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Vanity Fair
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Vanity Fair (1848) (edit title/settings)

by William Makepeace Thackeray (Author) (edit contributors)

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"Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray that satirizes society in early 19th-century England. The term "vanity fair" originates from the allegorical story The Pilgrim's Progress, published in 1678 by John Bunyan where there is a town fair held in a... read more

Summary edit see section history

Amelia Sedley, of good family, and Rebecca Sharp, an orphan, leave Miss Pinkerton's academy on Chiswick Mall to live out their lives in Vanity Fair — the world of social climbing and search for wealth. Amelia does not esteem the values of Vanity Fair; Rebecca cares for nothing... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Amelia Sedley, of good family, and Rebecca Sharp, an orphan, leave Miss Pinkerton's academy on Chiswick Mall to live out their lives in Vanity Fair — the world of social climbing and search for wealth. Amelia does not esteem the values of Vanity Fair; Rebecca cares for nothing else.


Rebecca first attempts to enter the sacred domain of Vanity Fair by inducing Joseph Sedley, Amelia's brother, to marry her. George Osborne, however, foils this plan; he intends to marry Amelia and does not want a governess for a sister-in-law. Rebecca takes a position as governess at Queen's Crawley, and marries Rawdon Crawley, second son of Sir Pitt Crawley. Because of his marriage, Rawdon's rich aunt disinherits him.

First introduced as a friend of George Osborne, William Dobbin becomes the instrument for getting George to marry Amelia, after George's father has forbidden the marriage on account of the Sedley's loss of fortune. Because of George's marriage, old Osborne disinherits him. Both young couples endeavor to live without sufficient funds. George dies at Waterloo. Amelia would have starved but for William Dobbin's anonymous contribution to her welfare. Joseph goes back to his post in India, claiming such valor at Waterloo that he earns the nickname "Waterloo Sedley." Actually he fled at the sound of the cannon. Both Rebecca and Amelia give birth to sons.

Rebecca claims she will make Rawdon's fortune, but actually she hides much of her loot, obtained from admiring gentlemen. When she becomes the favorite of the great Lord Steyne, she accumulates both money and diamonds. In the meantime innocent Rawdon draws closer to Lady Jane, wife of Rawdon's older brother, Pitt, who has inherited from the rich aunt.

When Rawdon discovers Rebecca in her treachery, he is convinced that money means more to her than he or the son whom she has always hated. He refuses to see her again and takes a post in Coventry Island, where he dies of yellow fever.

Because her parents are starving and she can neither provide for them nor give little Georgy what she thinks he needs, Amelia gives up her son to his grandfather Osborne. William Dobbin comes back from the service, reconciles old Osborne to Amelia, whereat Osborne makes a will leaving Georgy half of his fortune and providing for Amelia.

Rebecca, having lost the respectability of a husband, wanders in Europe for a couple of years and finally meets Joseph, Georgy, Amelia, and William on the Continent. Rebecca sets about to finish what she started to do at the first of the book — that is, to ensnare Joseph. She does not marry him, but she takes all his money and he dies in terror of her, the implication being that she has, at least, hastened his death.

At the end of the book Rebecca has the money necessary to live in Vanity Fair; she appears to be respectable. William has won Amelia. Rebecca has been the one who jolted Amelia into recognition that George, her first love, wasn't worthy.

Little Rawdon, upon the death of his uncle Pitt and his cousin Pitt, becomes the heir of Queen's Crawley. Little George, through the kindness of Dobbin, has lost his distorted values obtained in Vanity Fair. The reader feels that these young persons of the third generation will be better people than their predecessors in Vanity Fair.

Characters edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero. {Thackeray}”
  • “We are Turks with the affections of our women: and have made them subscribe to our doctrine too. We let their bodies go abroad liberally enough, with smiles and ringlets and pink bonnets to disguise them instead of veils and yakmaks {Islamic veils covering the face}. But their souls must be seen by only one man, and they obey not unwillingly, and consent to remain at home as our slaves -- ministering to us and doing drudgery for us.”
  • “'You don't know anything about business, my dear,' answered {Emmy's} sire, shaking his head with an important air. And it must be confessed that on this point Emmy was very ignorant, and that it is a pity some people are so knowing.”
  • “Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?”
  • “The fact is, it was a triumph of British diplomacy: the French party having proposed and tried their utmost to carry a marriage with a princess of the house of Potztausend-Donnerwetter; whom, as a matter of course, we opposed.”
  • “I defy any one to say that our Becky, who has certainly some vices, has not been presented to the public in a perfectly genteel and inoffensive manner. In describing this siren, singing and smiling, coaxing and cajoling, the author, with modest pride, asks his readers all round, has he once forgotten the laws of politeness, and showed the monster's hideous tail above wqater? No! Those who like may peep down under waves that are pretty transparent, and see it writhing and twirling, diabolically hideous and slimy, flapping amongst bones, or curling round corpses; but above the water line, I ask, has not everything been proper, agreeable, and decorous, and has any the most squeamish immoralist in Vanity Fair a right to cry fie?”
  • “A woman with fair opportunities, and without an absolute hump, may marry WHOM SHE LIKES. Only let us be thankful that the darlings are like the beasts of the field, and don’t know their own power. They would overcome us entirely if they did.”
  • “…and so I am tempted to think that to be despised by her sex is a very great compliment to a woman.”
  • “If people only made prudent marriages, what a stop to population there would be!”
  • “Revenge may be wicked, but it's natural.”
    Becky (Rebecca) Sharp
  • “The world is a looking glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face.”
  • “Are there not little chapters in everybody's life that seem to be nothing and yet affect all the rest of the history?”
  • “The best of women... are hypocrites. We don't know how much they hide from us.”
  • “"I can endure poverty, but not shame--neglect but not insult; and insult from--from you."”
    Becky (Rebecca) Sharp
Show all 14 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

While the present century was in its teens, and on one sun-shiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall,1 a large family coach, with two fat horses in blazing harness, driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig, at the rate of four miles an hour.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Introduction

Chapter I Chiswick Mall
Chapter II In Which Miss Sharp and Miss Sedley Prepare to Open the Campaign
Chapter III Rebecca is in the Presence of the Enemy
Chapter IV The Green Silk Purse
Chapter V Dobbin of Our
Chapter VI Vauxhall
Chapter VII Crawley of Queen's Crawley
Chapter VIII Private and Confidential
Chapter IX Family Portraits
Chapter X Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends
Chapter XI Arcadian Simplicity
Chapter XII Quite a Sentimental Chapter
Chapter XIII Sentimental and Otherwise
Chapter XIV Miss Crawley at Home
Chapter XV In Which Rebecca's Husband Appears for a Short Time
Chapter XVI The Letter on the Pincushion
Chapter XVII How Captain Dobbin Bought a Piano
Chapter XVIII Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin Bought
Chapter XIX Miss Crawley at Nurse
Chapter XX In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen
Chapter XXI A Quarrel About An Heiress
Chapter XXII A Marriage and Part of a Honeymoon
Chapter XXIII Captain Dobbin Proceeds on His Canvass
Chapter XXIV In Which Mr. Osborne Takes Down the Family Bible
Chapter XXV In Which All the Principal Personages Think Fit to Leave Brighton
Chapter XXVI Between London and Chatham
Chapter XXVII In Which Amelia Joins Her Regiment
Chapter XXVIII In Which Amelia Invades the Low Countries
Chapter XXIX Brussels
Chapter XXX "The Girl I Left Behind Me"
Chapter XXXI In Which Jos Sedley Takes Care of His Sister
Chapter XXXII In Which Jos Takes Flight, and the War Is Brought to a Close
Chapter XXXIII In Which Miss Crawley's Relations Are Very Anxious About Her
Chapter XXXIV James Crawley's Pipe Is Put Out
Chapter XXXV Widow and Mother
Chapter XXXVI How to Live Well on Nothing a Year
Chapter XXXVII The Subject Continued
Chapter XXXVIII A Family in a Very Small Way
Chapter XXXIX A Cynical Chapter
Chapter XL In Which Becky Is Recognized by the Family
Chapter XLI In Which Becky Revisits the Halls of Her Ancestors
Chapter XLII Which Treats of the Osborne Family
Chapter XLIII In Which the Reader Has to Double the Cape
Chapter XLIV A Roundabout Chapter Between London and Hampshire
Chapter XLV Between Hampshire and London
Chapter XLVI Struggles and Trials
Chapter XLVII Gaunt House
Chapter XLVIII In Which the Reader Is Introduced to the Very Best of Company
Chapter XLIX In Which We Enjoy Three Courses and a Dessert
Chapter L Contains a vulgar Incident
Chapter LI In Which a Charade Is Acted Which May or May Not Puzzle the Reader
Chapter LII In Which Lord Steyne Shows Himself in a Most Amiable Light
Chapter LIII A Rescue and a Catastrophe
Chapter LIV Sunday After the Battle
Chapter LV In Which the Same Subject is Pursued
Chapter LVI Georgy Is Made a Gentleman
Chapter LVII Eothen
Chapter LVIII Our Friend the Major
Chapter LIX The Old Piano
Chapter LX Returns to the Genteel World
Chapter LXI In Which Two Lights Are Put OUt
Chapter LXII Am Rhein
Chapter LXIII In Which We Meet an Old Acquaintance
Chapter LXIV A Vagabond Chapter
Chapter LXV Full of Business and Pleasure
Chapter LXVI Amantium Irae
Chapter LXVII Which Contains Births, Marriages, and Deaths

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Bildungsroman: a coming-of-age novel focusing on the psychological and moral growth of the main character from youth to adulthood.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 905 of 1286 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
This book is in The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. (community list)
This is book 33 of 101 in Penguin English Library. (publisher series)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This book is in Penguin's Top 100 Classics. (authoritative list)
This book is in Big Fat Books. (community list)
This is book 24 of 91 in The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time, 2004. (authoritative list)
This is book 79 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)
This is book 122 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
This is book 36 of 113 in Book Smart Reading List. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. William Makepeace Thackeray (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: London, Bradbury, & Evans
Country: England
Publication Date: 1848
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 730

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PR5618
  • Dewey: 823.8

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