Vanity Fair - Genevieve's BookWyrm

English language

Published 2017 by Standard Ebooks.

(1 review)

Vanity Fair is perhaps Thackeray’s most famous novel. First serialized over the course of 19 volumes in Punch Magazine and first printed as a single volume in 1849, the novel cemented Thackeray’s literary fame and kept him busy with frequent revisions and even lecture circuits.

        <p>The story is framed as a puppet play, narrated by an unreliable narrator, that presents the story of Becky Sharp and Emmy Sedley and the people in their lives as they struggle through the Napoleonic Wars. The story itself, like many other Thackeray novels, is a satire of the lives of the Victorian English of a certain class. Thackeray packed the novel with allusions, many of which were difficult even for his contemporary readers; part of the heavy revisions he later made were making the allusions more accessible to his evolving audience.</p>
        <p>As part of his satirical bent, Thackeray made a point to make each …

Vanity Fair is perhaps Thackeray’s most famous novel. First serialized over the course of 19 volumes in Punch Magazine and first printed as a single volume in 1849, the novel cemented Thackeray’s literary fame and kept him busy with frequent revisions and even lecture circuits.

        <p>The story is framed as a puppet play, narrated by an unreliable narrator, that presents the story of Becky Sharp and Emmy Sedley and the people in their lives as they struggle through the Napoleonic Wars. The story itself, like many other Thackeray novels, is a satire of the lives of the Victorian English of a certain class. Thackeray packed the novel with allusions, many of which were difficult even for his contemporary readers; part of the heavy revisions he later made were making the allusions more accessible to his evolving audience.</p>
        <p>As part of his satirical bent, Thackeray made a point to make each character flawed, so that there are no “heroes” in the book—hence the subtitle “A Novel Without a Hero.” Thackeray’s goal was not only to entertain, but to instruct; to that end, he wanted the reader to look within themselves after finishing the unhappy conclusion, in which there’s no hint as to how society might be able to improve on the evils shadowed in the events of novel.</p>
        <p><i>Vanity Fair</i> received glowing praise by its critical contemporaries, and remains a popular book well into modern times, having been adapted repeatedly for film, radio, and television.</p>

41 editions

Gertie MacDowell reviewed Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

At last, I learn who Becky Sharp is.

4 stars

This book took a while to get into but in a good way (ultimately). We're thrown a couple of characters in Amelia, Rebecca, et al and I found myself not getting much in the way of interest until more things started happening and the character traits started to emerge. I'll admit, Becky Sharp is (as you might expect) the least ambiguous of the lot, but it took to near the end to finally figure out Amelia and the very end before it finally twigged that every character is a part of the 'vanity fair'; nobody lies outside of it, or even escapes!

Some people don't seem to like the back and forth nature of the story, but I found it helped break things up. So when I was just getting tired of reading about Emmy's banal woes, things switched to the tumultuous Becky and her escapades. Thackery's narrator helped with …

This book took a while to get into but in a good way (ultimately). We're thrown a couple of characters in Amelia, Rebecca, et al and I found myself not getting much in the way of interest until more things started happening and the character traits started to emerge. I'll admit, Becky Sharp is (as you might expect) the least ambiguous of the lot, but it took to near the end to finally figure out Amelia and the very end before it finally twigged that every character is a part of the 'vanity fair'; nobody lies outside of it, or even escapes!

Some people don't seem to like the back and forth nature of the story, but I found it helped break things up. So when I was just getting tired of reading about Emmy's banal woes, things switched to the tumultuous Becky and her escapades. Thackery's narrator helped with a feeling of consistency too. He's unreliable of course, but willing to amuse at the same time.

I did quite enjoy the satirical depiction of the upper classes. Nothing like a bit of gawking at your supposed 'betters' and realising they are just the same, only with more money, and alcohol.

The downsides include the usual old British colonialism, and more than a hint of anti-Irish sentiment. Although the latter is unsurprising given that Thackery was the prominent writer behind 'Punch' magazine's repugnant content with regard to Ireland and the Irish.

Overall, it's clear why this is a classic, and Becky Sharp is the primary reason why. Such a tenacious, ambitious, scheming woman can't help but attain a grudging respect from readers. Without her the book would be intolerably flat and lifeless. So while we can certainly begrudge her motivations and actions, we can't begrudge her worth to the other characters, and the story. Vanity Fair is well worth a read.

Subjects

Satire
England -- Fiction
Married women -- Fiction
Female friendship -- Fiction
Social classes -- Fiction
British -- Europe -- Fiction
Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815 -- Fiction