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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
”Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?”
One giant scary monster-classic down, many more to go. However, I have to admit this was no picnic! Though it takes time to get used to the narrative and Thackeray’s unusually sardonic style filled with bitter irony, I managed to finalize the novel with love&hate feelings.
We all read the content, back cover, introduction and reviews, we know the drill and more or less what to expect but I wasn’t prepared for this. This novel is full of anti-heroes, unlovable characters and abhorrent behaviors. There’s not a single protagonist here that I related myself with or feel sympathetic towards. Thackeray knows how to criticize, belittle and make fun of society and I respect that. The English people we have here are civilized savages, who worship money, live in pretensions, prioritize names-titles and positions above anything else. The burning desire for status and greed is the main focus of the book and we watch the little minx Rebecca with awe while she climbs the societal ladders. The whole story centers around one thing and that is money: the privileges that come with money and the status it provides. The rise and fall of families, shifting dynamics and fugitive glories create an unstable atmosphere in the lives of the main characters. It’s quite fascinating to watch the evolution of the two friends Amelia and Rebecca starting from the first chapter, when they graduate from school and start their lives with fresh excitement and hope for the future until the last page and see how their lives ended up much different from their expectations.
A fun criticism of society and a precious classic novel for the lovers of the genre and overall an enjoyable read.
One giant scary monster-classic down, many more to go. However, I have to admit this was no picnic! Though it takes time to get used to the narrative and Thackeray’s unusually sardonic style filled with bitter irony, I managed to finalize the novel with love&hate feelings.
We all read the content, back cover, introduction and reviews, we know the drill and more or less what to expect but I wasn’t prepared for this. This novel is full of anti-heroes, unlovable characters and abhorrent behaviors. There’s not a single protagonist here that I related myself with or feel sympathetic towards. Thackeray knows how to criticize, belittle and make fun of society and I respect that. The English people we have here are civilized savages, who worship money, live in pretensions, prioritize names-titles and positions above anything else. The burning desire for status and greed is the main focus of the book and we watch the little minx Rebecca with awe while she climbs the societal ladders. The whole story centers around one thing and that is money: the privileges that come with money and the status it provides. The rise and fall of families, shifting dynamics and fugitive glories create an unstable atmosphere in the lives of the main characters. It’s quite fascinating to watch the evolution of the two friends Amelia and Rebecca starting from the first chapter, when they graduate from school and start their lives with fresh excitement and hope for the future until the last page and see how their lives ended up much different from their expectations.
A fun criticism of society and a precious classic novel for the lovers of the genre and overall an enjoyable read.
I've always been too scared to pick up this book, it has sat on my bookshelf for years gathering dust. It's size is intimidating, but it's defiantly worth trying to get through it. It's not a hard read at all, Thackeray's writing style is light and easy to get on with, and the plot moves fairly quickly, with lots of turns and developments that I didn't see coming;
Thackeray offers a very interesting look at British society, and how the "vanity fair" rules all of our thoughts and actions.I think that his idea of vanity fair is still in play today, but has taken a different persona in the form of social media: one prominent idea throughout this novel is how we present a different image of ourself to the world, for example, a woman with a lower income will spend her money on more expensive things to appear to have a higher income, or borrow or run up extensive debts. Perhaps not the exact same in the 21st century, I think that his idea has now transformed into how we present our best selves on social media, how we have a different identity online. Being very interested in this idea made this novel a joy for me to read. It makes you realised how humans have never really changed.
Spoiler
for example, George Osborne's death.Thackeray offers a very interesting look at British society, and how the "vanity fair" rules all of our thoughts and actions.I think that his idea of vanity fair is still in play today, but has taken a different persona in the form of social media: one prominent idea throughout this novel is how we present a different image of ourself to the world, for example, a woman with a lower income will spend her money on more expensive things to appear to have a higher income, or borrow or run up extensive debts. Perhaps not the exact same in the 21st century, I think that his idea has now transformed into how we present our best selves on social media, how we have a different identity online. Being very interested in this idea made this novel a joy for me to read. It makes you realised how humans have never really changed.
I picked up this book based on an Amazon review that said "like Jane Austen, but meaner". A true assessment, but also so much more. I loved this book. Such interesting characters! Scandal! Drama! Sarcasm!! Societal commentary!!
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a reread, and I'm just not really feeling it right now.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the thickest classic novel I've ever read so far. As a non-English-speaking person, it's really hard to read Vanity Fair without getting confused in every page. So, I don't really get the humor of the story, I only get the main basic concept of the plot. After all, even she got so many misfortune when the story reaching the end, I still adore Rebecca Sharp. Her willpower to escalate her class was need to be appreciated. She's definitely my kind of favorite character.
"Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied? –Come, children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out."
As it was written as a 'novel without a hero', it tells the story of a handful of people. However, as long as people exist, so does vanity. This book is about vanities, vanities that everyone undoubtedly has, whether it is too much in the person, or a little.
What a journey it was. It took too much to finish the book, however, as much toilsome as it was, it was a most delightful read.
As it was written as a 'novel without a hero', it tells the story of a handful of people. However, as long as people exist, so does vanity. This book is about vanities, vanities that everyone undoubtedly has, whether it is too much in the person, or a little.
What a journey it was. It took too much to finish the book, however, as much toilsome as it was, it was a most delightful read.
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1107800.html[return][return]I really enjoyed this. It's essentially the story of Becky and Amelia, two girls of English high society of the Regency and reign of George IV, and what happens to them both after they leave school and marry against the wishes of their husbands' families.[return][return]Becky is much the more interesting of the two; her adventures repeatedly lead her to personal and/or financial disaster, but she always bounces back. She is rather selfish in the way she constantly and instinctively exploits those around her, but also does have a good heart in the end. I find her one of the most fascinating characters of Victorian literature; Thackeray's portrayal of her is sympathetic despite the harsh circumstances.[return][return]Although the book's subtitle is "A Novel without a Hero", that's not quite true: the virtuous Amelia is loved from afar by her husband's friend Dobbin, whose behaviour is pretty saintly. However his gentlemanly and honourable conduct seems a bit of a waste, since Amelia is blind to him for most of the book.[return][return]The settings of the story - London, the Crawley country mansion, Brussels, the Grand Duchy of Pumpernickel - are tremendously well realised, especially in their human landscape. Thackeray's portrayal of a multi-racial London is memorable; also Amelia's brother Jos is addicted to curries. Thackeray is of course a racist, but at least he actually has black characters.[return][return]The first half of the book climaxes at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. I could not help but compare Thackeray's account of the battle with my memory of Victor Hugo's version in Les Miserables. For Hugo, it's an extended flashback to explain certain bits of back-story for Thenardier and Marius; although the battle is described with a historical precision, the really memorable scene is among the corpses on the battlefield after it is over.[return][return]For Thackeray, the battle mainly happens off-stage: his characters don't know the outcome, and he has a brilliant sequence of chapters in Brussels preparing for the coming crisis, including the Duchess of Richmond's ball, and then the non-combatants left behind in a city swept by rumours as the artillery fire rumbles up from the south. I used eat my lunchtime sandwiches in the Parc de Bruxelles, where Thackeray's characters promenade.[return][return]Anyway, lots of neat touches of characterisation, lots of good circumstantial detail, and a plot that kept me reading. It's rather long - 672 pages of small print in my Penguin copy - but recommended.
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was all right. Way too long tho.
Vanity Fair like other British classics is a study of the white wealthy nobility. This story follows many characters, but the main two are Becky and Amelia. These two are friends as young girls, but distance and time see the slow end of that. We also see how these two respond differently to the challenges of life.
At times this was kind of sarcastic and funny. But overall I was just not impressed. I did get a bit more interested when Becky starts getting money out of the men in her life. Unfortunately, she is villainized and sent off to exile, so I was done by that point. Amelia felt like a cardboard cut out of a woman tbh. I didn't hate this, but it wasn't particularly fun either.
Rep: Mainly all white, wealthy, cishet and abled bodied cast. Fat male side character, male side character with a lisp/speech impediment.
CWs: Misogyny, racism, racial slurs, colonisation, xenophobia. Moderate: toxic friendship, death, sexism, antisemitism, grief. Minor: war.
Vanity Fair like other British classics is a study of the white wealthy nobility. This story follows many characters, but the main two are Becky and Amelia. These two are friends as young girls, but distance and time see the slow end of that. We also see how these two respond differently to the challenges of life.
At times this was kind of sarcastic and funny. But overall I was just not impressed. I did get a bit more interested when Becky starts getting money out of the men in her life. Unfortunately, she is villainized and sent off to exile, so I was done by that point. Amelia felt like a cardboard cut out of a woman tbh. I didn't hate this, but it wasn't particularly fun either.
Rep: Mainly all white, wealthy, cishet and abled bodied cast. Fat male side character, male side character with a lisp/speech impediment.
CWs: Misogyny, racism, racial slurs, colonisation, xenophobia. Moderate: toxic friendship, death, sexism, antisemitism, grief. Minor: war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Antisemitism, Grief, Toxic friendship
Minor: War