Vanity Fair名利场.ppt

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair: General Introduction Vanity Fair is Thackerays masterpiece. It was published in 1847-48 in monthly installments. The sub-title of the book, “A Novel Without a Hero”, suggests the fact that writer s intention was not to portray individuals, but the bourgeois and aristocratic society as a whole. The title was taken from Bunyans “Pilgrims Progress”. Vanity Fair: General Introduction In this novel Thackeray describes the life of the ruling classes of England in the early decades of the 19th century, and attacks the social relationship of the bourgeois world by satirizing the individuals in the different strata of the upper society. It is a world where money grubbing is the main motive for all members of the ruling classes. Characters in Vanity Fair Amelia Sedley : the daughter of a wealthy merchant ?? Rebecca (Becky) Sharp: an orphan ?? Joseph: Amelia s brother ?? Sir Pitt Crawley; Rawdon Crawley ?? George Osborne ?? Dobbin Becky Sharp The heroine, or more correctly the anti-heroine, is an intelligent young woman with a gift for satire. She is described as a petite sandy haired girl who has green eyes and a great deal of wit. Fluent in both French and English, Becky has a beautiful singing voice, plays the piano, and shows great talent as an actress. She is also completely amoral and without conscience. She does not seem to have the ability to get attached to other people, and lies easily and intelligently to get her way. She is extremely manipulative and, after the first few chapters and her failure to attract Jos Sedley, is not shown as being particularly sincere. Never having known financial or social security even as a child, Becky desires it above all things. Nearly everything she does is with the intention of securing a stable position for herself. Amelia Sedley Amelia is Beckys opposite: pale, passive, and emotionally devoted to her husband and son. She marries George Osborne against the wishes of Georges father, and when