Transcript William Makepeace Thackeray Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray
Vanity Fair
Title: Vanity Fair
Author: William Makepeace Thackeray
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Pages: 867
Publisher: , 0
ISBN: 0141439831
Format: PDF / Kindle / ePub
Size: 7.4 MB
Download: allowed
Description
Edited by John Carey.
Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published
in 1847–48, satirizing society in early 19th-century Britain. The book's title comes from John
Bunyan's allegorical story The Pilgrim's Progress, first published in 1678 and still widely read at
the time of Thackeray's novel. Vanity fair refers to a stop along the pilgrim's progress: a neverending fair held in a town called Vanity, which is meant to represent man's sinful attachment to
worldly things. The novel is now considered a classic, and has inspired several film adaptations.
Insightful reviews
Grace Tjan: Spoilers!
Miss Rebecca Sharp's Guide to the Regency Society
1. If a young lady is not born into either rank or fortune, she will be looked down upon by good
society and forced to exist in a humiliating dependency on others for life, unless the said young
lady is willing, nay, not merely willing, but most strenuously strive to improve her situation.
2. If the said young lady, despite being a poor orphan, happens to have the good fortune of
being admitted into an exclusive academy for young ladies as an articled pupil, she has to
ensure that she makes the utmost effort to learn everything that she could in that fine
establishment. The modern languages, Greek, Latin and the rudiments of Hebrew, as well as
music and dancing are important subjects that need to be mastered by an accomplished young
lady, but most important of all is the ability to speak good French with the purest Parisian
accent, for it enables the speaker to pass herself off as a daughter of the French aristocracy,
even though in reality her mother is a mere stage actress.
3. “A woman with fair opportunities, and without an absolute hump, may marry whom she
likes”.A wealthy husband should be prospected immediately after the young lady completes her
education. The brother of a school friend is most suitable, even if the said young man is a fat
dandy and not very sensible, as long as he is of ample inheritance. Beware of the gluttonous
young buck though, for an overindulgence in a bowl of punch might thwart a young lady’s
designs on him!
4. “Schoolmistresses' letters are to be trusted no more nor less than churchyard epitaphs”.
There are notable exceptions, it must be admitted, but they are exceedingly rare. Nevertheless,
the young lady, should she fail in her initial effort to land a wealthy husband, should endeavour
to gain a letter of introduction that would recommend her as a governess to the most
respectable of households. Such households, though populated by dissolute aristocrats, might
house a number of potential spouses. A younger son of a baronet, even though he is a
scoundrel, gambler, swindler and murderer, is a most suitable prospect, provided that he is to
inherit an elderly relative’s fortune.
5. “Let them show ever so little inclination, and men go down on their knees at once: old or
ugly, it is all the same”.
A little sweet talk and a wink, and they all fall on your feet bearing
trinkets of pearls and gold. It doesn’t matter a whit if he happens to be your best friend’s
husband, nor if you yourself is somebody’s else’s wife. It is best, however, if the gentleman
admirer is a wealthy, powerful nobleman, for the advantages that a clever lady could get from
him, financially or otherwise, is great indeed. Why, not only is he able to provide the lady’s
household with a thousand-pound cheque at a whim, he is also able to bestow a profitable
colonial governorship on the lady’s husband. Beware of the jealous husband, though, who
through an imaginary affront to his honor might destroy all of the lady’s clever schemes!
6. How To Live Well On Nothing A Year.
Appearances must be kept: a residence in Mayfair, a
smart carriage, the best game and wines for one’s entertainments, and the latest Parisian
fashions. How to afford all these when one has no regular income? Not to despair, the
ingenious lady always has means to do so. Prevail upon the generosity of friends and relatives.
Impose upon your landlord and your greengrocers, washerwomen and other domestics. Unlike
banks or Hebrew money-lenders, these little people are very unlikely to set loose a bailiff upon
your respectable self, especially if they are in awe of your noble family.
7. If all these schemes fail, and both your husband and gentleman admirer abandon you in a
cloud of scandal, despair not! A lady of some talent can always flee abroad and sing for her
supper, if necessary. Better still, if you could rekindle a relationship with a former beau, now
older and ailing, who though his own fortune is much encumbered, would take a life insurance
naming your pitiful self as a beneficiary. The small fortune that ensues from such a settlement is
surely enough to tide you over until your estranged son succeeds into his baronetcy and is
finally able to provide you with a generous allowance. Then you can spend your declining years
as an admirably pious and charitable society lady. Thus a penniless orphan girl need not
condemn herself to a life of servitude and penury, but instead rise into the pinnacle of society
through her industry and ingeniousness!
Jamie: Enjoyed this very much. It was quite funny in places. It's indeed "A Novel Without a
Hero", but I was pretty far into the book before I ceased to root for Becky Sharp. She's very
sympathetic in the beginning - her insincerity is hardly damning considering the hypocrisy that
surrounds her. There were a couple of places in her early life where a slight change in luck
could have made a reasonably honest woman of her. I particularly think that she and the elder
Sir Pitt would have suited each other.
You gradually lose patience with the other characters after a while, even if they're not as wicked
as Becky. Amelia Sedley is a pious fool, and Dobbin, the most honorable character, wastes half
his life pining for someone who doesn't appreciate him. Rawdon is weak and stupid and elicits
sympathy only because he feels a bit guilty for the bad things they do while they Live Well on
Nothing a Year, whereas Becky merely calculates how to prolong their deceptions.
The narrator breaks the "fourth wall" frequently, which I found annoying at first but the technique
grew on me.
I did think the book was a little too long. Towards the end the author makes some digressions
that seem pointless, and it felt as if he were reluctant to end his narration. Nevertheless, this is a
very engaging read overall.
Robert: Excessively Long Book Syndrome: It takes ages to read and it's more than a 100 years
old, therefore it must be great, right? Wrong! So wrong, in this case, that the editor's claim that it
"has strong claims to be the greatest novel in the English language" is laughable. It's not even
the greatest such novel of its century by a huge stretch - seriously, the best works of Hardy, the
Brontes and Austen are all better by a country mile, not least because they don't carry such a
ridiculous weight of excess verbiage. A modern editor would need to employ slash and burn to
prune this jungle back. Most of the excess is Authorial Voice going off along lengthy tangents
before getting back to describing the action. It's extreme even by Victorian standards.
Leaving the sheer length aside, the tone of the book ranges from scathing, sarcastic and
satirical to farcical, comical and ironical by way of such stations as bitter, sympathetic and
moralistic - with the clear message that Earthly pursuits are all vanity, as encapsulated in the
title metaphor, which is repeated ad nauseum through-out. Beyond that there are clear attitudes
in regard to the conduct of both women and men that go back-and-fore across the line between
cliche-Victorian stereotypes and socially progressive campaigner. The over-all bitter and
satirical tone, however, seems to detract from rather than strengthen the power of these
themes; Hardy's all-out Tragic approach is much more effective (and he is far more advanced in
his views anyway). The same goes for Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, where the real
terrors of marriage to an addict are laid bare. Austen's wit and humour and wish-fulfillment in
Pride and Prejudice is far more entertaining and has a female character everyone can get
behind and root for. That's completely absent here; the two contrasted female protagonists are
on the one hand, increasingly evil as the story progresses and on the other, dull and lacking all
perception of character in others. It's hard to like either of them after about the first third of the
book. Instead we have a Stoic hero, who whilst admirable in many ways, is also unexciting for
the most part.
By now you may be wondering why I staggered through all the 811p of relatively small print
constituting the main text. (The rest is notes and other "apparatus'). Occasionally I wondered
whether it was worth it, myself, but in fact, there is a good, if diluted, story here and some snortworthy humourous cracks and comic scenes as well as drama: there are times when Thackeray
focuses on his story-telling and the book becomes involving. Sufficiently so to drag the reader
(or at least this one) through to the end simply to find out how the whole mess of family conflicts
and marital disasters turns out for everybody (and there are so many characters that even
Thackeray can't keep them all straight at times, renaming a serving maid or two here and there
and the like.) And there are two great moments, two great sentences, one at the half-way point,
at Waterloo, the other right at the end in the closing paragraphs, that show a way forward to a
superior kind of writing - but I can't tell you what they are without spoiling everything.
Over-all, yes it was worth the effort, but when it comes to famous gigantic novels, Les
Misearbles and War and Peace are vastly more rewarding.
Margaret: I had a beautiful Everyman's variation of shallowness reasonable for numerous years,
simply sitting on my bookshelf unread, taking a look reproachfully at me. Finally, i made a
decision to take it down and skim it, therefore filling a massive hole in my Victorian-era reading.
I worry that i will be able to now simply be dissatisfied in Thackeray's different books (though I
intend to learn them anyway), simply because i cannot think something higher than vainness
Fair.The plot does sprawl a little, however the characters are so splendidly discovered that it
isn't important (and sprawling plots are a function i am used to in Victorian novels anyway). the
simplest factor in regards to the characters is how 3-dimensional they are, and the way
Thackeray by no means permits you to see them in black or white; during this "novel with out a
hero" (the book's subtitle), the worst characters have stable points, and the simplest have deep
flaws. The virtuous Amelia dangerously romanticizes her enjoyed one, whereas the depraved
Becky Sharp could be the novel's so much attractive (and definitely so much famous) character,
regardless of her immorality (though on the similar time, Thackeray by no means permits you to
lose sight of her crucial wickedness).
F.R.: Ah, what a breath of candy reduction Becky Sharp is! If the delicate bibliophile reads a
Dickens or a Wilkie Collins (or a variety of different writers of that day), she or he will speedily
turn into weary of the insipid, blonde haired heroines. They exist probably as natural and
virtuous paragons, to be enjoyed deeply through the hero, yet to have little or no character in
the back of that angelic air. Literature of the 19th century is stuffed with idealised women,
portrayed with none warts or foibles and all of the duller for it. That’s why Becky Sharp stands
up to now except her sisters in Victorian fiction – she is cunning, deceitful, ruthless, adulterous,
callous and horribly self-centred. And the fairly terrific half is that she isn’t even punished for it.
‘Vanity Fair’ debts itself as ‘A Novel and not using a Hero’ – however it does have Becky
Sharp. even though she will be able to rarely be defined as an admirable heroine, Becky
dominates many of the publication and is among the best girls ever to seem in fiction.The
challenge ‘Vanity Fair’ has even though is that it additionally includes Amelia Sedley – who's a
ways in the direction of that insipid, blonde-haired, Victorian heroine. Thackery’s narrative can
be eager about Becky Sharp, however it is Amelia it loves whilst it recognizes her personal
selfishness and need of a gleaming personality. i feel the reader is in a similar fashion purported
to fall in love with her, yet that doesn’t rather take place and as such she drags the narrative
down. It’s a selected challenge within the ultimate 3rd of the publication – the place Becky
disappears for an extended stretch and we’re requested to care concerning the nice
disappointment in Amelia’s soul. I haven’t learn ‘Vanity Fair’ considering that i used to be an
undergraduate, yet i assumed the exact same factor now as i will consider considering then – I
wager you Becky is having a greater time than we're at this point.Vanity reasonable is a superb
book, but when it’s subtitle was once ‘The lifestyles and occasions of Becky Sharp’, instead of
‘A Novel and not using a Hero’, it will have a greater declare to be one of many maximum
novels within the English Language.
Simona Bartolotta: «Il mio benevolo proposito è questo, amici e compagni: guidarvi attraverso i
vari spazi della Fiera di Vanità, tra negozi e spettacoli, nel più sfolgorante insieme di rumori e di
spensieratezza, according to poi tornare tutti a casa alla propria triste solitudine».Avevo in parte
dimenticato quanto di salutare e dolce ci sia nella lettura di un classico. Dopo averlo scritto, mi
rendo conto che "dimenticato" non è in line with niente los angeles parola più adatta: mi riferisco
a un sentimento che, una volta provato, non si può affatto dimenticare, viscerale com'è; mi
riferisco a un sentimento che, provato una volta, diventa un tenero assillo, un canto di sirena
che ammalia sempre, una madrepatria il cui richiamo echeggerà sempre. Questo, signori, è
l'angolo di me stessa che Thackeray ha rispolverato.E' facile capire perché l. a. Fiera delle
Vanità venga spesso ricordata con il suo sottotitolo, Romanzo senza eroe. L'Inghilterra che
l'autore dipinge è un luogo in cui un eroe sarebbe un pesce fuor d'acqua, i salotti in cui si
intrufola templi dedicati agli dei più svariati, nessuno dei quali si potrebbe venerare in una
chiesa. Questo romanzo non ha un eroe perché gli eroi sono mediocri. Questo romanzo non ha
un eroe perché gli eroi classici sono perfetti, integri, omogenei, saturi di bontà così come i loro
oppositori lo sono di perfidia. los angeles mondanità, dell'eroismo, non ha che farsene: non c'è
niente che un uomo soltanto onesto o una donna soltanto virtuosa possa voler acquistare tra
tutte le meraviglie esposte sulle bancarelle della Fiera delle vanità.Tale, almeno, è il pensiero
Thackeray. E il lettore, perlomeno in questo frangente, non può a ways altro che annuire
convinto e dirsi d'accordo. Destreggiarsi con Becky tra le sue mille macchinazioni è così
divertente da rendere i lamenti di Amelia persino commoventi, ridere della pomposità di Jos così
facile da convincerci a mostrare al timido Dobbin dei primi tempi los angeles benevolente
simpatia che non ha -ancora- fatto nulla according to meritarsi. Ed ecco dunque che in mezzo ai
difetti dei personaggi fittizi fanno capolino quelli del lettore che ama trastullarsi con le loro
avventure: se pensate che los angeles boriosità del tuttavia insicuro esattore di Boggley Wollah
non vi abbia resi compiacenti verso voi stessi e verso l'assennatezza di cui avete dato prova nel
riconoscerne los angeles comicità, allora fareste meglio a riprendere il romanzo e rileggerlo
daccapo, perché vi assicuro che vi siete persi gran parte dello spettacolo. Se non vi siete accorti
di quanto ridere delle umane pecche di questi personaggi abbia accresciuto in voi los angeles
sensazione di deprecarli a buon diritto, mentre passavate dall'orrore according to i misfatti di
Rebecca all'indignato biasimo according to i vizi di Gorge, e questo semplicemente perché
l'assistere a tante bassezze vi faceva sentire al di sopra di ognuna di loro, allora non avrete di
certo avuto il piacere di arrossire mentalmente fermandovi a metà del fatidico "Io non l'avrei mai
fatto" che il vostro cervello stava giusto tentando di formulare, e non avrete gustato l. a.
soddisfazione di esservi colti in un fallo così flagrante.Thackeray è un maestro già solo
according to los angeles sottigliezza con cui sa innescare questo meccanismo; c'è però un'altro
piccolo prodigio che l. a. sua abilità di ritrattista gli permette di compiere, un prodigio ben
familiare according to tutti i lettori, visto che ogni buon narratore dovrebbe essere in grado di
realizzarlo.Quando diciamo che pass over Rebecca Sharp non ha fatto altro che comportarsi
come los angeles vipera che è, da queste parole traspare una certa inevitabile ammirazione
consistent with l'abilità e l. a. scaltrezza della suddetta signorina. Quando mettiamo mani ai
capelli chiedendoci con frustrazione perché quello sciocco di Dobbin non si decida a capire che
è inutile sperare ancora che Amelia possa amarlo dopo quindici anni di corteggiamento a vuoto,
in realtà noi ragazze ci stiamo chiedendo se mai troveremo un affezionato, fedele, caro
maggiore tutto consistent with noi, e voi ragazzi se incontrerete mai una donna da amare con
tanta forza. Se anche siamo convinti che Rawdon sia solo un signorotto con troppi soldi, troppi
vizi e troppa abilità nei giochi di carte, ci si spezzerà ugualmente il cuore di fronte alla tenerezza
che dimostra verso suo figlio.Il punto è che niente è bianco o nero. C'è tutta una serie di
gradazioni nel mezzo, e anche messa così sembra una semplificazione, se si applica il sistema
all'infinita gamma delle personalità umane. Thackeray lo sapeva, ed è consistent with questo
che ci ha lasciato l. a. sua visione della terribile Fiera delle vanità, nelle cui fauci (scusate il
gioco di parole) si farebbe meglio a non finire, in keeping with quanto ci si possa stare comodi.
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