Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair, with its rich cast of characters, takes place on the snakes-and-ladders board of life. Amelia Sedley, daughter of a wealthy merchant, has a loving mother to supervise her entrance to society. Becky Sharp, an orphan, has to use her wit, charm, and resourcefulness to escape from her destiny as a governess—which she does ruthlessly, musing “I think I could become a good woman, if I had £5000 a year.” Thackeray’s story is set at the time of the battle of Waterloo, in which the Sedley fortunes are lost—and Amelia is back to square one—while Becky rises with contemptuous ease. Thackeray, in his usual way, skewers the upper class with his wit and keen observation of the absurd.