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Vanity Fair

by William Makepeace THACKERAY (1811 - 1863)

Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray that satirizes society in early 19th-century England. Like many novels of the time, Vanity Fair was published as a serial before being sold in book form; it was printed in 20 monthly parts between January 1847 and July 1848.Thackeray meant the book to be not only entertaining but also instructive; this is shown both by the narrator of the book and in Thackeray's private correspondence. The novel is now remembered as a classic of English literature, though some critics claim that it has structural problems; Thackeray sometimes lost track of the huge scope of his work, mixing up characters' names and minor plot details. The number of allusions and references it contains can make it difficult for modern readers to follow.

Listen next episodes of Vanity Fair:
A Cynical Chapter , A Family in a Very Small Way , A Rescue And A Catastrophe , A Round-about Chapter between London and Hampshire , A Vagabond Chapter , Am Rhein , Amantium Irae , Between Hampshire and London , Contains a Vulgar Incident , Eothen , Full of Business and Pleasure , Gaunt House , Georgy is Made a Gentleman , In Which a Charade Is Acted Which May or May Not Puzzle the Reader , In Which Becky Is Recognized by the Family , In Which Becky Revisits the Halls of Her Ancestors , In Which Lord Steyne Shows Himself In A Most Amiable Light , In Which the Reader has to Double the Cape , In Which the Reader Is Introduced to the Very Best of Company , In Which the Same Subject is Pursued , In Which Two Lights Are Put Out , In Which we Enjoy Three Courses and a Desert , In Which We Meet An Old Acquaintance , Our Friend the Major , Returns to the Genteel World , Struggles and Trials , Sunday After the Battle , The Old Piano , The Subject Continued , Which Contains Births, Marriages, and Deaths , Which Treats of the Osborne Family