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In a short aside in chapter 22 of Vanity Fair, the narrator tells us about a gentleman he knows who, "used to do little wrongs to his neighbours on purpose, and in order to apologize for them in an open and manly way afterwards."
The result of this, the narrator continues, is that his friend is, "liked everywhere, and deemed to be rather impetuous - but the honestest fellow." Thackeray, it seems, were he alive today, would understand exactly what we mean by"virtue-signalling".
It's gems like this that make me love Vanity Fair. Yes, it's about more than a simple anecdote, but it is a perfect example of the threads of meaning that run through it - threads of psychological insight, emotional understanding, and satirical critique.
All these threads become a wonderful tapestry of perspectives as Thackeray takes you behind the public facade of a range of characters, to show you the hidden hypocrisies of 19th century England.
I love this weave of perspectives and meanings! I love watching Becky Sharpe playing, with guile and wit, the patriarchy at its own game... and then my awkward ambivalence as Thackeray shows me the consequences for others of this survival game-playing...
I love coming face to face with Miss Crawley; the "reality" of her mannerisms, her awful superior certainty, her deathly vivacity. That people like Miss Crawley existed, still exist, nudges me to remember that my experience is not everyone's experience, that my moral worldview is not THE moral worldview!
And I love Becky's flinging back of the dictionary, as she leaves Pinkerton's academy at the end of chapter one - its subversiveness! First, Miss Jemima denies her own standards by not giving Becky a dictionary, as she does with other pupils, and then her sister, Miss Pinkerton, rejects this rejection, by secretly gracing Becky with one of the said dictionaries ... ONLY for Becky to fling it back at her through the window as she leaves!
Oh, this scene! How it demonstrates so clearly Becky's disdain for everything Miss Pinkerton's academy stands for, and at the same time, suggests a wider disdain towards society in general. The dictionary, Dr Johnson's dictionary, can be seen as a symbol of a male-dominated society, governed by a male-cenetred language. Becky's disrespectful treatment of the dictionary, shows that she will not be playing by the rules of the patriarchal game.
I mean, what's not to love here!
Vanity Fair is immense fun! Its satire ranges from the gentle tickle to the searing burn. It has moments of great poignancy, deft philosophy, and pure set-piece comedy. And, as the above examples show, it's a beautiful weave of psychological insight and meaning. It is, in my opinion, one of the great works of English literature.
My new series of courses, The Great Novels, begins on Thursday 10th January, with Vanity Fair! This 4-week online course is a wonderful chance to get a thorough introduction to this superb novel!