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Vanity Fair
●Background●Content●Characters●Literarysignificanceandcriticism
HistoricalContextThenovelisbasedonBritishupper-middlesocietyinnineteenthcentury.Britainhasstrong,developedindustryandcommerce,andmerchantswhobecamerichbyexploitingcolonistsdominatethesociety.BritainwasatwarwithFrance,whichisthebattleofWaterloo.Allthepeopleamongtheupper-middlesocietyscrambledforfame,wealthandpower.
PublicationVanityFair:ANovelwithoutaHeroisanovelbyWilliamMakepeaceThackeray,firstpublishedin1847–48,satirizingsocietyinearly19th-centuryBritain.Thebook"stitlecomesfromJohnBunyan"sallegoricalstoryThePilgrim"sProgress.Vanityfairreferstoastopalongthepilgrim"sprogress:anever-endingfairheldinatowncalledVanity,whichismeanttorepresentman"ssinfulattachmenttoworldlythings.
ContentofthenovelAmeliaSedley,ofgoodfamily,andRebeccaSharp,anorphan,leaveMissPinkerton"sacademyonChiswickMalltoliveouttheirlivesinVanityFair.RebeccafirstattemptstoenterthesacreddomainofVanityFairbyinducingJosephSedley,Amelia"sbrother,tomarryher.RebeccatakesapositionasgovernessatQueen"sCrawley,andmarriesRawdonCrawley.Butbecauseofhismarriage,Rawdon"srichauntdisinheritshim.AsafriendofGeorgeOsborne,WilliamDobbinbecomestheinstrumentforgettingGeorgetomarryAmelia.GeorgediesatWaterloo.AmeliawouldhavestarvedbutforWilliamDobbin"sanonymouscontributiontoherwelfare.BothRebeccaandAmeliagivebirthtosons.WhenshebecomesthefavoriteofthegreatLordSteyne,sheaccumulatesbothmoneyanddiamonds.Butshehidesmuchofherloot.InthemeantimeinnocentRawdondrawsclosertoLadyJane,wifeofRawdon"solderbrother,Pitt,whohasinheritedfromtherichaunt.WhenRawdondiscoversRebeccainhertreachery,helefther.
BecauseherparentsarestarvingandshecanneitherprovideforthemnorgivelittleGeorgywhatshethinksheneeds,AmeliagivesuphersontohisgrandfatherOsborne.WilliamDobbincomesbackfromtheservice,reconcilesoldOsbornetoAmelia,whereatOsbornemakesawillleavingGeorgyhalfofhisfortuneandprovidingforAmelia.Rebecca,havinglosttherespectabilityofahusband,wandersinEuropeforacoupleofyearsandfinallymeetsJoseph,Georgy,Amelia,andWilliamontheContinent.Rebeccasetsabouttofinishwhatshestartedtodoatthefirstofthebook—thatis,toensnareJoseph.Shedoesnotmarryhim,butshetakesallhismoneyandhediesinterrorofher,theimplicationbeingthatshehas,atleast,hastenedhisdeath.AttheendofthebookRebeccahasthemoneynecessarytoliveinVanityFair;sheappearstoberespectable.WilliamhaswonAmelia.LittleRawdon,uponthedeathofhisunclePittandhiscousinPitt,becomestheheirofQueen"sCrawley.LittleGeorge,throughthekindnessofDobbin,haslosthisdistortedvaluesobtainedinVanityFair.
AnalysisofthecharactersBeckySharpAmeliaSedleyJosSedleyRawdonCrawleySirPittCrawleyMissMatidaCrawleyGeorgeOsborneWilliamDobbin
BeckySharpThackerayexplainswhyBeckydoeswhatshedoes:“Shewasofawild,rovingnature,inheritedfromfatherandmother,whowerebothBohemians（波西米亚人）,bytasteandcircumstance..."
Shesacrificeshusband,child,friendstoit;butsheenjoysthebattle."AtleastIshallbeamongstgentlefolks—andnotwithvulgarcitypeople."
AftereavesdroppingonWilliam"stalkwithAmelia,Beckysaystoherself,“Whatanobleheartthatmanhas,andhowshamefullythatwomanplayswithit...ifIcouldhavehadsuchahusbandasthat—amanwithaheartandbrainstoo!Iwouldnothavemindedhislargefeet...”
AmeliaSedleyAmeliaisconsideredtheheroine:goodnaturedbutpassiveandnaive.Shehasaround,rosysnub-nosedfaceandbrownhair.MissPinkertondescribesherasindustrious,obedient,sweet,andbeloved.Shehasmasteredtheseaccomplishments:music,dancing,orthography,embroidery,andneedlework.
Amelia"sloyaltyandlong,blinddevotiontoGeorgeamountalmosttostupidity.AnyfaultinGeorgesheinterpretsasafaultinherselfandaccusesherselfofguiltylovetoaccountforhishavingbeenkilled.Sweet,lovable,refreshing,shehasneitherthesparklenorthementalityofBecky.
BeckySharp&AmeliaSedleyAmeliaremainsblindtoDobbin"sgoodnessthroughoutmuchofthebookandalthoughhereyeshavebeenopenedtoacertainextentregardingBecky,yetwhenshethinksBeckyneedsafriend,shereturnstocomfortandhelpher.Amelia"sinnocenceandreadybeliefinotherpeoplemakeherunbelievablygoodincontrasttoBecky"sunbelievableduplicity.Bothattractyoungmen,butfordifferentreasons.Ameliadependsonothersforheropinions,andthisiswhyittakesasharpcompanionlikeBeckytosetherstraight—tomakeherseerealities.
RawdonCrawleyThackeraydescribeshimasa"heavydragoonwithstrongdesiresandsmallbrains,whohadnevercontrolledapassioninhislife."Rawdon"smarriageandhisloveforRebeccaandlittleRawdy,tamehim.…andaftershe(Becky)isalone,shewishesshehadRawdonagain—"Shethoughtabout"him"withgreatsadness,andperhapslonging—abouthishonest,stupid,constantkindnessandfidelity:hisnever-ceasingobedience;hisgoodhumour;hisbraveryandcourage."
ContemporarycriticsEvenbeforethelastpartoftheserialwaspublished,criticshailedtheworkasaliterarytreasure.Althoughthecriticsweresuperlativeintheirpraise,theyexpresseddisappointmentattheunremittinglydarkportrayalofhumannature,fearingThackerayhadtakenhisdismalmetaphortoofar.Inresponsetohiscritics,Thackerayexplainedthathesawpeopleforthemostpart"abominablyfoolishandselfish".Theunhappyendingwasintendedtoinspirereaderstolookinwardattheirownshortcomings.
TheoristsThenovelisasatireofsocietyasawhole,characterizedbyhypocrisyandopportunism,butitisnotareformingnovel;thereisnosuggestionthatsocialorpoliticalchanges,orgreaterpietyandmoralreformismcouldimprovethenatureofsociety.Itthuspaintsafairlybleakviewofthehumancondition.ThisbleakportraitiscontinuedwithThackeray"sownroleasanomniscientnarrator,oneofthewritersbestknownforusingthetechnique.Hecontinuallyoffersasidesabouthischaractersandcomparesthemtoactorsandpuppets,buthisscorngoesevenasfarashisreaders;accusingallwhomaybeinterestedinsuch"VanityFairs"asbeingeither"ofalazy,orabenevolent,orasarcasticmood".
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