[The following essay is part of a thesis presented at The University of Pennsylvania in 1927.]

To speak of Swinnerton's novels in general we may say that he writes principally of the lower middle class life in London and in the cheaper suburbs. The exceptions to this are the three successful studies of the upper middle classes found in The Casement, Shops and Houses and September. His greatest weakness is in plot work; few of his endings have a finished effect, the reader is left dangling, dissatisfied. This is notable particularly in The Happy Family, On the Staircase, and Young Felix. His best motivation is achieved through character analysis as in the case of September. When he is unable to proceed by that method, he is at a loss and finds it necessary to use the various devices which are only too familiar to the reader.

For settings Swinnerton...