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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Snobs and snobbishness; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

English snobbery and class differences in the mid 19th century.
I really enjoyed this book. Unlike the previous reviewer, I found it totally enjoyable and informative. It is not a book of jokes: it's mostly satire, and is amusing rather than funny, though I did laugh out loud a few times. What surprised me was that so many of these snobs still exist in the 21st century! The author says, "It is impossible for ANY Briton not to be a snob in some degree."

The book is a collections of articles Thackeray wrote for Punch, and is typical of that magazine. Thackeray's definition is, 'He who meanly admires mean things is a snob'. He starts at the top, by defining and describing Royal Snobs, Aristocratic Snobs, respectable snobs, city snobs, military snobs, clerical snobs, university snobs, literary snobs, etc, etc., and so descends to the lower classes, which are just as full of snobs as the upper. I found myself in this book! I believe myself to be a humble downright person, but Thackeray's perception is very acute. I would challenge any Brit to read this and NOT find himself.

A really good read. If you like 'Spitting Image' you'll like this.

Filler Material?
I usually like Thackeray's works a lot. That's why I didn't hesitate to buy this. Book of Snobs seemed to be something he wrote to break in a new pen; or maybe he had promised a publisher something on a deadline and ran out of ideas.Parts are humorous, but I was bored. Thank goodness I read quickly; otherwise I'm not sure I would have finished it. Do not let this review of a single book turn you off to Thackeray. Do try Henry Esmond or Barry Lyndon. (The third star is because it's Thackeray - and maybe I missed something.) ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic by William Thackeray. "If she did not wish to lead a virtuous life, at least she desired to enjoy a character for virtue, and we know that no lady in the genteel world can possess this desideratum, until she has put on a train and feathers and has been presented to her Sovereign at Court. From that august interview they come out stamped as honest women. The Lord Chamberlain gives them a certificate of virtue." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

A great classic, but a difficult read
This is a very difficult book to review, because I'm not actually sure what I thought about it or how I felt about it. It's widely accepted as a masterpiece of British literature, and there's good reason why it's a classic and why it's still widely read today.

This book was hard to read, hard to understand, and hard to enjoy--but it's meant to be that way. I see it as part of Thackeray's statement about the society he's describing. This makes it difficult to decide if I should give the book four stars, because it succeeds in it's endeavor and is rather brilliant, or two, because it succeeded in being wordy, confusing, and being populated by unpleasant people. I gave it three, which is for sure wrong, but will hopefully warn those who need a warning what it is they are getting themselves into by starting this trek through the good and bad times in the life of Miss Becky Sharp and through the highest and lowest offerings of British Regency society.

Social Commentary, Satire, and a Love Story
As you'd expect from the title (which comes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress), Vanity Fair is social commentary.But it is also satire and a love story.

I wanted to read this after having seen a DVD based on it.The movie was beautifully costumed and filmed, but something seemed to be missing and I felt that I didn't fully understand the story.I knew that reading the book would give me much more depth.

After reading it, I do feel satisfied, although as it turns out the movie actually followed the book pretty closely.I guess it's just all the extra detail that allows a reader to know and understand the characters better.

At first glance, Vanity Fair looks like a typical Victorian morality tale in which the good guys live happily ever after and the bad guys get what they deserve.I've heard Becky Sharp described as one of the most evil villains in all of literature.In the movie she seemed to be more three-dimensional, rather than all bad.I thought that was a modern touch added to make her character more believable.

But with a closer reading one sees subtle hints that Rebecca may not be totally evil.We see how hard she has struggled for every little thing she gets, and what she is up against.We see that her husband colluded in her behavior, or at least looked the other way during most of their marriage in order to enjoy the benefits of her schemes.We begin to see that perhaps life - and especially other people - may have been unjust to Rebecca at least to some extent.And especially as the story approaches its end, we see another side of her, however short-lived.

Thackeray himself seems ambiguous about his character.Most of the time he seems to think the worst of her, but at times he seems sympathetic.To add to the confusion, some of her supposedly shocking behavior is only vaguely hinted at, and is thus left open to the reader's interpretation.I like this (even though it was probably done only because at the time one just didn't speak of some things in polite society, including print.)It is fitting to Thackeray's satiric approach; it adds realism and depth; and it respects the reader's intelligence in allowing us to make our own assessment of Rebecca.Just as in real life, we usually don't know exactly what other people have done and what their motivations were, and must try to decide for ourselves whether they are good people or not.

And it isn't just Rebecca that Thackeray is ambiguous about.He has equally mixed feelings about Amelia.The epitome of Victorian virtue, she is always quiet, modest, gentle, kind, obedient, loyal, forgiving, etc.Yet at times he calls her a weak little fool.And gradually he shows us how her unwavering loyalty to her husband might look more like obsession, stubbornness, selfishness, and pride.Personally, I found Amelia too weak and insipid to be likeable.Her naiveté can be excused for a while as the inevitable result of a too-sheltered life, but when it remains unchanged after decades of adulthood and life experiences, the reader questions her intelligence.

I really don't like either of them all that much.I lean towards preferring the spirited Rebecca, but am held back by feeling that some of the things she did were unforgivable.Even Major Dobbins isn't entirely lovable, although that is probably an artifact of 21st-century culture.What was seen in Victorian times as a proper gentleman's duty to protect the "weaker sex" now appears controlling and disrespecting of another person's boundaries.

But I like it that I don't completely like the main characters.They seem real:shades of gray rather than black and white.This is something you don't often see in 19th-century writing (for example, compare this to Anna Karenina and especially to Madame Bovary.)As with the others, though, Rebecca is a terrible mother who is described as not just indifferent to her son, but actually hating him.Apparently that is mandatory for female villains in Victorian literature.But to me, it makes Rebecca less believable.True, not all mothers are good, but the story would have been more plausible if there had at least been some struggle between Rebecca's selfishness and affection for her son, even if the selfishness won.

As I've said, Vanity Fair is satire rather than a morality play.All satire contains elements of humor, and that's one of the delightful things about this book.Pay attention to names in particular - they range from subtle entendré to downright silly.There's also some great wordplay, including invented language.It's often subtle, especially in the context of the wordy and pretentious 19th-century style of writing (and it's easily confused with obsolete vocabulary) - so watch for it.I appreciated the immediate access to the dictionary on my Kindle!

A working knowledge of French (and to a lesser extent, German) would be helpful, as it isn't uncommon to encounter untranslated foreign phrases.At the time this book was written, most literate British people would have been familiar with those languages.I enjoyed the challenge, especially since sometimes these foreign phrases were garbled, ungrammatical, and misspelled (i.e., mispronunced) in order to demonstrate (and poke fun at) a poorly-educated speaker's lack of fluency.

The book did run on a little too long (another artifact of that wordy 19th-century writing.)At times it dragged, especially during one long section about 9/10 of the way through, although it did pick up again later.One reason for this is the way Thackeray sometimes goes off on a long tangent, describing events and characters that really have very little to do with the story, and accomplish nothing to move the plot along.The edition I read included a commentary at the end, in which it stated that Thackeray did this intentionally, in an attempt to emulate the 18th-century style of writing that he admired more than the "realistic," more straightforward, style popular in the 19th century during which he lived and wrote.(This was also said to be the reason why Thackeray directly addresses the reader at times.)

But most of the time the book was interesting, and often humorous.

Thackeray's description of the game of Charades as played in the 19th century was particularly intriguing.Newly brought over to England from France where it had been invented, it was incredibly elaborate, requiring great expense and preparation - the kind of thing you'd expect to see at the court of Marie Antoinette.And speaking was allowed, as were musical hints, even lyrical music.(Naturally a live orchestra was required.)

As in often the case in classic literature, there is some racism in Vanity Fair.It is relatively rare and mild (compared to, say, Mark Twain), but could be offensive.

I would have liked to have seen the author's own drawings which illustrated the original edition (and some later ones.)I missed out on those since they weren't included in my (Kindle) edition.I might check the library for a copy that has them.

(699 pages)


Quotes from Vanity Fair:

" . . . a kiss, which was like the contact of an oyster."

"Which of the dead are most tenderly and passionately deplored?Those who love the survivors least, I believe."

"What are benefits, what is constancy, or merit?One curl of a girl's ringlet, one hair of a whisker, will turn the scale against them all in a minute."

"She didn't wish to marry him, but she wished to keep him.She wished to give him nothing, but that he should give her all.It is a bargain not unfrequently levied in love."

"It was myself I deluded and persisted in cajoling; had she been worthy of the love I gave her, she would have returned it long ago.It was a fond mistake.Isn't the whole course of life made up of such?And suppose I had won her, should I not have been disenchanted the day after my victory?Why pine, or be ashamed of my defeat?"

poignant, and juicy, a delicious book of mockery and more
Fantastic female characters juxtaposed to each other, somewhat reminded me of the characters of Cousin Bette, Scarlett O'hara and Melanie from Gone with the Wind.Sharp criticism of the British aristocratic culture of the 19th Century in a deliciously twisted/cynical way.Great writing "...for so it was that Becky felt the Vanity of human affairs, and it was in those securities that she would have liked to cast anchor""...I believe that remorse is the least active of all a man's moral senses---the very easiest to be deadened when wakened: and in some never wakened at all.We grieve at being found out, and at the idea of shame or punishment; but the mere sense of wrong makes very few people unhappy in Vanity Fair."

long
this one was very long with many ups and downs. it would be very interesting for a few chapters, then not interesting for chapters, and then interesting again. alas, the end of the book was not interesting and that is the feeling that i took away.
it tells the story of miss sharp as she attempts to climb to the highest levels of society while making fun of society. what it has to say about society seems to be hit or miss in its humor, telling in its examples, and long winded over all.
i dont think i liked this one.

Worth Reading
After struggling with it for approximately six months (when a normal book takes me 3-4 days), I finally finished Vanity Fair, and I can honestly say that it was worth reading.

I disagree with so many who fawn at the knees of William Makepeace Thackery and laud his satire, for it isn't such. A book of this type is no more satire than 1984. Both are clear in their despising of their characters and their means and motives. Gulliver's Travels was a satire. This was not. As some have pointed out, this was intended to provide the grist for the mill of the popular taste. That doesn't mean that it is bad or not worth reading.

It is actually quite a well-written book, in turns fast and slow, although it certainly doesn't leave us with a feeling of morality on the parts of any of the characters, except perhaps Dobbin. Becky is clever and shrewd, and ruthless. Amelia is simpering, stupid, maudlin, and undeserving. The characters are simply who the author wants them to be. Mistake that not for satire, though.

For those who are curious about Victorian times, or enjoy Napoleonic Saga and British Empiricism, this will thrill you. For those who loathe it, this would be tiring, and you may want to skip it. For those who are curious, merely hang on, and watch the show.

B

Harkius ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

funny, heart-breaking, sharply observed -- glorious classic
I assumed this book was some tedious classic, and had never felt any pull to read it.Its immense size and the century of its creation were daunting-- too long, too many words, too long ago.I took it along however on a trip to England and was enthralled.I "could not put it down", i was so drawn into the story and the lovely clear writing.Mr. Thackeray was a wise man who deeply understood a wide range of personalities in all layers of society.A tremendous and lasting achievement in fiction. Almost 200 hundred years old, but fresh and modern in its sympathy for the human spirit and unsparing depiction of social conventions.And very very funny.

Barnes & Noble edition---good text size and excellent annotation
Scholars can make careers out of analyzing this wonderful novel, so I'll comment on the edition I'm reading, the Barnes and Noble full-size paperback.The text size is just within the range of "comfortable" for a middle-aged reader, a feature not easy to find in the great classics.

The footnotes and endnotes greatly enhanced my reading experience, as did the insightful introduction.

I hope more publishers realize that modern readers want to tackle the classics, but we do need help in the form of notes explaining foreign phrases and cultural terms and allusions from another land and time.And we need text large enough to make the reading a pleasure rather than a squinting endurance test.This B&N edition is a winner.

Lord knows there are enough hungry doctors of literature willing to annotate and introduce the classics!

Note that Modern Library Classics full-size paperbacks are also often excellent.In any case, if text size is an issue, better try to examine the actual book before deciding, because even these publishers have a few titles with tiny print.

funny story with some funny names
"Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray, published 1924

This is a funny story with some funny names, to wit, Becky Sharp is sharp in getting her way.Miss Sharp was in a finishing school with another girl in the early 1800's, they both left at he same time.Miss Sharp in a snit because the school mistress did not do her honor as Miss Sharp felt was her due.He friend just left.The story does not get much further than that: good things happen to Becky, and bad things happen to Amelia Sedley.Miss Sharp does get her comeuppance, and Miss Sedley does get to be happy, but that is just so much ho-hum, and here we go again.You know that Miss Sharp will do something else to 'improve' her situation.

A delightful surprise
I first saw the Reese Witherspoon movie a year ago, not having read the book.I was intrigued, so bought a copy, feeling quite virtuous for having bought a classic novel with the intention of reading it.It took me over a year to get around to reading it, during which time it sat on the shelf silently convicting me of my good intentions to read the classic work.I finally picked it up and decided to try it, to "improve my mind".Boy, was I surprised to find myself laughing and utterly engrossed in it.It is written in a different style of English from that of today, of course, but it is not as difficult to get through as, say, Jane Austen (whose books I do enjoy, so stop shrieking at me, all you JA fans).It is written tongue firmly in cheek and with delightful sarcasm and satire and cynicism.I am about halfway through as I write this and the more I read, the more I'm struck by the resemblance between Becky Sharp and Scarlett O'Hara.I wonder if Margaret Mitchell was a fan of this book?

I urge you to give this book a try, if you want a very funny and witty experience.I am enjoying it very much.

King of satire
It's obvious Thackeray is the king of satire. What's not so obvious is that he was ahead of his time in his writing style. His voice could be that of a star blogger on the Internet. The sardonic wit, the cynicism. Have things changed so little?

His characters are not so much flawed as they are downright hateful. Even Dobbin, the saint and only true innocent in the book, is annoying in his loyalty to the bloodless Amelia. Still you're happy when he wins her in the end. As for Becky Sharp, you can't help but root forher early on. Towards the middle of the book, however, you begin to hate her. Thackeray is brilliant. You can forgive a woman anything except not lovingher child. Once Becky rejects her son, she is no longer endearing. You can't care anymore. And he doesn't focus on her so much anymore, as if that was the end of the one character you had the most feelings for.

But using the technique of day-time soap opera with its thousand and one sub-plots, Thackeray urges you to read on regardless of the fact that you don't like any of the characters. Youwonder where its going to end. Is anyone ever going to be happy? Is anyone ever going to get punished? Some of the characters do get punished of course, but some of them don't, or they don't know they're being punished. What good is it if they don't know it?

It's hard to accept a story where a lot of the bad guys don't get punished. And yet, in the end, you can't help but being satisfied. I have no idea why. Is it because Dobbin finally does get Amelia? That Becky does seem to get what she deserves? And what does Becky deserve? Less than Amelia? Is Amelia happy in the end?Happier than Becky? Probably not. And that alone would probably make Becky happy if she thought about something besides herself for once. All I know is that as long as those two are miserable, I'm happy.

Sue Lange
author, Tritcheon Hash, [...] ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics ebook edition contains the collected works of William Makepeace Thackeray, including his seminal 'Vanity Fair' and 'The Book of Snobs.'Includes an active table of contents.


Contents:

Catherine
Barry Lyndon
Vanity Fair
The History of Pendennis
The Paris Sketchbook of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh
Men’s Wives
The History of Henry Esmond
The Newcomes
The Rose and the Ring
The Virginians
The Bedford-Row Conspiracy
The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan
The Book of Snobs
The Christmas Books
The Fatal Boots
The Fitz-Boodle Papers
George Cruikshank
The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty
Diamond

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Social Climbing
Amelia and Becky are schoolmates together at a fancy young ladies' finishing school in England in the 1800s.When the two leave together, Amelia is sobbed over, remembered fondly, and given a gift by the headmistress.Amelia comes from a good family and is very wealthy.

Becky, on the other hand, is a poor orphan who had to earn her stay at the school by teaching French to the younger girls, and her graduation is not mourned by anyone.Once free from the stifling environment of the school, Becky is able to look around and the world and find the best way of getting ahead in it.

This book follows the paths of Amelia and Becky as they each make their way through society and, for very different reasons, marry and gain families of their own.Becky and Amelia both struggle to be liked, to be accepted, and to make their way through their socially complex England.

The story of these characters is fascinating, and it is especially compelling to watch Becky, who is always on the lookout for the most advantageous opportunities provided to her.Amelia's story is much less turbulent, as she is not at all the conniver Becky is.

The book was a bit of a slog; it took a long time for me to read and I sometimes felt like I was missing some of the jokes.The characters and the story were still very interesting, though, despite being written in the style of the time.

nice edition
I ordered this copy to entice my grand-daughter to read Thackery.It worked.She plowed through the entire novel in two weeks.This excellent edition, in fine condition helped.Thank you.

All's fair in love and "Vanity"
Greed, gold-digging and deception sit at the heart of "Vanity Fair." It's no joke that it's subtitled "a novel without a hero" -- William Makepeace Thackeray mercilessly skewered the pretentions and flaws of the upper class all throughout it. The result is a gloriously witty social satire.

It opens with two young women departing from a ladies' academy: dull, sweet Amelia (rich) and fiery sharp-witted Rebecca (poor). Becky Sharp is a relentless social climber, and her first effort to rise "above her station" is by trying to get Amelia's brother to marry her -- an effort thwarted by Amelia's fiancee. So instead she gets married to another family's second son, Rawdon Crawley.

Unfortunately, both young couples quickly get disinherited and George is killed. But Becky is determined to live the good life she has worked and married for -- she obtains jewels and money from admiring gentlemen, disrupting her marriage. But a little thing like a tarnished reputation isn't enough to keep Becky down...

"Vanity Fair" is actually a lot more complex than that, with dozens of little subplots and complicated character relationships. Reading it a few times is necessary to really absorb all of it, since it is not just a look at the two women in the middle of the book, but at the upper (and sometimes lower) social strata of the nineteenth century.

The main flaw of the book is perhaps that it sprawls too much -- there's always a lot of stuff going on, not to mention a huge cast of characters, and Thackeray sometimes drops the ball when it comes to the supporting characters and their little plots. It takes a lot of patience to absorb all of this. However... it's worth it.

Like most nineteenth-century writers, Thackeray had a very dense, formal writing style -- but once you get used to it, his writing becomes insanely funny. Witticisms and quips litter the pages, even if you don't pick them all up at once. At first Thackeray seems incredibly cynical (Becky's little schemes almost always pay off), but taken as a social satire, it's easier to understand why he was so cynical about the society of the time.

Becky Sharp is the quintessential anti-heroine -- she's very greedy and cold, yet she's also so smart and determined that it's hard not to have a grudging liking for her, no matter what she does. Certainly life hasn't been fair for her. Next to Becky, a goody-goody character like Amelia is pretty boring, and even the unsubtle George can't measure up to Becky.

To sum up "Vanity Fair": think a period soap opera with a heavy dose of social commentary. In other words, it doesn't get much better than this, Thackeray's masterpiece. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description

This collection was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access individual books, stories and poems. This collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography. Author's biography and poems in the trial version.

Customer Reviews (2)

Works of Thackeray
Works of William Makepeace Thackeray. (100+ Works) Incl: Vanity Fair, The Book of Snobs, The Rose and the Ring, The Virginians, The Newcomes & more. Published by MobileReference (mobi)

Thackeray's writing is insanely funny. Witticisms and quips litter the pages, even if you don't pick them all up at once. At first Thackeray seems incredibly cynical, but taken as a social satire, it's easier to understand why he was so cynical about the society of the time.

Works of William Makepeace Thackeray. Kindle-friendly ebook.
Complete Works of William Makepeace Thackeray. Huge collection. (100+ Works) FREE Author's biography and poems in the trial version.
Kindle-friendly format. Excellent product! ... Read more

Product Description
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair (1847), a panoramic portrait of English society. Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, with a sneaking fondness for roguish upstarts like Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, Barry Lyndon in Barry Lyndon (1844) and Catherine in Catherine (1839). In his earliest works, writing under such pseudonyms as Charles James Yellowplush, Michael Angelo Titmarsh and George Savage Fitz-Boodle, he tended towards the savage in his attacks on high society, military prowess, the institution of marriage and hypocrisy. His writing career really began with a series of satirical sketches now usually known as The Yellowplush Papers, which appeared in Fraser's Magazine beginning in 1837. Between May 1839 and February 1840, Fraser's published the work sometimes considered Thackeray's first novel, Catherine also notable among the later novels are The Fitz-Boodle Papers (1842), Men's Wives (1842), The History of Pendennis (1848), The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., (1852), The Newcomes (1853) and The Rose and the Ring (1855) . ... Read more

Product Description
The classic novel. According to Wikipedia: "Thackeray is most often compared to one other great novelist of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens. During the Victorian era, he was ranked second only to Dickens, but he is now much less read and is known almost exclusively for Vanity Fair. In that novel he was able to satirize whole swaths of humanity while retaining a light touch. It also features his most memorable character, the engagingly roguish Becky Sharp. As a result, unlike Thackeray's other novels, it remains popular with the general reading public; it is a standard fixture in university courses and has been repeatedly adapted for movies and television. In Thackeray's own day, some commentators, such as Anthony Trollope, ranked his History of Henry Esmond as his greatest work, perhaps because it expressed Victorian values of duty and earnestness, as did some of his other later novels. It is perhaps for this reason that they have not survived as well as Vanity Fair, which satirizes those values." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Remarkably accurate portrayal of the vice of social climbing
This story, like many others published in the 19th century, has many parallels today. The environment in which its characters were embedded in was certainly different, but their aspirations and pettiness has its analog in contemporary society. The moment when one decides to cloak oneself in the doctrine of respectability is when one has morphed into a Barry Lyndon. Thackeray's novel is in this sense a testament to conservatism: how traditions and beliefs, no matter how sterile they are, are dragged from one generation to the next. Young generations, of which Redmond Barry is an example, are fitted with the shackles of these beliefs, with only some managing to release themselves. The others are content to proceed along the path of a Barry Lyndon: to find some kind of contentment or belonging in societal norms, the latter of course never to be questioned.

Some readers may consider Barry the epitome of wisdom and cleverness. After all, he attained enormous wealth and respectability, and this is sometimes taken to be an acid test for intelligence and courage. And in this regard it must be remembered that Barry was at first no deadbeat: he was always good on his gambling debts. But apparently this was not "respectable" enough to buy his election to the House near the end of the story. Others plotted his defeat here, either motivated by envy or some other equally decadent emotion. Barry condemns the people (the Tiptoffs) that did this to him, as if he alone should be granted a divine right to swindle.

The historical tidbits in the novel are not to be missed: references to the American Revolution and its support by Edmund Burke, the hero of modern conservative thought; the mentioning of the "old scamp and swindler" Gustavus Adolphus; the Thirty Years War with its deplorable confrontation between Catholics and Protestants; and of course the Seven Year's War in which the story has as its backdrop.

But less Barry be condemned as being the most reprehensible of characters, one need only be reminded of Lord Bullingdon and his insistence on lineage as being the origin of true virtue. Or maybe Captain John Quin who demanded respect for his being an Englishman, and a "man of property." And then there is Barry's family, who scolded him for "robbing them of 1500l a year." These characters may induce a strong perturbation in some readers, enough perhaps to wish these characters' faces be decorated with a thick coat of saliva.

What could a reader say about the supposed "moral of the story", namely that worldly success is not always the consequence of virtue? There is a plethora of contemporary evidence for this: one need only step into a university to observe an abundance of milksops. But when one asks what the nature of good fortune really is, the issue becomes complex. One must then be able to differentiate luck from the results of carefully made plans, or even to dispense completely with the concept of luck. The Irish leprechaun is not to be depended upon in the story and "accomplishments" of Barry Lyndon, the untimely death of Sir Charles Lyndon not withstanding. Barry's misfortunes and eventual demise were mainly the result of his comfort at being an ornament of English society, with his self-painting using the varnishes of unearned wealth, with his dogmatic belief that only rogues succeed in life, with his selling of his personal liberty to the Establishment, the latter of which he pledged steadfast obedience and homage. In the latter Barry shows kinship to the contemporary conservative, who asks us to respect institutions and hierarchies, but this going hand in hand with the perhaps unintended consequence of showing "hearty scorn and abhorrence of all other forms of belief".

But Barry's sojourn in the logosphere of pretentious English society did not last throughout his life, he eventually passing on in debtors prison. This is a fitting tribute to one who thought mammon to be the most stable and controlling entity in his existence. Barry was thrown in prison for not paying his debts, and like these he never paid the debt to himself: the self that he extinguished as soon as he made the decision to embed himself in the established practices of his day, however sterile, unproductive, and supercilious they were.

Barry Lyndon
this book was made into a movie by stanley kubrick that won 4 academy awards.it relates the amazing adventures of the most dishonest man in history, redmond barry.it chronicles his unlikely rise to the top and subsequent comeuppance. he is fond of fighting, lying and ripping people off.despite his love of dishonesty and treachery, and his total lack of compassion for other people, he sees himself as a good person because he only hit his wife when he was drunk, at least for the first three years of their marriage.

Thackeray's picaresque novel
Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray

Read the actual text! Barry Lyndon is one the most beautifully crafted films, but Kubrick's screenplay is not the Thackeray novel.

A Victorian faces the XVIIIth. Century.
When one is about to take the big plunge and give oneself the trouble of making what is always -in our age of lighter reading, of course - the strenuous effort of reading a XIXth. Century novelist, one - at least me - must make the following question: What was this author's particular attitude, as a man (or woman) of the most bourgeois of all centuries, towards his/her preceding century, the most aristocratic and un-bourgeois XVIIIth. Century? If s/he scorns the XVIIIth. Century, or is indifferent to it, it's quite likely that the author in question is a bourgeois philistine regarding Victorian times as the undisputed acme of human civilization. If s/he is an admirer, than s/he is obviously starting out of a clear sense of alienation from his/her own society, and one should expect at least for this XIXth. Century _avis rara_, genuine sense of humor. Thackeray was one of such Victorians who realized the philisteism of his own society;Eça de Queiroz, his Portuguese disciple (who seems to have learned a lot from reading him) was another. Therefore: Read this book, QED.

A Satirical novel about a rascal's rise and fall.
Having seen the movie "Barry Lyndon" by Stanley Kubrick years ago, I was taken aback by this book which is so markedly different than the 1975 film. In the book, Lord Bullingdon is actually the hero, where Kubrickpresented him merely as a cowardly cad. Redmond Barry (later as BarryLyndon)deserves all the evils that befall him and his first personnarrative is quite humorous especially when blaming everyone for his ownshortcomings.Unfortunately, the ending leaves one a bit unsatisfied,quite like the dismal end of Mr.Lyndon himself.This novel is not on thelevel of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair", but fun to read nonetheless. ... Read more

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The hero, Clive Newcome, loves his cousin Ethel but their union is thwarted by human weakness, the villainous Barnes and Lady Kew. The novel attacks Victorian respectability and the unhappy marriages and misalliances engendered in a society shown to be mercenary and self-aggrandizing. ... Read more

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The Fitz-Boodle Papers is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by William Makepeace Thackeray is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of William Makepeace Thackeray then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Literary; Juvenile Fiction / Family / General; ... Read more

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Volumes I and II of this new collection reprint the best of Thackeray's magazine fiction, using the Deluxe edition of the Collected Works.Catherine: A Story, The Ravenswing, articles from The Paris Sketchbook and much more, demonstrate the extensive range of Thackeray's satirical commentray on the subtle representation of English genteel society.Volumes III-IV feature significant nineteenth- century responses to Thackeray as well as the first full-length Thackeray biography, by Lewis Melville. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Literary; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; ... Read more