William Makepeace Thackeray wove many of his own experiences into his greatest work, Vanity Fair . A satirical story of English society set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic War, it was published in monthly instalments during 1847-48. The novel intertwines the fortunes of two women and describes the social manoeuvring, morality, gender roles, and class barriers of the Regency period.
HER OWN WAY In Rebecca ‘Becky’ Sharp, Thackeray created one of literature’s most memorable characters. Independent, strong-willed , amoral and manipulative, she refuses to follow the roles and rules of early 19th-century Britain. Becky Sharp does things her own way. In contrast, her friend Amelia Sedley is everything a young woman should be: polite, sentimental and devoted. When Amelia’s brother, Jos, leaves a note rejecting Becky as a possible wife, Amelia is truly upset for her friend.
“It was the death-warrant. All was over. Amelia did not dare to look at Rebecca’s pale face and burning eyes, but she dropt the letter into her friend’s lap; and got up, and went upstairs to her room, and cried her little heart out.”
“Era la sentencia de muerte. Todo había acabado. Amelia, sin osar mirar el pálido rostro y los ojos encendidos de Rebecca, dejó caer la carta en su regazo y se retiró a su habitación, donde dio rienda suelta a las lágrimas”.
ruling classes Becky takes a position as governess at Queen’s Crawley, which is owned by the crude, lecherous Sir Pitt Crawley. Before long , she marries his youngest son, Rawdon Crawley. They live an extravagant lifestyle in Paris and London, despite having no income .
“How to live well on Nothing a Year […] Some three or four years after his stay in Paris, when Rawdon Crawley and his wife were established in a very small comfortable house in Curzon Street, Mayfair, there was scarcely one of the numerous friends who they entertained at dinner that did not ask the above question regarding them.”
“De cómo vivir estupendamente sin tener donde caerse muerto […] Tres o cuatro años después de su estancia en París, Rawdon Crawley y su mujer se instalaron en una lujosa casita de Curzon Street, en Mayfair; apenas hallaríamos entre sus numerosos amigos uno que no se hiciera las anteriores preguntas respecto a ellos”.
REUNITED When Amelia’s husband dies in battle, she is left with a young son and memories of her marriage. Becky, too, loses her husband — but for different reasons. A chance meeting reunites Becky with Amelia and her brother Jos, who remains gullible . Becky has plans for them all, but can she be trusted? Major William Dobbin, loyal family friend, makes his views clear:
“‘That little devil brings mischief wherever she goes,’ the Major said disrespectfully. ‘Who knows what sort of a life she has been leading? And what business she has here abroad and alone? Don’t tell me about persecutors and enemies; an honest woman always has friends and is never separated from her family.’”
“—Esa condenada siembra el mal allí por donde pasa —dijo el comandante en tono despectivo—. ¿Quién sabe la vida que habrá llevado? ¿Qué negocios la traen al extranjero, y sola? No me hables de perseguidores y enemigos. Una mujer honesta siempre tiene amigos y nunca se separa de la familia”.
A TRUE GENTLEMAN Standing quietly in the background throughout , Dobbin remains the one true gentleman in the novel. Awkward , modest, Dobbin has courage, emotional intelligence and a strong sense of duty . He loves Amelia, but believes her to be weak . After many years of devotion, he finally speaks his mind.
“‘No, you are not worthy of the love which I have devoted to you’[…]
Amelia stood scared and silent as William thus suddenly broke the chain by which she held him and declared his independence and superiority. He had placed himself at her feet so long that the poor little woman had been accustomed to trample upon him. She didn’t wish to marry him, but she wished to keep him. She wished to give him nothing, but that he should give her all. It is a bargain not unfrequently levied in love.”
“—No, no es usted digna del amor que le he consagrado.” […] Mientras William rompía la cadena que le sujetaba a ella y declaraba su independencia y superioridad, Amelia lo escuchaba consternada y en silencio. Lo había tenido tanto tiempo a sus pies, que se había acostumbrado a pisotearlo. No quería asarse con él, pero deseaba conservarlo. No quería darle nada, pero deseaba que él renunciase a todo por ella. Es un trato muy frecuente en el amor”.
MORAL MAZE Vanity Fair was the first work published by Thackeray under his own name. He used a sub-title too: A Novel without a Hero . In the moral maze of his masterpiece, none of the characters are without flaws . The critics loved it. Even the upper class, who Thackeray satirised in Vanity Fair , hailed his novel as a work of genius, and it brought him celebrity and prosperity.
