"Vanity Fair": An Insight into the Ideals of Romanticism

Paper Summary:

"Vanity Fair" is a satire of the romantic novel typical of the Victorian period. This essay illustrates how the author, William Makepeace Thackeray uses an unconventional and realistic style of writing supported by a strong use of irony as his weapon, to create a "novel without a hero."

From the Paper:

"Equally entertaining and enlightening, William Makepeace Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" is an eye opening satire of not only the idealistic outlook of popular culture but also of the romantic novel which set the tone for literature in the 1800s. Teeming with tedious tirades and seemingly dull details, this piece of classic literature fails to maintain the attention of the superficial reader who does not recognize Thackeray's use of detail to develop the characters and the theme. Straying from the common format of the romantic novel typical of the period, "Vanity Fair" lacks a hero and exposes the shallow attitude of the average person. Thackeray's unconventional and realistic style is supported by a strong use of irony, completing the novel."

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