Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackerey

[kelby_lake]

What can I say? It's a witty astute observation of 19th century society and in some ways, our own society. The characters are all interesting and there is not one flawless character (the book's subtitle is 'A Novel Without A Hero').

Becky Sharp is a girl who sees the pretence of society- Vanity Fair- and plays the game in order to get to the top.

And Dobbin is just so loveable :)

[JohnMelmoth]

I completely agree. It's ten years since I read Vanity Fair and unusually I decided to read one chapter a night before going to sleep - like sipping fine wine! I am currently reading a biography of Thackery and it's interesting to read about his early experiences - like his gambling problem and connections to British India - and how they found their way into his novels. I too loved the characterisation, the humour, Becky and Dobbin and the fun he made of his own class, the Victorian middle class.

[curlz]

I agree. The book exhibits a wonderfull characterisation and a striking observation of Victorian society.

The thing that bothered me though was the excess of chararcters at some times. Because Thackery includes numerous smaller roles, the reader is likely to get confused. In my opion the author could have easily left out several of these characters without doing harm to his novel.
It also took me a very long time to finish Vanity Fair which in the end made the book more tiresome than interesting.

[amalia1985]

This novel is one of my all-time favourites. I love the character of Becky, she exposes all the hypocricy of the Victorian society, and I find the complexity of the characters very interesting. It is important that there is no "perfect" character, as kelby_lake stated, something that gives us the opportunity to come "closer" to them, perharps they reflect our own desires and vanities sometimes. The only character I couldn't bring myself to like that much was Amelia. However, my mother loved the book, and the character of Amelia so much, that decided to name me after her.

[kelby_lake]

I didn't overly like Amelia but I loved Dobbin :) I see myself as an Amelia/Becky cross.

[Dark Lady]

It also took me a very long time to finish Vanity Fair which in the end made the book more tiresome than interesting.

Yeah I hate to admit it but this is one of the few books I have ever started reading and not finished. It does take a lot of time and I just didn't really have that time when I started it. It also didn't help that I had a second hand copy and it was slowly losing pages from the begining as I was going! Not a book you want to just shove in your bag for when you have time in between lectures etc. as you pull it out to find it's half the size it was when you put it in.

However, I recently went back to Paradise Lost, which was another book I'd given up on a couple of years ago, and finally finished it. I'm hoping after exams I'll do the same with this and The Divine Comedy (really not something you should try to start when you have no spare time!).

[IJustMadeThatUp]

Yeah I hate to admit it but this is one of the few books I have ever started reading and not finished. It does take a lot of time and I just didn't really have that time when I started it.

Me too. It's on my to-do list. It's one of those books that you can't put down for too long. You forget what's happening and who's who.

[Dark Lady]

It's one of those books that you can't put down for too long. You forget what's happening and who's who.

I'm quite worried about that! I think I've left it so long now that I'll have to reread the first half. But that would mean going out and buying another copy because of the whole gradually losing pages thing!

[IJustMadeThatUp]

I'm quite worried about that! I think I've left it so long now that I'll have to reread the first half. But that would mean going out and buying another copy because of the whole gradually losing pages thing!

:lol: I hope, for your sake then, that you remember everything as if you had read it yesterday.

[optimisticnad]

Why did everyone love Dobbin? I admit compared to the other 'shady' characters in the novel he seemed amazing but really was he? He is weak and a bad judge of character and he should have fought harder for the woman he loved. If he was as great as people think than he would have been the hero of the novel and 'Vanity Fair' is above all a novel without a hero.

I wrote a review of this novel in February this year on my blog, if you have the time or the inclination please check it out: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=7569

[kelby_lake]

Why did everyone love Dobbin? I admit compared to the other 'shady' characters in the novel he seemed amazing but really was he? He is weak and a bad judge of character and he should have fought harder for the woman he loved. If he was as great as people think than he would have been the hero of the novel and 'Vanity Fair' is above all a novel without a hero.

But he's sweet and gallant, if not a bit gawky. It's like Amelia- they're weak but you sort of find an affection for them.

[wessexgirl]

Its been many years since I read Vanity Fair, but I loved it. None of the characters are appealing in a traditional sense, as Thackeray states, it's a Novel Without a Hero, but I suppose Dobbin and Amelia are at least "honourable", if a little dull. I remember quite liking Rawdon Crawley(?), Becky's husband, but not liking her, she's a beach, but a great character.

As a bit of trivia, for those in the UK, Al Murray the comedian is related to Thackeray, I can't remember if he's his great, great grandad, or uncle or something. How cool.

[optimisticnad]

But he's sweet and gallant, if not a bit gawky. It's like Amelia- they're weak but you sort of find an affection for them.


Its been many years since I read Vanity Fair, but I loved it. None of the characters are appealing in a traditional sense, as Thackeray states, it's a Novel Without a Hero, but I suppose Dobbin and Amelia are at least "honourable", if a little dull. I remember quite liking Rawdon Crawley(?), Becky's husband, but not liking her, she's a beach, but a great character.

As a bit of trivia, for those in the UK, Al Murray the comedian is related to Thackeray, I can't remember if he's his great, great grandad, or uncle or something. How cool.

Al Murray? Didn't know that!

I too liked Rawdon Crawley, and Becky Sharp I must say. Amelia annoyed me - yes, i Know, she is so 'honourable' 'sweet' but not human. I did feel some sort of affection like you say wessexgirl but I felt more for Becky Sharp.