Utopia

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray  

Book Summary

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.

About Vanity Fair

 Vanity Fair, a satirical novel of manners, was published (1847-48) in serial form without sufficient time for revisions by Thackeray. Occasionally, time sequences are not clear. Names are not always consistent; for example, Mrs. Bute Crawley is sometimes Martha, sometimes Barbara. Glorvina, sister of Peggy O'Dowd, is also called Glorvina O'Dowd, as if she were Major O'Dowd's sister. Promotion in military status may change titles, and advancement in society may change rank and title. In spite of the confusion, Vanity Fair fascinates the careful reader.

Over a hundred years ago when this book was written, readers had time to savor Thackeray's various digressions into morals, psychology, and human foibles. The modern reader may be bewildered by the rambling, and by the vast number of characters, some of whom appear only as names. However, he will have no trouble following the six main characters through changes of fortune and, in some cases, of outlook. Any curiosity aroused concerning a character will be satisfied by the time one has finished the story.

For the purposes of this study, the book has been divided into the original installments as published. This set of notes does not attempt to take the place of reading the book. It would be impossible to catch the sly irony, the tongue-in-cheek humor of Thackeray's remarks on the human race without reading Vanity Fair at sufficient leisure to realize its subtle meanings.

Of necessity, because of the length of the book, this condensation must leave out many incidents and commentaries by the author. For this reason, also, the student is urged to read Vanity Fair for himself.

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 یاوه بازار . اثر ویلیام مک پیس تکری؛

اميلياسرلى" و هم‏كلاسى‏اش "ربكاشارپ" كه او را بكى مى‏نامند، بعد از پايان يافتن درس شان به خانه آقاى سرلى مى‏روند. بكى مدتى در آنجا مى‏ماند و با برادر اميليا به نام "ژوزف " آشنا مى شود آنها قرار مى‏گذارند كه با يكديگر ازدواج كنند اما نامزد اميليا به نام جورج اسبورن مانع از اين كار می شود. "بكى" با "رودن كرولى" ازدواج می کند و اميليا هم با كمك‏هاى فروان سروان ويليام ‏رابين و با وجود مخالفت‏هاى آقاى اسبورن بالاخره با جورج ازدواج می کند با شروع جنگ جورج به جبهه مى‏رود و در آنجا كشته مى‏شود. و اميليا و پسرش تنها مى‏مانند رودن هم به علت اخلاق بد و نادرست از بكى جدا مى‏شود و پسرش را به برادر بزرگتر خود مى سپارد بكى مدتى بعد با ژوزف و اميليا همراه مى‏شود و باعث مى‏شود تا اميليا و رابين با هم ازدواج می كنند.