Vanity Fair (1847–1848) is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, a satire of English society at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Subtitled 'A Novel without a Hero', it follows two young women, the ambitious Becky Sharp and the gentle Amelia Sedley.
The story
Becky Sharp, a penniless orphan, and Amelia Sedley, the daughter of a rich merchant, leave Miss Pinkerton's academy together. Becky sets out to win a husband and a place in society by her wit and charm; Amelia marries the handsome George Osborne.
The Battle of Waterloo, in 1815, changes their fortunes. Becky climbs to the height of London society before her fall; Amelia, ruined and widowed, is loved in silence by the loyal William Dobbin.
Publication
Vanity Fair appeared in monthly parts, in yellow covers, from January 1847 to July 1848, illustrated by Thackeray himself. It was his first great success and placed him alongside Dickens.
The narrator, who speaks to the reader as the 'Manager of the Performance', presents the characters as puppets in a fair where everything is for sale.
Legacy
Becky Sharp is one of the great characters of English fiction, a clever, amoral social climber whom readers cannot help admiring. The novel has been adapted many times for film and television.
Its title, taken from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, has entered the language for a world of vanity and display; it was also used by two magazines.
Anecdotes
A title found at night
Thackeray said the title came to him in the middle of the night, and that he jumped out of bed and ran three times round his room, saying 'Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair'.
Drawing his own characters
Thackeray, who had trained as a painter, illustrated Vanity Fair himself, with drawings at the start of chapters and full-page plates.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the heroine of Vanity Fair?
There are two: Becky Sharp, the ambitious adventuress, and Amelia Sedley, her kind and sentimental friend.
Why 'a novel without a hero'?
Because none of its characters is admirable in the usual heroic way; Thackeray shows ordinary human vanity.
When is Vanity Fair set?
Mainly between 1813 and the 1830s, with the Battle of Waterloo (1815) at its centre.