Reader discussion: Vanity Fair

Public reader discussion about Vanity Fair in the WeRead Catalog by William Makepeace Thackeray.

I just finished reading 'Vanity Fair' by William Makepeace Thackeray

By martencoastal

Kinda annoyed with myself that I’d never read anything by him before. I do love books, and I’ve heard the name, but it just never happened. Then I got into a biography of Charlotte Brontë, and later I was bored one night watching TV and found an episode of *Vanity Fair*—so I threw it on. After that, I was hooked and had to read the actual book. I’m not going to write a huge long post since I’m on my phone, but I really loved how, even after all these years, the characters still somehow pull you in hard. Like you can’t just set it down. It’s satire, sure, but it also felt way too real. They were all kind of a mix—could make you laugh, make you feel for them, or make you feel gross. And none of them were really “heroes,” which, I guess, matches that subtitle about a novel without a hero. If I’m honest, I was most sympathetic toward William Dobbin and Rawdon Crawley, though I’m not sure about Rawdon yet. I liked Amelia Sedley a lot at first, but I got fed up later on. And George Osborne? Total wastrel. By the end though, I just felt really bad for Jos. So… what did you think of *Vanity Fair*?

Was Vanity Fair ever banned in the United States?

By quietenvelope6

I’m working through Vanity Fair for the first time right now and I’m really loving it. Something I noticed is that interracial marriage gets brought up a few times. Like Jos Sedley’s dad is basically okay with his marrying Becky partly because he’s trying to avoid the whole “he might marry an Indian woman” situation. And then there’s Miss Schwartz too—Jamaican and Jewish—who’s described like one of the most wanted bachelorettes in London, money aside. That made me wonder… was Vanity Fair ever banned in the US, especially in the South?

What are you reading?

By shelfrainy1972

Wait, what are you reading?

Was anyone else left reeling by My Dark Vanessa?

By SilentReef

Honestly, wow. This was such a heavy, touchy subject and I thought the author handled it really well. The whole thing felt way too real, like it was painfully obvious she wasn’t just making it up or researching from the outside. I finished it feeling wrecked—heartbroken, mad, and stuck thinking about stuff from my own past as a young woman. It wasn’t as extreme for me as what the main character goes through, but there were moments that were just… stomach-turningly familiar. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the whole “consent” thing that honestly reads like guilt and coercion to me (so, not consent). And the fact that the men just keep showing up and getting away with it—ugh. This book is probably going to stay with me forever. If you can handle that kind of darkness, I’d say it’s a must-read. And to the people worried it “romanticises” age-gap stuff or abuse—I don’t agree. Even after reading the author’s interviews and her afterword/forward, I still felt like the point was being made pretty clearly. I will admit I tweaked my original comment because I sounded harsher than I meant to, but my overall take hasn’t changed. Like, it definitely takes a critical eye to get what the author is trying to do (in my opinion), kind of like how people talk about *Lolita*. I know it’s super popular, but if you’re on the fence, just read it. Will I read it again? Probably not, because it’s just so much to carry. Also—did anyone else feel totally shaken, like genuinely devastated, after finishing? Edit: thanks for all the replies, too. And yeah, it’s totally fine if you don’t agree or didn’t like it. The topic is complicated and gross, so I get not wanting to read it. I’m also curious: if you didn’t care for it, why not? And what would you change to make it better? Keep in mind it’s a debut novel, and I think it’s really brave. For me, I just felt like a few parts could’ve been shorter, especially near the end.

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray [Unknown](2004)

By traildeep

So this is the full-color companion thing for the new movie version of Thackeray’s novel, with Reese Witherspoon, directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay!). It’s basically about Becky Sharp, and she’s one of those really great female characters—at least that’s how it’s coming off here. She’s from the lower class, and it seems like she has to use her smarts (and, well, her charm) to work her way into London society around 1820 with her friend Amelia. Along the way there are all these battles and drama, both kind of military-ish and also more personal/home stuff, and people’s fortunes rise and crash. From what I can tell, it has the full screenplay by Julian Fellowes plus Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet, and there are more than 150 full-color illustrations, bits from the novel, interviews, director notes, and sidebars about costumes and sets. And yeah, it’s 150 color photos.

What is the meaning of a date written in a format like "18-"

By bookishdog54

I just started reading Vanity Fair and I’m a little lost at the way they date things with a dash, like “in the year 18-”. I’ve noticed it in a few older classics too—what’s that supposed to mean?

What's the best version of Vanity Fair?

By quantum45

I’m torn between the 2004 film and the 2018 miniseries, but I guess I’ll check out an older movie or series too if there’s something better than those.

William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair, being the first edition and first issue printed in 1848. This was the toughest book to catalog in a while.

By Epilogue-Crow

Why was it so hard to figure out/catalyze?

Vanity Fair and it's trailblazing femme fatale

By valley_balance

I just finished Vanity Fair about a month ago, and Becky (Rebecca) Sharp is seriously something else. It feels like people only talk about “femme fatales” like Amy from Gone Girl being this new, badass twist, but Thackeray basically did a version of that way earlier with Becky. She’s clearly written to fit that whole myth-y “ruin men” vibe too, like she’s compared to a bunch of women from old stories who drag people down. That said, I can’t tell if the book wants to “teach a lesson” about her. It seems more like it’s poking at how shallow Victorian society is, where someone like Becky can actually get by and even do well. She’s not exactly winning because she’s nice—she kind of burns bridges and pushes people away, and you do get little flashes of regret now and then. But overall, she keeps coming out on top, even after her worst, most shocking move—the one that really turns her from anti-hero energy into full-on villain. What messes with expectations is the way the story is set up. Once Becky finally locks in her place in high society, everything starts falling apart fast. Rawdon finds out about her cheating, leaves her, and takes the money she’d been building up. Becky disappears and, for a while, it shifts to Amelia, so it honestly feels like that’s it—like the usual thing where these stories just end with her getting what she “deserves.” But then Becky comes back into it, and we finally see what she’s been doing offstage. Little by little she worms her way back, messing with Amelia’s emotions and also working on Jos. By the end, her reputation is kind of repaired and her money is actually better than before her fall. And she’s outlasted basically all the men who ever cared about her. So yeah, I get why people either love her or hate her. She’s smart and adaptable, but she’s also self-interested and pretty ruthless. Either way, she sticks in your head, and the whole “humans are messy and society is messed up” thing still feels way too relevant.

Thoughts on Vanity Fair?

By red1983

Hey everyone—I'm really into the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, and I’ve been thinking about grabbing *Vanity Fair*. Just wanted to hear what people who’ve actually read it think in general. I’m a big Tolstoy and Austen fan, and I’ve read a lot of 19th-century French stuff too. I just haven’t gotten around to Thackeray yet. So yeah… is it worth it?

best magazines with great writing?

By IanInDublin5723

Hey everyone—what magazines do you all think have really well-written, thoughtful stuff and good intellectual topics? I’m kind of thinking along the lines of The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Economist, but I’m not sure. Any recommendations? Thanks!

For those of you have read Vanity Fair, what did you think about it?

By draft_ribbon

Honestly, it took me about three months to make it through all 680 pages. It was still totally worth it, but there were definitely stretches where it dragged, and I had to kind of push myself to get through a set number of pages each day. That said, I really liked Thackeray’s style—there’s something artistic about it, and the satire really comes through. I found myself laughing out loud in a few spots, especially when he was basically spelling out what makes someone a good socialite in England at the time. Becky Sharp felt especially tricky/devious, like one of the most cunning characters I’ve read. Also, Thackeray’s thoughts on women are pretty interesting to me. I liked that he recognizes how much power women can have over men, and what he thinks women should be like. I wish I could’ve talked about it in class, but a discussion here could be just as good, maybe even better. I’m really curious what everyone else thinks!

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1847-8) starring Emma Fielding, Katy Cavanagh and Toby Jones, with Stephen Fry as the somewhat unreliable narrator. Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt. Also available as an omnibus edition (link in comments).

By CloudDragon

Omnibus edition I’m not totally sure I’ve got all the details right, but Vanity Fair by Thackeray is basically about Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, and what happens with them and their circle during and after the Napoleonic Wars. I saw that it first came out as a big monthly serial with illustrations—so it feels like it was meant for that kind of format—then it was later put into one volume with a subtitle that kind of hints it isn’t following the usual “hero” story stuff. What threw me a bit is that the whole thing is kind of set up like a puppet show, and the narrator voice doesn’t always feel fully trustworthy, even though it’s sort of “telling” the story. Still, it sounds like it was a hit both with readers and critics at the time, and it’s now treated like a classic. It’s also been adapted a bunch for audio/film/TV, and I even noticed it showed up on that BBC list of favorite UK books (like #122).

Is Vanity Fair Thackeray's only good novel?

By kindWinter3

Hey, I guess it’s evening for me (not sure when you’ll see this). I’ve got a pretty big collection of Thackeray stuff, but I’ve only read *Vanity Fair* so far. I really liked it though, so now I’m curious—are any of his other novels or short stories actually worth digging into? What do you all think?

What are your favorite books that are on the public domain?

By snow-story5

Just wondering—I'm trying to get into more classics, and I’d love to hear what everyone’s favorite is. Mine might be *Wuthering Heights* by Emily Brontë, not 100% sure though.

What are your thoughts on vanity fair?

By clear-comet

I just picked this up recently, so I’m not really familiar with the author or anything about the story yet. The title was what pulled me in, and I also think the cover looks great. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you thought.

Is being a "New York Times Bestseller" worth anything?

By DustyValley

Am I the only one noticing that pretty much every book lately says it’s a New York Times bestseller? I’m not from the US, so I used to think it was some kind of big deal. But now it feels so everywhere that I can’t help wondering if it even means much anymore. Did the label lose its value, or are they just slapping it on as a marketing thing?

Terrible book club

By WhiteFinch

My sister and I have kind of an ongoing book club for the last few years, but we don’t really hunt down “good” books. We go for the worst stuff we can find—books that are so bad you don’t even want to finish, stories with plot holes you could drive a truck through, cringe-y YA where it’s always this 18-year-old chosen one/self-insert vibe, and books where the main character is unbearable and somehow by the end you’re rooting for the villains. Basically anything like that. Is there a place (or a group) for recommending books like this? If anyone has suggestions to add to our growing list of terrible reads, I’d love to hear them.

Just finished The Guest by Emma Cline

By KindSparrow

So, if you’ve read it, what did you think? I’m going to be honest—I didn’t enjoy it at all. I think part of it is on me, because I started it even though I don’t usually read books like this. It kind of feels like there’s no real beginning, middle, or end, just this long continuous thing where you follow the main character doing pretty everyday, mundane stuff. The premise sounded kind of interesting, but it just didn’t land for me. Also, the main character was really hard to like. Not in a fun or relatable way—more like she didn’t have anything redeeming in my eyes. I know it’s gotten a lot of good reviews though, so I’m curious what other people thought, and whether I should go back to it with a different mindset.

What are the most falsely advertised books you’ve read?

By Early_Plate5379

I just finished two “cute summer romance” books back to back and both ended up being way more about the main characters’ trauma than I signed up for. I’m kinda burned out and now I’m wondering if I’m the only one who feels this way. I really want those easy, fluffy reads in the summer, but I keep getting tricked into heavier stuff. The ones I read: - “The Falling in Love Montage” by Clara Smyth, which was pitched like a cute romcom about finally getting the classic movie montage vibe. Instead it’s really about dealing with the mother’s dementia and how that hits her family. - “See You Yesterday” by Rachel Lynn Solomon, marketed as a Groundhog Day-ish time loop with a mystery subplot and a fun romance. But it turns out there’s basically no mystery, and the main focus is her traumatic high school stuff, and the romance felt kind of weak.