Vanity Fair (AmazonClassics Edition) by William Makepeace Thackeray (Epub)

Description

Napoleon has England on edge. For the cunning and conniving Becky Sharp, it’s an opportunity to take advantage of the chaos and improve her lowly station. Her friend Amelia Sedley, a blue-blood pawn, affords Becky entrée into the moneyed class. As the guileless Amelia pines for a rakish soldier, the ruthless Becky climbs upward, setting the stage for a domestic battlefield of greed, ambition, deception, and dizzying reversals of love and fortune.

Bracingly unsentimental, and featuring the wiliest woman in literature, William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair is a savagely satiric panorama of English society at war.

User’s Reviews

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was a British journalist, illustrator, editor, and novelist.Thackeray, an only child, was born in Calcutta, British India, and received a privileged education in England at Charterhouse School and Cambridge, among others. Never taken with academe, Thackeray preferred the life of an idler, squandering his inheritance. After marrying, he turned to writing to support his young family. In the years that followed, Thackeray reviewed books for the Times; wrote short fictional sketches, travel books, and a play; produced art criticism; and was a regular contributor to Punch. He gained critical recognition with his novels Catherine, The Luck of Barry Lyndon, and The History of Henry Esmond and national celebrity with Vanity Fair, for which Thackeray is best remembered today. Review “I do not say there is no character as well drawn in Shakespeare [as D’Artagnan]. I do say there is none that I love so wholly.”–Robert Louis Stevenson”The lasting and universal popularity of The Three Musketeers shows that Dumas, by artlessly expressing his own nature in the persons of his heroes, was responding to that craving for action, strength and generosity which is a fact in all periods and all places.”–Andreé Maurois –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review “Useful notes, compact serviceable text, affordable price.”–Dorice Elliot, Johns Hopkins –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Book Description First published in full in 1848, this edition of William Makepeace Thackeray’s acclaimed masterwork includes his original illustrations and preface. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Book Description After first appearing as a serial in brilliant yellow covers, Vanity Fair, a novel without a hero’, was published in full in 1848. A panoramic and biting satire, it was the first of William Makepeace Thackeray’s works to bear his own name. This edition includes his original illustrations and preface. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Publisher Vanity Fair is a story of two heroines–one humber, the other scheming and social climbing–who meet inboarding school and embark on markedly different lives. Amid the swirl of London’s posh ballrooms and affairs of love and war, their fortunes rise and fall. Through it all, Thackeray lampoons the shallow values of his society, reserving the most pointed barbs for the upper crust. What results is a prescient look at the dogged pursuit of wealth and status–and the need for humility. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap “I do not say there is no character as well drawn in Shakespeare [as D’Artagnan]. I do say there is none that I love so wholly.”–Robert Louis Stevenson”The lasting and universal popularity of The Three Musketeers shows that Dumas, by artlessly expressing his own nature in the persons of his heroes, was responding to that craving for action, strength and generosity which is a fact in all periods and all places.”–Andreé Maurois –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Back Cover Set during the Napoleonic wars, Vanity Fair (1847-8) famously satirizes worldly society. The novel revolves around the exploits of the impoverished but beautiful and devious Becky Sharp, and Amelia Sedley, pampered child of a rich City merchant. Despite the differences in their fortunes and characters, they find their lives entangled from childhood. As Becky’s maneuvering ingratiates her with high society, the financial ruin of Amelia’s father forces Amelia into poverty. Destiny, of course, has further adventures in store for both women, whose lives Thackeray (1811-63) uses as theatres for the whims and foibles of their contemporaries. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chiswick MallWhile the present century was in its teens, and on one sunshiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton’s academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a large family coach, with two fat horses in blazing harness, driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig, at the rate of four miles an hour. A black servant, who reposed on the box beside the fat coachman, uncurled his bandy legs as soon as the equipage drew up opposite Miss Pinkerton’s shining brass plate, and as he pulled the bell at least a score of young heads were seen peering out of the narrow windows of the stately old brick house. Nay, the acute observer might have recognized the little red nose of good-natured Miss Jemima Pinkerton herself, rising over some geranium pots in the window of that lady’s own drawing-room.”It is Mrs. Sedley’s coach, sister,” said Miss Jemima. “Sambo, the black servant, has just rung the bell; and the coachman has a new red waistcoat.””Have you completed all the necessary preparations incident to Miss Sedley’s departure, Miss Jemima?” asked Miss Pinkerton herself, that majestic lady; the Semiramis of Hammersmith, the friend of Doctor Johnson, the correspondent of Mrs. Chapone herself.”The girls were up at four this morning, packing her trunks, sister,” replied Miss Jemima; “we have made her a bow-pot.””Say a bouquet, sister Jemima, ’tis more genteel.””Well, a booky as big almost as a haystack; I have put up two bottles of the gillyflower water for Mrs. Sedley, and the receipt for making it, in Amelia’s box.””And I trust, Miss Jemima, you have made a copy of Miss Sedley’s account. This is it, is it? Very good–ninety-three pounds, four shillings. Be kind enough to address it to John Sedley, Esquire, and to seal this billet which I have written to his lady.”In Miss Jemima’s eyes an autograph letter of her sister, Miss Pinkerton, was an object of as deep veneration as would have been a letter from a sovereign. Only when her pupils quitted the establishment, or when they were about to be married, and once, when poor Miss Birch died of the scarlet fever, was Miss Pinkerton known to write personally to the parents of her pupils; and it was Jemima’s opinion that if anything could console Mrs. Birch for her daughter’s loss, it would be that pious and eloquent composition in which Miss Pinkerton announced the event.In the present instance Miss Pinkerton’s “billet” was to the following effect: -The Mall, Chiswick, June 15, 18-Madam,After her six years’ residence at the Mall, I have the honour and happiness of presenting Miss Amelia Sedley to her parents, as a young lady not unworthy to occupy a fitting position in their polished and refined circle. Those virtues which characterize the young English gentlewoman, those accomplishments which become her birth and station, will not be found wanting in the amiable Miss Sedley, whose industry and obedience have endeared her to her instructors, and whose delightful sweetness of temper has charmed her aged and her youthful companions.In music, in dancing, in orthography, in every variety of embroidery and needlework, she will be found to have realized her friends’ fondest wishes. In geography there is still much to be desired; and a careful and undeviating use of the backboard, for four hours daily during the next three years, is recommended as necessary to the acquirement of that dignified deportment and carriage, so requisite for every young lady of fashion.In the principles of religion and morality, Miss Sedley will be found worthy of an establishment which has been honoured by the presence of The Great Lexicographer, and the patronage of the admirable Mrs. Chapone. In leaving the Mall, Miss Amelia carries with her the hearts of her companions, and the affectionate regards of her mistress, who has the honour to subscribe herself, Madam,Your most obliged humble servant,Barbara PinkertonP.S.–Miss Sharp accompanies Miss Sedley. It is particularly requested that Miss Sharp’s stay in Russell Square may not exceed ten days. The family of distinction with whom she is engaged, desire to avail themselves of her services as soon as possible.This letter completed, Miss Pinkerton proceeded to write her own name, and Miss Sedley’s, in the fly-leaf of a Johnson’s Dictionary–the interesting work which she invariably presented to her scholars, on their departure from the Mall. On the cover was inserted a copy of “Lines addressed to a young lady on quitting Miss Pinkerton’s school, at the Mall; by the late revered Doctor Samuel Johnson.” In fact, the Lexicographer’s name was always on the lips of this majestic woman, and a visit he had paid to her was the cause of her reputation and her fortune.Being commanded by her elder sister to get “the Dictionary” from the cupboard, Miss Jemima had extracted two copies of the book from the receptacle in question. When Miss Pinkerton had finished the inscription in the first, Jemima, with rather a dubious and timid air, handed her the second.”For whom is this, Miss Jemima?” said Miss Pinkerton, with awful coldness.”For Becky Sharp,” answered Jemima, trembling very much, and blushing over her withered face and neck, as she turned her back on her sister. “For Becky Sharp: she’s going too.””MISS JEMIMA!” exclaimed Miss Pinkerton, in the largest capitals. “Are you in your senses? Replace the Dixonary in the closet, and never venture to take such a liberty in future.””Well, sister, it’s only two-and-ninepence, and poor Becky will be miserable if she don’t get one.””Send Miss Sedley instantly to me,” said Miss Pinkerton. And so venturing not to say another word, poor Jemima trotted off, exceedingly flurried and nervous.Miss Sedley’s papa was a merchant in London, and a man of some wealth; whereas Miss Sharp was an articled pupil, for whom Miss Pinkerton had done, as she thought, quite enough, without conferring upon her at parting the high honour of the Dixonary.Although schoolmistresses’ letters are to be trusted no more nor less than churchyard epitaphs; yet, as it sometimes happens that a person departs this life who is really deserving of all the praises the stone-cutter carves over his bones; who is a good Christian, a good parent, child, wife, or husband; who actually does leave a disconsolate family to mourn his loss; so in academies of the male and female sex it occurs every now and then that the pupil is fully worthy of the praises bestowed by the disinterested instructor. Now, Miss Amelia Sedley was a young lady of this singular species; and deserved not only all that Miss Pinkerton said in her praise, but had many charming qualities which that pompous old Minerva of a woman could not see, from the differences of rank and age between her pupil and herself.For she could not only sing like a lark, or a Mrs. Billington, and dance like Hillisberg or Parisot; and embroider beautifully; and spell as well as a Dixonary itself; but she had such a kindly, smiling, tender, gentle, generous heart of her own, as won the love of everybody who came near her, from Minerva herself down to the poor girl in the scullery, and the one-eyed tart-woman’s daughter, who was permitted to vend her wares once a week to the young ladies in the Mall. She had twelve intimate and bosom friends out of the twenty-four young ladies. Even envious Miss Briggs never spoke ill of her; high and mighty Miss Saltire (Lord Dexter’s granddaughter) allowed that her figure was genteel; and as for Miss Swartz, the rich woolly-haired mulatto from St. Kitt’s, on the day Amelia went away, she was in such a passion of tears that they were obliged to send for Dr. Floss, and half tipsify her with salvolatile. Miss Pinkerton’s attachment was, as may be supposed from the high position and eminent virtues of that lady, calm and dignified; but Miss Jemima had already whimpered several times at the idea of Amelia’s departure; and, but for fear of her sister, would have gone off in downright hysterics, like the heiress (who paid double) of St. Kitt’s. Such luxury of grief, however, is only allowed to parlour-boarders. Honest Jemima had all the bills, and the washing, and the mending, and the puddings, and the plate and crockery, and the servants to superintend. But why speak about her? It is probable that we shall not hear of her again from this moment to the end of time, and that when the great filigree iron gates are once closed on her, she and her awful sister will never issue therefrom into this little world of history.But as we are to see a great deal of Amelia, there is no harm in saying, at the outset of our acquaintance, that she was a dear little creature; and a great mercy it is, both in life and in novels, which (and the latter especially) abound in villains of the most sombre sort, that we are to have for a constant companion so guileless and good-natured a person. As she is not a heroine, there is no need to describe her person; indeed I am afraid that her nose was rather short than otherwise, and her cheeks a great deal too round and red for a heroine; but her face blushed with rosy health, and her lips with the freshest of smiles, and she had a pair of eyes which sparkled with the brightest and honestest good-humour, except indeed when they filled with tears, and that was a great deal too often; for the silly thing would cry over a dead canary-bird; or over a mouse, that the cat haply had seized upon; or over the end of a novel, were it ever so stupid; and as for saying an unkind word to her, were any persons hard-hearted enough to do so–why, so much the worse for them. Even Miss Pinkerton, that austere and godlike woman, ceased scolding her after the first time, and though she no more comprehended sensibility than she did Algebra, gave all masters and teachers particular orders to treat Miss S… –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From AudioFile The incomparable Miriam Margolyes applies her story-telling and histrionic gifts to this classic satire of two young English women, one bad but clever and the other good but stupid, who come to no good during the Napoleonic Wars. The abridgers have cut a bit too much at the expense of the characterizations. Although sounding somewhat forced, Margolyes, as always, gives an excellent performance. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ My first attempt at reading this, years ago, ended with me giving up in the first chapter or two. This time I stuck with it and was rewarded with a greatly entertaining and amusing book. One thing I would recommend is to get a version with plenty of footnotes, because there are many things that need some explaining after 150 years!The Kindle version Vanity Fair – Full Version (Illustrated and Annotated) (Literary Classics Collection Book 44) had plenty of footnotes, the most I could find in any Kindle version. Without them I would have been lost at times as to the meaning of certain references. There are also some typos, but not enough to destroy reading enjoyment. Also, this version has the original illustrations by the author.Highly recommended!

⭐ For years I had been putting off reading Thackeray’s magnum opus, “Vanity Fair.” Not that I dreaded reading it-in fact, quite the contrary, as I knew that what awaited in its pages was surely a treasure trove of wit. But since it is lengthier than your average novel (800+ pages in the Penguin edition), I waited to read this, choosing to reserve it for a time in my life when I could do so uninterrupted and with the utmost leisure. This set the stakes quite high, and I had my apprehensions that perhaps they were a bit too high. (I’ve been disappointed before with a handful of other books that I had put off reading but which ended up not being what I had expected.) Wow, did Mr. Thackeray ever deliver! This book was absolutely worth the wait and, in fact, exceeded my expectations!The novel chronicles the fortunes and mishaps of two childhood friends, Amelia Sedley and Rebecca Sharpe: one a hopeless romantic, the other an incorrigible opportunist. Come along with them on their unforgettable journey (or puppet show, as Thackeray would have us view it) as they graduate from charm school, marry, endure the Battle of Waterloo, bear children and much more! Of course, no Victorian novel of this magnitude would be complete without a diverse cast of supporting characters: the dutiful Capt. Dobbin, the narcissistic civilian Jos Sedley, the petulant and slowly-dying Miss Crawley, the reproachable Lord Steyne, the vociferous Mrs. Peggy O’Dowd and many others.For Thackeray, each character fits squarely into the ambient setting which he calls Vanity Fair, in homage to Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” a place meant to satirize pre-Victorian England (and its successors). Vanity has two distinct meanings here, which Thackeray so carefully weaves together. On the one hand, the people of Vanity Fair are vain in the sense of being egotistical. Their ego requires satisfaction whether by a position in society, or wealth, or the love of a woman; as they strive to attain one or more of these, they must conceal their object-in-view from everyone else. It is this other sense of “vanity” that Thackeray satirizes; i.e., futility. All these attempts at conniving, dissembling, and then arriving at one’s end never yield long-term happiness.Thackeray’s style is inimitable and perhaps may best be described as playfully sardonic. He is rarely ever serious and uses hyperbole to no end. This style sets him apart from his contemporaries. Where Hardy is tragic, he is realistic; where Eliot is subtly deprecatory, he is outwardly so; where Dickens longs for Christianity, he revels in being a heathen. And of course, one of the most recognizable devices in his writing is the tangent, never without purpose and always without apology. Some of these may be readily skipped over but some are worth reading, if only to get a good laugh. Indulge Thackeray in some of these and you will not be disappointed!

⭐ Slogging through this supercilious, muddled mess of a novel took a supreme effort. Reeks misogyny on every page. Full of superfluous badinage that does nothing to advance the story. Not funny. Spectacularly mean spirited. Excessively lengthy for no reason. Maddeningly tedious. It’s easy to discern that Thackeray respects no one, but his hatred of women is the overwhelming takeaway of this boring, repetitive “satire.” The story itself is thin, but the reader’s attention is continually diverted and disturbed by the writer’s compulsion to expound upon his prejudices and personal opinions, particularly on the uselessness, superficiality, vindictiveness and inferiority of women.Don’t bother reading this book unless you are required to do so. Thackeray is an accomplished writer who, at least in this book, wastes his gift. I’ve read many, many classics and this only one I would not recommend.

⭐ 303. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Novel-E Book-Fiction) 5* Originally “The Novel Without a Hero”, which more or less is about the gist of it, as even the character Colonel William Dobbin is not without some flaws. The author certainly is a loquacious writer and no doubt his mind was muddled at times and certainly his pen hand cramped with the volume of pages of this work. Published as a 19 volume series between 1847-1848, it’s meant to reflect early 19th century society of England, told with wit and satire. As the reader follows the lives of Amelia Sedley and Rebecca Sharp, we don’t have to wait long to determine each ladies character, Amelia being naïve and Rebecca unscrupulous and rather ruthless at times. Their paths cross many times during the course of the narrative and not always in a good way. I thought it was an excellent story and well written which I thoroughly enjoyed. “Ah, Vanitas Vattatum! 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” William Makepeace Thackeray and thus ends Vanity Fair.

⭐ This is not a review of the novel which is a masterpiece despite the reviews of a few people who didn’t like the book. The fact that you don’t like the book or understand the importance of the book does not mean it’s not a masterpiece. I am reviewing the Barnes and Noble edition which is listed under annotated versions if you search that way. There are many brief references throughout the book—maybe on 30%-40% of the pages. They are very brief. I give this edition four starts because the Penguin edition has many more and they are more thorough. The Penguin is out of print but used copies can be found if searched for. This edition is fine and superior to those editions without such references but not as good as the Penguin.

⭐ …as relevant as todays headlines. Not just the hard news of bombs and earthquakes, wars and such, but also the more personal news of love, hate, wealth, poverty, disease, and every kind of winning and losing. This amazingly modern but old novel reveals the world we all can love or not, fear or enjoy…it is your world, your life– and welcome to it.Vanity Fair is a great classic English novel by the talented Mr. Thackery. Back when he wrote it in the mid 19th century, long novels were often produced, as this was, to be read as serials in newspapers and magazines or however else they could be marketed, I assume.Dickens made his living that way, as did Anthony Trollope and many others. Thackery is as good a writer as any I’ve ever read and I would say actually far better than most. He knows how to tell a good story and to do it in great style.Here in this book we have the great William Makepeace Thackeray telling the universal tale of we humans in conflict with each other and often, too, in conflict with our own hearts…Our heroine is the precocious and rowdy young Becky Sharp. She was a servant girl among the very rich. She wants the power and glory she sees those upper classes enjoying, they all seem so sure they deserve their privileges while the servants around them [including Becky Sharp] are just servants after all and not to be spoiled by the finer things of life.Now, Becky is a formidable young girl with wiles aplenty. She is not willing to live a life of service to others when she could see how those ‘others’ could be turned to the service of Becky herself. That is just the beginning of this well plotted and well told story.If you’ve never read it, get a copy and spend some quality time with yourself, and with Miss Becky. It is a great story by a very great writer.

⭐ Reactions to this novel will probably depends heavily on two things — tolerance for a long, sprawling, often diffuse story and a willingness to immerse oneself in a book where none of the main characters are fully likable people.This is a long, long book. When I started reading it I was living in Arizona with no plans to move. By the time I finished the book this week, I had been a resident of Minnesota for almost three months. And I’m not a slow reader. It isn’t the most sprawling Victorian novel I’ve read ( The Way of All Flesh felt a lot longer and involved many more generations and Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story , another great serial novel, was also pretty meandering), but it is certainly in the category.If you have a willingness to immerse yourself in an author’s world for an extended period of time, you will probably enjoy this novel. It helps, however, to also have an appetite for harsh social commentary. It doesn’t seem as if the author likes anybody very much. Even the characters who are initially appealing turn out to have serious character flaws. Readers who want to “like” characters should probably keep looking.On the whole, I thought this novel was an excellent read. The author’s wit, while not as sharp as Dickens at his best, is enjoyable. The frequent authorial injections, while an old-fashioned technique, were delivered with a sensibility that was quite modern. The story didn’t turn out at all as I expected it would.If you have an appetite for a long novel with realistic characters, I highly recommend this book. I liked it enough to want to check out more of the author’s work. Comparing him to authors like Austen isn’t really fair. He was really working in a completely different way, with the same elements of social satire, but on a much longer scale and in a much darker vein.

⭐ I tried to read this (in the public domain) book several days after ordering it . It is not readable on my Kindle. the format is all wrong.The type is too small to read and still the page is too large for the Kindle tablet. It is impossible to tweak it in settings. You can’t change the font size etc. Unfortunately, I didn’t open the book until it was too late to return it and I can’t find a way to talk to anyone at Amazon about a refund. I will be careful about ordering books in the public domain in the future from Kindle.

⭐ A long ride! I hadn’t read it, but I’m trying to get to all the ‘classics’ I missed. I didn’t miss anything. Engaging story idea but Thackeray’s pronouns and antecedents render many passages incomprehensible. He needed a good editor. Also, many of his references may have been understood in his day, but I didn’t have a context for many, and wasn’t able to find out what he was referring to over 50% of the time. Oh well. Now on to War & Peace!

⭐ This is a terrible, horrible, no good optical character recognition ebook, done without proofreading (substitute “dollar” for “buck” in the meaning of a young man as only one of hundreds, thousands of “ughs”), turning a literary masterpiece into a piece of crap. If I could figure out how to get my money back, I would, but you should save yours.

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