John Galsworthy: The Island of Hypocrites

The Island of Hypocrites was the first in a series of satirical novels by John Galsworthy. In it, the author presents a generalised critical picture of English "respectable" society, which in the novel is represented by the bourgeoisie. The idea of the Island of Hypocrites is not complicated. Its hero Richard Shelton, a typical representative of English privileged society, is engaged to a girl from a wealthy aristocratic family and the whole plot of the novel unfolds over the course of several months of their engagement. Does Shelton happen to get to know the world of the outcast and downtrodden who live in the squalid slums of London, and does this make him reflect on the injustice of the world? Great acting solo by Luděk Munzar