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My Review on the Book Vanity Fair

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My Review on the Book Vanity Fair

Introduction

Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1847–48, satirizing society in early 19th-century Britain. The book's title comes from John Bunyan's allegorical story The Pilgrim's Progress, first published in 1678 and still widely read at the time of Thackeray's novel. Vanity Fair refers to a stop along the pilgrim's progress: a never-ending fair held in a town called Vanity, which is meant to represent man's sinful attachment to worldly things. The novel is now considered a classic, and has inspired several film adaptations.

Social background

Since the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 18th century, the class structure of English society had undergone radical changes. The Industrial capitalists began to play a more important role and vied for political power with the old aristocracy. Due to the support of the people this struggle of power ended in the victory of bourgeoisie over the aristocracy. With the development of capitalism, there arose a powerful working class, though the conflict between labor and the capital was for some time the background of the struggle between the feudal and bourgeois classes. But from the thirties of the 19th century, the struggle between the workers and capitalists became the feudal mental contradiction in English social life.

The crying social contradictions were reflected in the writers’ work of

Analysis of Vanity Fair

In the novel, Becky Sharp is a classic example of this money-grubbing instinctive. Everyone wishes to gain something in Vanity Fair and acts almost in the same manner as Becky.

The Characteristics of Vanity Fair

(1) Vanity Fair has a sub-title, A Novel Without a Hero, which intends to portray the bourgeois and aristocratic society as a whole.

(2) Vanity Fair is work of social criticism, and is noted for the author’s realistic depiction, the ironic and sarcastic tone and constant comment and criticism.

(3) In Vanity Fair, Thackeray gives block characters

(4) Thackeray uses symbolism in Vanity Fair.

(5) Thackeray employs an omniscient narrator to tell the story.

Comments on the book

In this novel, I like the name of novel “Vanity Fair” and the subtitle “A Novel without a Hero”. When I see the name, I understand the main idea of the novel. The Victorian egoistic, hypocritical, and money-grabbing aristocratic and commercial society is a vanity fair. It is not only a show of Thackeray’s cynical view toward life but also a declaration of that the epoch in which capitalists or aristocrats posed themselves as heroes.

At the same time, the writer adopts a great number of rhetorical devices to describe the two main figures’ words, expression and behavior. That makes the sentences vivid and arouses

the readers’ interest in reading. The images, plot and language show the hidden paradox of sensuality and redemption. The book gives me a whole view of the nobility’s life which is pretty extravagant.

Given in the modern society, Becky is an ambitious woman. She is not afraid of failure. It’s easy for us to encounter some Beckys in the real world. Becky is a representative of people who are governor-oriented or money talks. However, as a female, I think Becky is very brave. Everyone longs for happiness. Everyone pursues happiness. Thus, what Becky has done are only for her simple aim----happiness. Because she comes from an ignoble family, she has to try her best to do everything. She has only herself to rely on. She believes that a woman of low birth can marry into the purple. Due to her strong-mindedness, she never gives up when difficulties arise, though sometimes she is in the wrong way.

Vanity Fair is a trap that everyone is likely to step into however careful he may try to be. Thackeray has drawn a lifelike tableau of the Vanity Fair in reality in the novel. That is the reason why the novel has been popular for so many years.

Through his novel Vanity Fair, maybe Thackeray would like to tell us that we are supposed to have the right attitudes towards fame and fortune. We cannot give up all just for money and position. Moreover, we should understand one thing----No one can be happy without a friend. Thus, friends are far more important in our life. We should cherish our friendships at hand, because it would not follow you for life.

Today we are living in a harmonious society; we should keep our purity and humanity. Fame and fortune are important, but they are not everything. Love and humanity are of more importance for a peaceful life. We should trust each other, help each other, and take care of each other.

The author concludes his book by saying: ‘Ah! In the vanity fair, things are empty! In this world, who are happy among us? Who also can attain all his wishes? Even so, who will be satisfied with what he has had? Dear friends, please use your action to find out the answer.’ Yes, it is time for us to reflect and take action.

Now, I have found out my answer. It is to strive, to seek, to find, but never to yield.