A deliciously satirical attack on a money-mad society, Vanity Fair, which first appeared in 1847, is an immensely moral novel, and an immensely witty one. Lengthy and leisurely in pace, the novel follows the adventures of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley as their fortunes rise and fall, creating a tale both picaresque and risque'. Thackeray mercilessly skewers his society, especially the upper class, poking fun at their 'morals.' His weapons, however, are not fire and brimstone but an unerring eye for the absurd and a genius for observation of the foibles of his age. An enduring classic, this great novel is a brilliant study in duplicity and hypocrisy..and a mirror with which to view our own times.
