Quite unstimulating
I obviously missed something. I chose audio book format because the book is so long, but I felt like it was just one long ramble, the narrator droning on and on about nothing. I also own the paperback, so maybe down the road I'll give it another try.

4/11/18 Catching up with the Classics reread going to give the paper version a try and I’m taking tiny bites. This is a classic for a reason. I’m finding it.
So i dont know why I had such a hard time finishing this book in the past. It was an accurate depiction of the 19th century.
RTC

I first heard of William Makepeace Thackeray while reading Charlotte Bronte's Villette. I think she references Becky Sharp but not certain on that point but I am certain that the second edition of Jane Eyre is dedicated to this man unknown personally to her except a love of his novels. So Vanity Fair was a book I was looking forward to reading. This book is a gem of a book for many reason & the first being it tells a fine tale of life 19th century England. Published in 1848 it tells the story of two young woman in the early quarter of the century. It has many memorable characters which has the reader undecided should you like or dislike this person. He brings such human qualities like selfishness to almost all characters that has you confused & not really hating anyone you probably should at least that is my feeling throughout. It also had many little history lessons which could be classified as a historical novel because some of it takes place during the Napoleonic Wars but it is more a coming to age novel for Becky Sharp & Amelia Sedley with all the happenings occurring around them or their family & friends. Becky & Amelia meet at Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies and are the antithesis of each other. The girls both are leaving school to start their lives. Emily welcomes Becky to stay with her affluent family & visit a week before Becky starts her work as a governess in the country. Becky is extremely manipulative & works on others feeling to advance her position & desires. It is interesting to see how both these young women encounter life from youth to their mid thirties. Emily's family is closely attached to the Osborne family whereas Becky becomes attached to Sir Crawley's family. Social status & wealth of the English society is an important theme of this story but selfishness is not limited to only the wealthy. The wealthier characters seem to have a pride that looks down on the lower class. Thackeray uses satire throughout the novel of all he tells but has a sentimental side which is displayed to the reader. The novel is narrated by a male who tells all because he knows all. It has many locations that Thackeray himself visited in his life. The title Vanity Fair was taken from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress published in 1678. Vanity Fair is a place where sin & attachment to things in this book. Thackeray's Vanity Fair is this & the vain characteristic of all in life but we hope for something better than their own vain thoughts. A few quotes I liked-“Vanity Fair" for a title, and that Vanity Fair is a very vain, wicked, foolish place, full of all sorts of humbug and falseness and pretensions"


Old time radio link Campbell's Playhouse January 7, 1940

https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...