Close Readings Novel Approaches: 'Vanity Fair' by William Makepeace Thackeray
Apr 21, 2025
Colin Burrow, a Fellow at All Souls College, and Rosemary Hill, a contributing editor at the LRB, delve into Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair.' They explore the novel's intricate satire of Regency England through the lens of fashion, personal ambitions, and social climbing. The guests discuss the complexities of characters like Becky Sharp and consider the significance of the Battle of Waterloo in shaping the narrative. Their conversation unveils how Thackeray's childhood experiences influenced his depiction of fractured families and societal shifts.
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Thackeray’s Blend of Nostalgia and Satire
- Vanity Fair is a mid-Victorian novel that nostalgically yet satirically looks back at Regency England.
- Thackeray blends personal experiences with journalistic sketch writing to create a complex societal portrait.
Historical Fiction Within Living Memory
- Victorians writing historical novels about recent history created a mix of familiarity and mythology.
- Thackeray and his contemporaries hated the Regency era, influencing the novel’s tone and fashion depiction.
Dual Protagonists And Their Fates
- Vanity Fair follows two contrasting women, Amelia and Becky, from youth to old age.
- The novel explores themes of social climbing, debt, loyalty, deception, and survival in a turbulent society.