文学史-Vaity Fair
—William Makepeace Thackeray
Vanity Fair
Relationship among figures Main plot
Characters
?After completing their studies, Amelia and Becky prepare to go to Amelia's house in Russell Square. Becky entices Sedley, hoping to marry him, but she fails because of warnings from Captain Osborne. Becky Sharp leaves Sedley's family and enters the service of Sir Pitt Crawley, who has engaged her as a governess to his daughters. Her behaviour at Sir Pitt's house gains his favour. Later Bakey ingratiates herself with the spinster Miss Crawley, who is very rich. Initially her favourite is Rawdon Crawley. However, Miss Crawley disinherits her nephew after she knows Rawdon and Becky elope.私奔
?While Becky Sharp is rising in the world, Amelia's father, John Sedley, is bankrupted. George ultimately decides to marry Amelia against his father's will. Osborne is growing tired of Amelia, and flirts with Becky. While these
personal events take place, the Napoleonic Wars have been ramping up. Captain Crawley survives, but George dies in the battle. Amelia has a son named George. She returns to live in genteel poverty with her parents. Meanwhile,
Dobbin begins to express his love for the widowed Amelia.
Amelia mistakenly assumes this was done by her late
husband. She is too much in love with George's memory to return Dobbin's affections.
?Becky also has a son, also named after his father. Becky and Rawdon appear to be financially successful, but their wealth and high standard of living are inveracious.
The couple lives mostly on credit. Ultimately Becky is
suspected of carrying on an extramarital affair婚外情with the Marquis of Steyne in exchange for money and
promotion. Rawdon's brother's wife after Becky's
pecuniary relationship with Steyne. Becky, having lost
both husband and credibility, is warned by Steyne to leave the United Kingdom and wanders the continent.
?In the end, Becky resumes her seduction of Jos and gains control over him. The reader is informed at the end of the novel that although Dobbin married Amelia, and although he always treated her with great kindness, he never fully regained the love that he once had for her. There is also a final appearance for Becky, as cocky as ever, selling trinkets at a fair in aid of various charitable causes.
Amelia Sedley Becky Sharp
friends George
Osborne husband William
Dobbin
love
Jos Sedley Rawdon Crawley husband
and wife Sir Pitt Crawley, Baronet btother Miss Matilda Crawley
anut
attracted
character
?Amelia Sedley
?Becky Sharp ?Rawdon Crawley ?George Osborne
?Sir Pitt Crawley, Baronet ?William Dobbin
?Jos Sedley
?Personality: She is good natured but passive and naive.?She is well liked by most men because of her sweet personality
?Character development: She marries George Osborne against the wishes of George's father, and is devoted to him despite his neglect of her and flirtation with Becky. When George dies at the battle of Waterloo, she brings up little George alone while living with her parents.?She ignores William Dobbin who courts her for years. While eventually they married.
?Personality: She is an intelligent young woman with a gift for satire. She seems to have the ability to get attached to other people and is extremely manipulative
?Character development: Never having known financial or social security even as a child, Becky desires it above all things. Nearly everything she does is with the intention of securing a stable position for herself, or herself and her husband after she and Rawdon are married. She
advances Rawdon's interests tirelessly, flirting with men such as General Tufto and the Marquis of Steyne in
order to get him promoted. She also uses her feminine wiles to distract men at card parties while Rawdon
cheats them blind.
Rawdon Crawley ?Personality: He is very
good at gambling and
duelling. is an empty-
headed cavalry officer
who is his wealthy
aunt's favourite until he
marries Becky Sharp
Rawdon Crawley ?Character development: Although Rawdon knows Becky is attractive to men, he believes her reputation is spotless even though she is widely suspected of romantic intrigue with General Tufto and other powerful men. After Rawdon is fully aware Becky is prostitute, he leaves Becky for an assignment overseas and leaves his son to be brought up by his brother Sir Pitt and his wife Lady Jane.
George Osborne ?Personality: a selfish, vain, profligate spender
?Character development: George defies his father in order to marry Amelia. After a couple of weeks, He flirts with Becky and is reconciled to （甘心）Amelia only a short time before he is killed in battle.
Sir Pitt Crawley, Baronet
?Personality: pedantic and conservative ?Character development: Rawdon
Crawley's elder brother inherits the
Crawley estate from his elderly father,
and he also inherits from his wealthy aunt.
William Dobbin ?Personality: He is tall, ungainly, and not particularly handsome.
?Character development: He is the best friend of George Osborne. Dobbin defends George and is blind to his faults in many ways although he tries to force George to do the right thing. He pushes George to keep his promise to marry Amelia even though Dobbin is in love with Amelia himself. After George is killed, Dobbin does his best to help Amelia.
Jos Sedley ?Personality: He is a "nabob", who made a respectable fortune as a tax collector in India. Obese and self-important but very shy and insecure.
?Character development: He never marries, but when he meets Becky again he easily falls in love with her.