We will be starting a new book in our Discord server.
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. The book follows the lives of two young women, Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. The novel is set in early 19th-century England and satirizes the British class system and the pursuit of wealth and status.
Becky Sharp is an orphan who is determined to rise above her humble beginnings. She is intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious, but she is also cunning and manipulative. Amelia Sedley, on the other hand, is a kind and innocent girl who comes from a wealthy family. She is easily manipulated by others and is often taken advantage of.
!SPOILER ALERT!
The two women leave Miss Pinkerton’s Academy for young women together, but their paths soon diverge. Becky marries Rawdon Crawley, a charming but impoverished officer. Amelia marries George Osborne, a wealthy but reckless young man.
George Osborne is killed in battle at Waterloo, leaving Amelia a widow with a young son. Becky Crawley, meanwhile, uses her charm and cunning to rise through the ranks of society. She becomes involved in a series of affairs and scandals, but she always manages to land on her feet.
Eventually, Becky Crawley’s luck runs out. She is disgraced and abandoned by her lover, Lord Steyne. She is forced to flee England and live in poverty abroad. Amelia Sedley, on the other hand, finds happiness and love with William Dobbin, a kind and loyal man who has loved her for years.
Vanity Fair is a complex and nuanced novel that explores the themes of social class, wealth, ambition, and love. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of pursuing material possessions and status at the expense of one’s values and integrity.
The novel is also notable for its rich cast of characters, including Becky Sharp, Amelia Sedley, William Dobbin, Rawdon Crawley, Lord Steyne, and Jos Sedley. Thackeray’s characters are complex and believable, and they represent a variety of different social classes and types of people.
Vanity Fair is a classic novel of English literature that has been enjoyed by readers for generations. It is a witty, insightful, and ultimately moving story about the human condition.