Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Description

Vanity Fair is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1848. The book tells the story of two women, the cunning and ambitious Becky Sharp and the kind and virtuous Amelia Sedley, as they navigate their way through the social hierarchy of early 19th-century England during and after the Napoleonic Wars. The novel begins with Becky and Amelia attending school together, where Becky learns to use her wit and charm to manipulate those around her. As they grow up, Becky becomes a governess and then marries the wealthy but foolish Rawdon Crawley, while Amelia marries the dashing but irresponsible George Osborne. Following the lives of these two women, as well as a cast of other colorful characters, as they experience love, loss, and betrayal, Thackeray satirizes the social and moral values of his time, showing how ambition, greed, and vanity can corrupt even the most seemingly virtuous individuals. The novel also explores themes of class, gender, and power, making it a complex and thought-provoking work of literature that continues to resonate with readers today. The title, Vanity Fair, comes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, where a stop along the pilgrim's route: a never-ending fair held in a town called Vanity, represents man's sinful attachment to worldly things.

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