who becomes a hanger-on of the
Forsyte family, frequently visiting Winifred Dartie and having an affair with Annette.