文档介绍：English Literature
Lecture 9: English Critical Realism (II)
William Makepeace Thackeray
Thackeray, William Makepeace (1811-63), English novelist and humorist, one of the foremost exponents of the 19th-century realistic novel, exemplified by his two most famous works, Vanity Fair and Henry Esmond.
Thackeray is particularly noted for his exquisitely humorous and ironic portrayals of the middle and upper classes of his time. His narrative skill and vivid characterizations are strikingly evident in his masterpiece Vanity Fair, an elaborate study of social relationships in early 19th-century England. The character of Becky Sharp, a scheming adventuress, is drawn with consummate skill, serving as a model for the heroines of many later novels.
Vanity Fair, or A Novel Without a Hero is unquestionably Thackeray’s masterpiece. The title of the novel is suggestive of the Vanity Fair in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where ‘all sorts of vanities’ are on sale– revealing the dark side of social life. Different from Bunyan who gives an allegorical picture of the social realities he dislikes, Thackeray draws a truthful picture of the fortunes and characters of the middle-class people in the mid of the 19th century.
The novel revolves two women:Amelia Sedley and a Sharp. The former is a meek character of submissive type, whereas the latter is so ambitious that she never allows anything or anybody to stand in the way of her desire. They are schoolmates, but their different family background lead to their varied fortunes after their graduation. Amelia marries e Osborne, living fortable life. a, failing to entrap Amelia’s brother Joseph for a husband, is obliged to e a governess. She then marries Rawdon in the family for he has the bright prospect of inheriting his rich aunt’s property. The Napoleonic wars involve the British troops, which leads to the meeting of two pairs in Belgium. In order
to gain a luxurious life, a seduces a number of men for expensive gifts for her, among w