Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Literary Fixation: Vanity Fair

I thought is was time for another Literary Fixation book review. I grabbed Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray during one of my Barnes and Noble hauls. I kind of regret buying it instead of borrowing it from the library now that I've read it.
In general I like classic novels. Vanity Fair has been on my "to read" list for a few years. I do not regret that I read it but I HIGHLY doubt I will ever read it again. I enjoy re-reading classic novels but not Vanity Fair.
Like many classics the chapters are short because they were written to be printed as serials. For me this is difficult to read because it lacks a certain flow from chapter to chapter. I've had this problem with some of Charles Dickens' books before. It took me three tries to finish Little Dorrit.
The difficulty in reading this is not the main reason that this book will sit on my shelf indefinitely. I didn't like any of the characters. I expected Becky Sharp to be an anti-heroine. Someone not good but still somewhat likable. Nope. There is not any substance to the character. She is a caricature of a bad girl with the ability to seem innocent. There seems to be no reason for most of the things she does except maybe a need for self-destruction. 
Then there is Amelia Sedley. Who is set up to be the complete opposite of Becky. The true innocent of the piece. I wanted to like her but I just couldn't. She lacks any personality. She is a bland nice person who suffers a lot in silence with a smile. Becky causes problems and Amelia endures. Yet they are both hollow characters.
I think of all the characters in this book only Rawdon, Becky's Husband, and Dobbin manage to be fleshed out. Rawdon actually changes as events form him. He is shown to grow as a person. Dobbin, on the other hand, is only fleshed out because the reader is privy to his feelings for Amelia from the very beginning. If not for that he would be a dull character.
Characters aside there isn't much of a consistent plot. It goes back and forth between Becky and Amelia (including people in their circles) showing their lives. It feels too long and pointless. The book follows these characters for years as the book meanders on. 
My Verdict: Not worth it
Instead read: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens or Women in Love by D H Lawrence

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