VANITY FAIR BY WILLIAM MAKEPEACE

Thackeray BIography of WIllIam Makepeace

William Thackeray was born in Calcutta, India. His father, Richmond Thackeray, was a secretary to the board of revenue in the British East India Company. His mother, Anne Becher, sent him to England for his education when his father died in 1815. He eventually attended the Charterhouse School, which he despised and later parodied as "Slaughterhouse" in his fiction. It was here that his first writing appeared, in the publications The Snob and The Gownsman. His matriculation to Trinity College was delayed by illness, and he dropped out in 1830.

Over the next six years, Thackeray led a scattered and irresponsible life. He traveled all over Europe and met Goethe in Weimar. When he returned to England he began to study law, but soon abandoned the field. Thackeray lost much of his fortune to gambling and to failed investments as a result of the collapse of two Indian banks. Thackeray also tried pursuing an art career but again abandoned the subject when he did not find immediate success. Finally, he made two attempts at founding newspapers, but both resulted in failure.

William married Isabella Shawe, daughter of Colonel Matthew Shawe, a British Officer who served with distinction in India. Three daughters were born of the marriage, Anne, Harriet, and Jane, who died as a child. Tragedy struck his personal life during this period when his wife sank into a deep depression after the birth and quick death of this third child. She would never fully recover and would be confined in a home near Paris.

To support his family, Thackeray turned to journalism. The ten-year period from 1837 to 1847 were some of his most productive and saw him published in several magazines on topics ranging from literary and art criticism to political and social commentaries. He began to gain some notoriety when he published two travel books and The Book of Snobs, which appeared in the newly created Punch magazine as "The Snob Papers" (1846-47).

After years of attempt, fame was finally established when the novel Vanity Fair first appeared in serial installments beginning in January, 1847. Piggybacking on the success of Vanity Fair, several successful novels followed, including Pendennis, The Newcomes, and The History of Henry Esmond. Thackeray became much sought after as a lecturer in the US and in England, and he was hailed as an equal of Dickens. Feeling perhaps over-confident, William took a run for Parliament but fell short by a mere 33 votes. He continued to publish in magazines and became editor of Cornhill Magazine in 1860.

During the 1850s, William Thackeray's health began to deteriorate, exacerbated by over-eating and excessive drinking. On December 23, 1863, he suffered a severe stroke and died in his home. Several thousand mourners attended his funeral and he was buried at Kensal Green Cemetary. Marochetti sculpted a memorial bust which is still on display in Westminster Abbey.

Major Works

Vanity Fair 1847

Pendennis 1850

Henry Esmond 1852

The Newcomes 1853-55

Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero  1848

VANITY FAIR SUMMARY

The novel opens at Miss Pinkerton's Academy for young women, where readers are introduced to Amelia and Becky, the novel's female protagonists. Amelia and Becky are friends, but they are nothing alike. Amelia is kind and innocent and comes from a family with money. Becky Sharp, on the other hand, is sharp and scheming and emerges from an impoverished situation. Miss Pinkerton, utterly disgusted with Becky's behavior, sets her up in a governess position at the Crawley estate.

Before she takes her position, Becky spends a little over a week at Amelia's home. She spends her time ingratiating herself with the Sedleys and wooing Amelia's brother Jos, an overweight, shy and vain tax collector on break from his job in India. Becky nearly succeeds in arranging the marriage, until George, Amelia's love interest, steps in and convinces Jos he has behaved like a fool. Jos, humiliated, abandons home and Becky, furious with George, moves on to her job.

The Crawleys are a rather despicable bunch and nothing like what Becky suspected. They are all scheming for the inheritance of Aunt Matilda, who is ill. Becky once again ingratiates herself with the family and earns the particular affections of Sir Pitt and Rawdon, who both ask for her hand in marriage. She admits begrudgingly to Sir Pitt that she agreed to marry Rawdon in secret, and everyone in the family is outraged when they hear this news.

Meanwhile, Amelia pines over George, who disrespects and disregards her while he is in the military. Dobbin, who is George's closest friend and who is also secretly in love with Amelia, begs him to treat her kindly. George eventually agrees to marry Amelia, but just as his father predicted, the Sedleys come to financial ruin because of Mr. Sedley's poor business decisions. George's father disowns him in response to Dobbin's efforts to get him to accept the marriage.

The Duke of Wellington has declared war on Napoleon's army; since all the men are in the military, everyone goes to Belgium to prepare for the war. When the husbands go off to fight, the general's wife takes care of the women who are left behind. Amelia worries about George, and Rawdon mourns having to leave Becky, but Becky seems unconcerned about her soon-to-be husband and instead appears to be developing a flirtation with George. Unfortunately, George dies in the Battle of Waterloo.

Sir Pitt, in the wake of his second wife's death, takes up with his butler's daughter, causing scandal at the household. The young Pitt Crawley finds a sweet wife who manages to earn the approval of Aunt Matilda, who never thought much of the older of Sir Pitt's sons. Both Amelia and Becky give birth to sons, and for a while Becky and Rawdon manage to live well on very little money; Becky is skilled at avoiding payments. The Sedleys, on the other hand, continue to slip further into financial ruin. Amelia sends Georgy, her son, to live with the Osbornes because of her difficult situation.

When Sir Pitt dies, young Mr. Crawley inherits the estate and Aunt Matilda's money, and he invites Becky and Rawdon and their son to come live with him. Becky ingratiates herself with a man named Lord Steyne, who brings her out into society, sends little Rawdon, her son, away from school, and generally distracts her from her husband. When she neglects to send money to get Rawdon out of prison, where he has landed himself for unpaid gambling debts, he decides to investigate her new relationship. When he returns home, he finds jewels in her

belongings, and he decides to duel Lord Steyne. The fight is avoided, but Rawdon moves away.

Dobbin returns to England, and he finds Amelia, who is still grieving the loss of George. Dobbin stays anyway to help Amelia care for her son. Mr. Osborne dies and leaves some of his money for Amelia and Georgy, and three of them go off to Europe, where they find Becky. Becky admits to Amelia that she had been developing a relationship with George, and Amelia finally comes to her senses, sees George for who he really was, and marries Dobbin.

VANITY FAIR CHARACTER LIST

REBECCA SHARP

The protagonist of the novel, Becky is a strong-willed young woman obsessed with status and wealth. She attends Miss Pinkerton's academy as an orphan alone in the world, and makes only one friend, Amelia, who is friends with everyone. Rebecca frustrates her classmates and instructors, acting superior to them all. For example, she insists on speaking French when she knows that no one understands her, and demands payment for tutoring her classmates.

As soon as she is out of the school, her manipulations begin. She feigns attraction to Joseph Sedley because she understands the position and wealth a marriage with him would bring. She also appeals to Rawdon Crawley, who ends up marrying her. Sir Pitt, the local baronet, also falls for her. It is clear that men fall at her feet, but she doesn't ever express genuine love for them. She finds Rawdon stupid, sees Sir Pitt only for his status and money, and hates George for his interference in her plan to marry Joseph.

Rebecca is also a compulsive liar. She has an affair with George behind Amelia's back. While she is with Rawdon, she flirts with men of status in order to steal their money, and she tries her best to secure Aunt Matilda's estate by attending to her. As a final act of deceit, Rebecca manages to have Joseph sign an insurance policy of which she is the sole beneficiary, earning her half of what he owned before his death.

AMELIA SEDLEY

Amelia is a good-natured person, and she is easy to like. As a young girl, she makes many friends at Miss Pinkerton's school. Unfortunately, she is easily manipulated and patronized when she emerges into society. George walks all over her, and his sisters are condescending towards her. Regardless, Amelia remains infatuated with George, convinced that he must love her in return. Her innocence is initially framed as something good, but soon the author reveals that this quality is also her tragic flaw. She is a victim of so many things; her family's designs, her family's financial ruin, Becky's ruthlessness, George's indifference, and high society's overall cruelty.

Amelia is nevertheless a determined woman. Her son becomes her obsession, and she fights to keep and provide for him, letting the rest of her family and herself starve and struggle so that he can have nice things. She resolves to commit suicide when he is taken from her, but instead, she spends all her time spying on the boy.

JOSEPH SEDLEY

Joseph, or Jos, is Amelia's elder brother and a tax collector in India. He is a relatively wealthy man, and he admires people only based on whether or not they come from a nobility line. He dresses in ridiculous, extravagant clothing and is grossly overweight. Jos' father constantly

makes jokes at his expense, which frightens him, just as he is frightened by women, which becomes especially evident when Becky tries to flirt with him and win his hand in marriage.

Jos enters the war as a civilian but dresses in military clothing to impress people. When the war starts, he decides to change back into civilian clothing so that he won't be recognized as a soldier. The sound of bombs frighten him, and he buys horses from Becky at a ridiculous price so that he can escape. His timidity influences every major decision in his life.

Even though his family is at the point of starvation, Jos only sends them a small annual allowance from his paycheck. He refuses to buy his father's wine, even though it will help his business, because he deems the wine inferior. Near the end of the novel, Jos once again finds himself in Becky's snares, and becomes another of her unsuspecting victims.

GEORGE OSBORNE

George is a disrespectful playboy. He is Amelia's love interest and the man she has been promised to since childhood. He is obsessed with the chase and does not seem to have the capacity to love anything other than himself. He gambles, drinks, constantly buys things for himself, and takes advantage of Amelia's feelings for him and of Dobbin's loyal friendship.

Eventually, George marries Amelia partly because she is so touchingly pathetic and partly because it makes him feel generous to be giving the girl her heart's desire. He also seems to derive pleasure from the fact that he is defying his father. George appears on the surface to take his military responsibilities seriously by refusing the comfortable life his father offers him, and as a result, he dies in the Battle of Waterloo.

WILLIAM DOBBIN

George's best friend Dobbin is one of the few characters not consumed by vanity. He is sincere and kind, and he does not expect recognition for his altruism. He is very much in love with Amelia, but he defers to George, and she doesn't even notice his affections for her. He plays an instrumental role in making their marriage possible, but ends up confused about his own gesture, due to his strong feelings for Amelia.

Dobbin is also extremely humble. There are several occasions in the book when he submits to George, even when it is clear that he is in the right. But as often as he encourages George on the right path, at the end of the day, he never truly speaks up for himself.

SIR PITT CRAWLEY

Sir Pitt is Rebecca's wealthy employer. He is a baronet but has accrued enormous debt over the years and is relying on the beneficiary of his sister's fortune to bail him out when she passes away. He is miserly and cruel and treats his wife with indifference. Furthermore, he has an inappropriate affinity for younger women. The current Lady Crawley is younger than he, and when she dies, he immediately seeks Rebecca's hand in marriage. When she refuses, he moves on to the young Ms. Horrocks, the daughter of his butler.

The end of Sir Pitt's life is spent in embarrassing drunken debauchery. He reveals his true nature when he starts spending all his time with common people, the friends of his servants, and making passes at his butler's daughter. He feels more at ease with this crowd, which makes sense when considering the narrator's commentary on his rough, crude manner at the beginning of the novel.

YOUNG PITT CRAWLEY

The older son of Sir Pitt, he is one of the contenders for Aunt Matilda's fortune. However, he stands in stark contrast to his irresponsible brother. He is Lady Crawley's favorite and is the only person who pays her any attention. He eventually marries the young Jane Sheepshanks and becomes the heir to Sir Pitt's estate. He treats Rebecca and Rawdon with kindness by inviting them to come stay at his residence.

Eventually, young Pitt Crawley becomes the heir to Aunt Matilda's money and as a result, Rebecca sends her son, Rawdon, to live with him. He turns out to be the most responsible member of the Crawley family and seems to benefit because of it. At the same time, he is a victim of Becky's deceit, since he finds her more intelligent, interesting, and potentially useful than his own wife.

RAWDON CRAWLEY

Rawdon is another of the novel's playboys. He doesn't care about education, and he spends his time fighting duels and gambling. The first honest and honorable thing he does is marry Rebecca, with whom he falls dearly in love, and vows to take care of her. In a gesture of love, he purchases a house and furnishes it with credit, which indicates that he is also financially irresponsible.

Rebecca's reflections make it clear that Rawdon is not very bright and he soon falls victim to her designs. She promises to take care of him and, naively, he takes her word for it. He gambles to earn money, and Rebecca makes sure, using her feminine wiles, that he wins often enough to support them. He eventually lands himself in prison for not paying his debts and when Rebecca doesn't bail him out, he finally becomes suspicious and uncovers all of the fraud she has engaged in over the years with various men. In the end, he walks out on her.

OLD OSBORNE

Old Osborne is George's father. He used to be a friend and beneficiary of Mr. Sedley, but when the Sedleys fall into financial ruin he breaks off all ties with them and encourages his son to abandon their daughter. He also tries to push his son towards a wealthy heiress by encouraging him to forget his military duties and consider joining Parliament.

John Osborne clearly does not have much integrity. He does feel a little remorse at turning his back on the Sedleys, but this does not change his actions. He disowns his son when George decides to marry Amelia, and when George dies he is more worried about appearances than the tragedy itself. Finally, he is willing to wrest a son from his mother when Amelia is in financial trouble, as if exacting revenge for marrying his son.

LORD STEYNE

Lord Steyne is a marquis from a long line of wealthy nobles. He ignores his wife and tries to drown his boredom in social gatherings. He has a son, George, who he does not acknowledge because of George's mental illness.

Lord Steyne is one of the many men who falls for Becky's schemes. He finds himself enamored with her and spends many evenings at her home. He gives her money and jewelry, which she hides from her husband. He is quick to believe her lies, because he wants them to be true.

VANITY FAIR THEMES

VANITY

Contained in the title of the book, vanity is the dominant theme of Thackeray's novel, enveloping the society Thackeray satirizes. Vanity is the motivation of most characters, driving the entire bourgeoisie reality. Vanity takes many forms in the novel, from Becky's flirtation with rich, noble men, to Jos' dress, to John Osborne's rejection of Amelia.

Vanity appears most often in the novel in the form of excessive love of one's self, or narcissism. For example, Amelia, though often portrayed as a selfless victim, is guilty of this trait when she desperately takes whatever she can from her rich and corrupt father-in-law. Vanity is an obsession with ephemeral, inevitably worthless things. This is best illustrated in Dobbin's obsession with Amelia, because even though he is the only character Thackeray does not consider "odious," Dobbin can only have the one thing he has always wanted, besides declaring that it is not worthy of his devotion.

HEROISM

The author flat out tells his readers that this is going to be a novel without a hero. This is indeed an understatement, because most of his main characters behave far less than heroically. There is little selflessness, sacrifice, and courage in Vanity Fair. An example of this can be found in the battle, where George's excitement is framed as reckless abandonment rather than heroism. At the same time, Jos, in an extremely anti-heroic fashion, runs as soon as the violence begins. Sir Pitt, who seems to have heroic potential in his kindness towards Lady Crawley, changes his colors as soon as he comes into his inheritance. Additionally, Dobbin, the character who might be considered the most heroic, asserts himself only at the very end of the novel, only to come running back to what he deemed worthless as soon as she calls on him.

Interestingly, on the original cover of the book there was a character dressed in motley. Despite his comical appearance, he stared with great intensity into a mirror. He held this mirror as if he just picked it up for a moment but then could not put it down. This image tells us that the characters in this novel are not heroes, but they are also not comedians; there is an element of serious tragedy that pervades the work and cannot be found humorous. Thackeray's characters are, in a way, suspended between the comic and the heroic.

TIME

Time is an interesting theme because it is partly dependent on the way in which the book was published. Thackeray wrote this novel in a series of installments. He would publish a few chapters at a time, so every few chapters features a suspenseful conclusion that is then resolved in the following chapter. Thackeray relies on this format to keep his readers wanting more.

It makes sense, then, that there are a number of flashbacks in the novel, and that even when the narrator claims he is not going to describe a character's past in order to bring the reader up to speed, he actually does. It was important to keep his readers updated when he was publishing a book in serial format.

There is also the sense in the book that time is suspended. Even though people are moving forward and living their lives, there is a feeling that the same game is being played over and over again. This is the game of social mobility and feigned appearances; one that Thackeray critiques in his novel. It gives the book a sense of morbidity because instead of a chronological progression towards some worthy goal, Thackeray's characters are stuck in an empty, worthless exercise.

DEATH

Because of the nature of the novel, it is easy to forget how much death there actually is in Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair is an extremely morbid place, but because so many people in the book die so naturally, the reader does not dwell on each passage. The reader focuses instead on Thackeray's humorous jabs at society.

However, death is still one of the author's tools for stressing his moral conclusions. Thackeray writes the book to implicate bourgeois "snobbery," and by letting the burden of death permeate his work he makes his point that much more effective. Death is seen in conjunction with greed and wealth, especially in the case of Aunt Matilda. The author is contrasting Matilda's belongings with the pall of her illness, telling us that while possessions are temporary, death is forever.

MATERIALISM

Thackeray has a tendency to focus on objects in the book. He calls one of his titles "The Green Silk Purse" in reference to a purse that Becky has been weaving at the Sedley home. Jos Sedley's attire is often described with the greatest detail. Homes are packed with portraits, often portraying falsely the characters in them.

Materialism is a symptom of bourgeois society, and therefore, Thackeray condemns it. This is most obvious because it is a conspicuous characteristic of Jos Sedley, whom the narrator constantly ridicules, often via other characters (his father, Georgy). But materialism afflicts most of the characters, because having a lot of things is a sign of wealth. Even Amelia is obsessed with the piano that Dobbin purchased for her; in this way, we see that things can blind people to the truth, since she is convinced that George is the one who bought it.

TRUTH VS. IDEAL

Thackeray firmly proclaims many times in his work that he is devoted to revealing the truth, even though a true portrait of bourgeois society is not an appealing one. All of Thackeray's characters struggle because they avoid truth. Becky deceives everyone but her schemes eventually turn on her. Amelia refuses to see the truth about George's playboy nature and his infidelity. Dobbin refuses to accept that Amelia does not love him, and he endures years of torment at her side. Rawdon refuses to acknowledge Becky's manipulations.

But it is Thackeray's hope also to make a distinction between the things in life that are worth living for and the things that are ephemeral and do not matter. To this effect, he is constantly critiquing his characters, usually humorously, because they do not live up to his expectations. But are these his expectations? Here we find that there is a bit of thematic conflict, because the author clearly moralizes but does not provide a conclusion or solution that responds to his moral judgments.

MOTHERHOOD

Motherhood plays an important role in Vanity Fair. There are good mothers and terrible mothers, doting mothers and altogether absent mothers. It goes without saying that the maternal influence on a person is a great one.

For instance, Becky's mother died when she was young and therefore was not an actor in Becky's life. In turn, Becky basically ignores her son while she plays Vanity Fair's games.

ART

There are many forms of art in Vanity Fair. There are the visual arts, drawing and painting. Becky and Amelia engage in the visual arts, and portraits abound in the homes of the wealthy. There is the art of writing; many letters appear in Vanity Fair. There are the performance arts, including dancing and singing, which play a large role in courtship and attraction.

Becky, in a way, is the "daughter of art", since she was born to a painter and an opera singer. Indeed, it is through art that Becky manipulates others. One might even say that her manipulative practices themselves constitute an art form.

VANITY FAIR QUOTES AND ANALYSIS

“The narrator discusses the importance of the visit to Vauxhall. He remarks that despite its brevity and seeming triviality, important events will happen in this chapter that have an effect on the rest of the story. He is specifically referring to Joseph's drunken display, which inevitably prevents the marriage between Jos and Becky, and which incites Becky's hatred of George.”

This quote is especially representative of Thackeray's style of writing. The book was written in serial format, which meant that chapters were published separately in sections, and so each section had to contain important, suspenseful, plot-changing elements in order to hold a reader's attention. In some ways, each element of the series would have to stand on its own as a piece of literature.

“Vanity Fair--Vanity Fair! Here was a man, who could not spell, and did not care to read--who had the habits and the cunning of a boor: whose aim in life was pettifogging: who never had a taste, or emotion, or enjoyment, but what was sordid and foul; and yet he had rank, and honours, and power, somehow: and was a dignitary of the land, and a pillar of the state. He was high sheriff, and rode in a golden coach. Great ministers and statesmen courted him; and in Vanity Fair he had a higher place than the most brilliant genius or spotless virtue.”

This quote characterizes Sir Pitt Crawley, Rebecca's employer. Because he is of the nobility, the author warns that people will hold him in high regard in Vanity Fair, even though he possesses absolutely no virtues outside of his social rank. This is just another passage that condemns the society Thackeray ruthlessly satirizes in Vanity Fair.

“These money transactions--these speculations in life and death--these silent battles for reversionary spoil--make brothers very loving towards each other in Vanity Fair.”

Money is one of the primary motivators in Vanity Fair. Becky's manipulations all inevitably aim at achieving wealth for herself. The Crawleys' dealings with Aunt Matilda all focus on her abundant estate. George and Rawdon, the novel's playboys, both suffer from the vice of gambling. The quest for material gain inevitably leads many of the characters to engage in shameful activity, such as showing false affection for those disliked.

“I am very fond of Amelia; I adore her, and that sort of thing. Don't look angry. She's faultless; I know she is. But you see there's no fun in winning a thing unless you play for it.”

George discusses his relationship to Amelia with Dobbin. The reader can tell from this passage that George cares only for the chase when it comes to women, and that he is not interested in a serious, settled marriage with Amelia. This section also highlights the great distance between George's expectations and Amelia's.