Israel at Vanity Fair: Jews and Judaism in the Writings of W.M. Thackeray (Brill's Series in Jewish Studies, Vol 2)

Book Description

The book seeks, for the first time in any language, to combine Thackeray's many depictions of, and comments on, Jews and Judaism, from Old Testament times to his own present, into a coherent, chronologically ordered narrative. Texts and early versions that have not found their way into the collected editions are considered alongside well-known passages from Barry Lyndon, Vanity Fair, The Newcomes and Rebecca and Rowena. Since Thackeray illustrated many of his own works, graphic illustrations are as carefully chronicled and considered as narrative ones. The writings and drawings examined are set in a fourfold context: Thackeray's own life, psychological make-up, and developing art and opinions; the social history of Britain and its Jews; British and European literary and graphic conventions, traditions, and stereotypes; and the interplay of prejudice or animus with an essential British fair-mindedness that strives to present as truthful a picture as the author's limited perspectives, or satiric and humorous purposes, will allow. The book constitutes a substantial addition to the existing body of studies devoted to the image of Jews and Judaism in the work of influential non-Jewish writers and artists.

A Visit to Vanity Fair: Moral Essays on the Present Age

Average customer rating:

The inside is as interesting as the cover design

A Visit to Vanity Fair: Moral Essays on the Present Age
alan Jacobs
Manufacturer: Brazos Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1587430142

Book Description

Jacobs explains the art of the moral essay, then illustrates the actual execution of the moral essay on subjects such as Harry Potter, TV animal documentaries, and luckydipping in the Bible.

Customer Reviews:

The inside is as interesting as the cover design.......2001-12-27

As a new mother, I have time only for short jaunts through a book. This one was perfect and worth the time I spent on it. I appreciated Alan Jacobs' discernment in quoting (and modeling his style after) time-tested writers; despite the subtitle, he avoids the wearisome tendency to employ endless examples from pop culture in making his points. When he does mention the present age--such as in his Harry Potter piece--his perspective is rooted in age-old wisdom.

Book Description

This edition of one of the greatest social satires of the English language reproduces the text of the Oxford Thackeray and includes all of Thackeray's own illustrations.

Download Description

On a broad and colourful canvas, extending from urban and rural England to Waterloo and the continental haunts of exiles, Thackeray gives us one of the greatest social-satirical novels in the language - one of the most entertaining and profound, and, in the person of Becky Sharp, we have one of literature's most resourceful, attractive, and amoral characters. Essentially a commentary on hypocrisy and those ethical principles to which society pays lip-service, Vanity Fair (1847-8) invites us to consider which is to blame: the opportunist or the society that makes opportunism necessary.

Customer Reviews:

With a 19th century nerd as the hero, how can you not love it?.......2007-01-27

It's only now that I notice the subtitle "novel without a hero", and that is what struck me most about this novel- the lack of heroes. Indeed, just about all of the characters are flawed in some way, but I beg to differ that there is no hero. Surely the good and honest Major Dobbin qualifies. He may be gawky and awkward, but that makes him so much more endearing than the stereotypical Prince Charming type, or reformed rascal that we might expect to see in a typical contemporary Victorian novel.

In some ways, Vanity Fair is a typical Victorian novel. There are lots of characters that can be difficult to keep track of, it is kind of soap-opera-ish, and as it covers a long period of time, it is very long, tending to drag in the middle. However, the action really picks up in the last couple hundred pages, so it is well worth it to keep reading.

Another winning quality of Vanity Fair is the narration. It is a hyperbole and parody of the typical Victorian narration. Not only is the narrator an omniscent, third-person who passes judgements, but he is a wisecracking and exaggerated one as well.

I think Thackeray also deserves a lot of credit for not making the story predictable. I honestly didn't know quite how the story would wrap up, and as it neared the end I could tell that it wasn't going the way of a Hollywood movie plot (thankfully!).

When I read the summary of Vanity Fair, I was led to believe that it was all about Becky Sharp and that it was her story alone. Although you could argue in the end, it really is all about Becky and how she manipulates people, the characters of Amelia and Dobbin are too well-developed and interesting to play second fiddle to the scheming Becky.

In summary, Vanity Fair has more depth, wit, and honesty than your typical Victorian novel, so I highly recommend it!

The Human Drama.......2007-01-18

Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" is at once a fascinating glimpse into the aristocratic Europe of the early 1800's while also serving as a masterful critique of the modern human drama. While it takes some time for the story to really pull you in, you can expect a rather enjoyable ride once it does. Thackeray does a good job of developing the characters and their personalities, and you will often find yourself thinking "I know people like this." In short, "Vanity Fair" is a 200-year-old story which, if anything, has only increased in relevance.

All's fair in love and "Vanity".......2005-02-22

Greed, gold-digging and deception sit at the heart of "Vanity Fair." It's no joke that it's subtitled "a novel without a hero" -- William Makepeace Thackeray mercilessly skewered the pretentions and flaws of the upper class all throughout it. The result is a gloriously witty social satire.

It opens with two young women departing from a ladies' academy: dull, sweet Amelia (rich) and fiery sharp-witted Rebecca (poor). Becky Sharp is a relentless social climber, and her first effort to rise "above her station" is by trying to get Amelia's brother to marry her -- an effort thwarted by Amelia's fiancee. So instead she gets married to another family's second son, Rawdon Crawley.

Unfortunately, both young couples quickly get disinherited and George is killed. But Becky is determined to live the good life she has worked and married for -- she obtains jewels and money from admiring gentlemen, disrupting her marriage. But a little thing like a tarnished reputation isn't enough to keep Becky down...

"Vanity Fair" is actually a lot more complex than that, with dozens of little subplots and complicated character relationships. Reading it a few times is necessary to really absorb all of it, since it is not just a look at the two women in the middle of the book, but at the upper (and sometimes lower) social strata of the nineteenth century.

The main flaw of the book is perhaps that it sprawls too much -- there's always a lot of stuff going on, not to mention a huge cast of characters, and Thackeray sometimes drops the ball when it comes to the supporting characters and their little plots. It takes a lot of patience to absorb all of this. However... it's worth it.

Like most nineteenth-century writers, Thackeray had a very dense, formal writing style -- but once you get used to it, his writing becomes insanely funny. Witticisms and quips litter the pages, even if you don't pick them all up at once. At first Thackeray seems incredibly cynical (Becky's little schemes almost always pay off), but taken as a social satire, it's easier to understand why he was so cynical about the society of the time.

Becky Sharp is the quintessential anti-heroine -- she's very greedy and cold, yet she's also so smart and determined that it's hard not to have a grudging liking for her. Certainly life hasn't been fair for her. Next to Becky, a goody-goody character like Amelia is pretty boring, and even the unsubtle George can't measure up to Becky.

To sum up "Vanity Fair": think a period soap opera with a heavy dose of social commentary. In other words, it doesn't get much better than this, Thackeray's masterpiece.

All's "Fair" in love and vanity.......2005-02-06

Once you get into it you'll enjoy it. .......2004-12-24

Vanity Fair is not a book for the casual reader. It will probably always be neglected in schools and will be unread by those without patience. However, if you are willing to devote yourself to reading this long novel, it is well worth it.

The main characters that the story centers around are Becky and Amelia, two girls who are polar opposites, yet their lives intertwine in fascinating ways. In many ways they are caricatures, but the book is long enough to give them complexity and in the end you have two unexpectedly interesting and multifaceted characters. Of course they are not the only characters, there are probably 500 more of various importance. Some readers may have difficulty keeping track of them all, especially when several have the same last name. However, Thackeray manages to keep focus through all the characters and it ends up that there are only about a dozen major characters, all very well developed.

The story itself is concerned mainly with the relationships and wealth of Amelia and Becky, but there are as many subplots as there are characters. Occasionally the story becomes stagnant, but there are enough stories and settings that I never became bored. The influence of the Napoleonic Wars is much stronger in Vanity Fair than in any of Austen's novels, which creates some interesting settings such as the battle of Waterloo, as battle that has a profound influence on the story. There is plenty of humor in the story as well and also Thackeray's famous societal commentary. This makes having notes in the book important, as there are references to events, places, languages, and things that a modern reader would normally not be familiar with.

This is a long book and the beginning isn't much fun to read, but it is interesting and insightful once you get into it. The setting might be over a hundred years ago, but the people in it are not outdated and their motivations and characters will seem familiar to the modern reader. Whether or not someone would like this novel comes down to if one can get past the length, archaic language, obscure references, and number of stories and characters. It certainly took me awhile and I almost stopped reading it, but I came to care for the characters enough that I began enjoying it.

Average customer rating:

Universal
Great...Great...Great...
Uncanny!
Thackeray gives what he promises...
When Thackeray Writes There Is No Hero, He Means It

Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics)
William Makepeace Thackeray
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141439831
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

Edited by John Carey.

Customer Reviews:

Universal.......2007-06-15

The book is really good, even though it is really long, it is not boring. So many characters and things going on. And it still surprises me after all those years relationships have still the same tricks. The human physiology never changes.

Great...Great...Great..........2007-04-10

I picked up this book, and groaned at the sight. 700 pages of dense small text?! Numerous minor characters to remember? Arghhh...

But then, when I finally got enough time to read it, it is brilliant. Thackeray is a great social critic-and many of his criticisms of the upper class could be applied to high school and situations today. The novel is an epic, a journey to be sure, and is better than a current day soap opera, as some of the reviewers said. I thought it was more like Jane Austen - romance + criticism + 5 more families + many more minor relationships.

I'm definitely looking forward to rereading this book again (maybe not for a while though-it's a LONG book!) when I'm older

Uncanny!.......2007-03-03

I had this book on my shelf unread for years, thinking it was tedious and boring, but what a revelation when I picked it up after seeing the movie. The note of the other reviewer re C.L.R. James, the left-wing Trinidadian author and historian, was apt, and uncanny, as I found this book could have easily be called "Westmoorings", an area in Trinidad populated by people of the exact mindset (and indeed I have heard many times the very same spoken words as the characters). Indeed, there are many places in the Caribbean, or world, populated by people like this. I see why this book is historically taught in literature in high school in the US but not in the Caribbean.

Thackeray gives what he promises..........2006-08-24

Thackeray says there is no hero in this book, and he means it. This book seems to me like a nineteenth-century version of The Young and the Restless or Days of our Lives...so if that is what you're looking for, you'll thoroughly enjoy this book; however, if you want a real love story, look into Jane Austen, for instance.

I will admit that I saw the Reese Witherspoon movie version of this book before I ever read it...and as usual, was much more impressed with the book, and more surprised than I thought I would be at how much they truly deviated from the novel with that particular movie version.

When Thackeray Writes There Is No Hero, He Means It.......2006-08-23

VANITY FAIR is a sprawling epic novel that tells of the struggle of nearly everyone in it either to gain money or to bemoan the not having of it. This relentless groping toward money is not a trait normally associated with heroism, yet the subtitle suggests Thackeray's connection between the two: A Novel Without a Hero. This does not imply that the novel ambles along interminably with the central figure or figures merely deficient in the manly arts of dash and verve. Rather, for the protagonist to be heroic, such a person must exhibit the willingness to be so. In VANITY FAIR, Thackeray maintains a circumspect distance between character and reader by imposing an obstacle, namely himself, as that obstacle.

Thackeray sets up the reader to view his creations as un-heroic in two ways. First, he paints them as essentially flat. Amelia, in her passive attitude toward life is the polar opposite of Becky Sharp, who is bursting with energy and passion. Together, they alternate respectively from purposeful villainy to willing victim, from street smarts to pathetic naivety, and from patent guile to equally patent guilelessness. As one acts on her respective traits, she rises in the world in a financial sense while as the other acts on her traits, she falls. Later, they alternate roles, and the novel turns into a push-pull context with their changes in position occurring solely as a function of their acting on those impulses. In Amelia's case, these impulses are passive-aggressive. In Becky's, they are purely aggressive. But in neither case, is either heroic.

Thackeray regularly intrudes in the narrative so that he directs the responses and attitudes of the readers. The more he plays the omniscient narrator, the less convincing is the fleshing out of any character. It then becomes quite difficult for the reader to look past the puppeteer's strings to see that character in any terms except the flatness that Thackeray wishes. The best that one can say about Amelia is that she creates dramatic conditions that call for the real dramatic center: Becky Sharp. This is not to say that Becky is the hero in the morally positive sense. But she is the focal point of bursting enthusiasm. As she throws a dictionary out the window in a fit of petulant rage, Becky impacts on the reader in a way that no one else can. Becky spends the rest of the novel throwing metaphorical books out countless windows as she schemes, flirts, and uses men shamelessly, all the while escaping criticism from a morally neutral author. One does not admire Amelia for her passivity nor Becky for her aggressiveness. One tends to ignore the former and notice the latter. Long before the reader comes to the morally ambiguous ending when Thackeray bemoans: "Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world?" the reader has learned that the totality of VANITY FAIR's strong points--and there are many--do not compensate for the moral vacuum that the author leaves at the center where there ought to be someone or something more interesting

Average customer rating:

A delightful surprise
King of satire
Vanity Fair
Pretty Sharp

Vanity Fair (Barnes & Noble Classics)
William Makepeace Thackeray
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593080719

Book Description

“I think I could be a good woman, if I had five thousand a year,” observes beautiful and clever Becky Sharp, one of the wickedest—and most appealing—women in all of literature. Becky is just one of the many fascinating figures that populate William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair, a wonderfully satirical panorama of upper-middle-class life and manners in London at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Scorned for her lack of money and breeding, Becky must use all her wit, charm and considerable sex appeal to escape her drab destiny as a governess. From London’s ballrooms to the battlefields of Waterloo, the bewitching Becky works her wiles on a gallery of memorable characters, including her lecherous employer, Sir Pitt, his rich sister, Miss Crawley, and Pitt’s dashing son, Rawdon, the first of Becky’s misguided sexual entanglements.

Filled with hilarious dialogue and superb characterizations, Vanity Fair is a richly entertaining comedy that asks the reader, “Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?”

Features more than 100 illustrations drawn by Thackeray himself for the initial publication.

Customer Reviews:

A delightful surprise.......2007-08-21

I first saw the Reese Witherspoon movie a year ago, not having read the book. I was intrigued, so bought a copy, feeling quite virtuous for having bought a classic novel with the intention of reading it. It took me over a year to get around to reading it, during which time it sat on the shelf silently convicting me of my good intentions to read the classic work. I finally picked it up and decided to try it, to "improve my mind". Boy, was I surprised to find myself laughing and utterly engrossed in it. It is written in a different style of English from that of today, of course, but it is not as difficult to get through as, say, Jane Austen (whose books I do enjoy, so stop shrieking at me, all you JA fans). It is written tongue firmly in cheek and with delightful sarcasm and satire and cynicism. I am about halfway through as I write this and the more I read, the more I'm struck by the resemblance between Becky Sharp and Scarlett O'Hara. I wonder if Margaret Mitchell was a fan of this book?

I urge you to give this book a try, if you want a very funny and witty experience. I am enjoying it very much.

King of satire.......2007-01-26

It's obvious Thackeray is the king of satire. What's not so obvious is that he was ahead of his time in his writing style. His voice could be that of a star blogger on the Internet. The sardonic wit, the cynicism. Have things changed so little?

His characters are not so much flawed as they are downright hateful. Even Dobbin, the saint and only true innocent in the book, is annoying in his loyalty to the bloodless Amelia. Still you're happy when he wins her in the end. As for Becky Sharp, you can't help but root for her early on. Towards the middle of the book, however, you begin to hate her. Thackeray is brilliant. You can forgive a woman anything except not loving her child. Once Becky rejects her son, she is no longer endearing. You can't care anymore. And he doesn't focus on her so much anymore, as if that was the end of the one character you had the most feelings for.

But using the technique of day-time soap opera with its thousand and one sub-plots, Thackeray urges you to read on regardless of the fact that you don't like any of the characters. You wonder where its going to end. Is anyone ever going to be happy? Is anyone ever going to get punished? Some of the characters do get punished of course, but some of them don't, or they don't know they're being punished. What good is it if they don't know it?

It's hard to accept a story where a lot of the bad guys don't get punished. And yet, in the end, you can't help but being satisfied. I have no idea why. Is it because Dobbin finally does get Amelia? That Becky does seem to get what she deserves? And what does Becky deserve? Less than Amelia? Is Amelia happy in the end?Happier than Becky? Probably not. And that alone would probably make Becky happy if she thought about something besides herself for once. All I know is that as long as those two are miserable, I'm happy.

Sue Lange
author, Tritcheon Hash, [...]

Vanity Fair.......2007-01-12

William Makepeace Thackeray gives a brilliantly witty view of society in the 19th century. Though it's about 300 pages too long, if the reader perseveres, he will be rewarded. The character of Becky Sharpe is one of the best in the history of literature.

Pretty Sharp.......2005-02-24

Average customer rating:

Vanity Fair's Hollywood
Not enough of the old stuff
Great coffee table book!
I love this book
Read in conjunction with Lynch's Mulholland Drive.

Vanity Fair's Hollywood
Dominick Dunne
Manufacturer: Viking Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 067089141X
Release Date: 2000-10-19

Amazon.com

As everybody who's anybody knows (and the rest of us too), the most exclusive Hollywood party is Vanity Fair magazine's Oscar-night bash. Vanity Fair's Hollywood is like the ultimate movie party--and how inviting it all is! Flip through the thick, glossy pages and greet the greats of all ages. Lillian and Dorothy Gish share a spread with Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow. Ms. Deneuve, resplendent in scarlet, meet Mr. Valentino, in classy black and white. Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra, meet Liz Taylor as Cleopatra (and if it's not too catty, did you notice Claudette was better dressed?). The stunning photos are cleverly juxtaposed. Julia Roberts, posed naughtily in see-through undies in the water, is followed by a very properly attired Doris Day in a see-through skirt. Day holds six brightly dyed poodles by white leashes; the composition forms a visual rhyme with the six accusing fingers pointed at Peter Lorre in the next picture. The photo captions by Christopher Hitchens are as succinctly clever as Dorothy Parker, encapsulating entire careers in a punning paragraph. Even if you've seen a shot before, you learn things: in the most notorious still ever snapped at a Hollywood party--the one where Sophia Loren ogled Jayne Mansfield's voluminous bosom--Hitchens tells us the object of Loren's appalled regard was "the strategic dabs of makeup on [Jayne's] nipples."

Like any good party, this vast book offers sparkling talk as well as gobs of eye candy. The brilliant Peter Biskind evokes the '70s heyday of superagent Sue Mengers, D.H. Lawrence makes a stab at defining "sex appeal," Patricia Bosworth adds the patented VF dash of scandal in a piece on Lana Turner's gangster boyfriend's murder, and Hitchens gives a quickie history of the fabled Sunset Strip. Not everything rises to the august occasion: Carl Sandburg's poem about Chaplin and Clare Boothe Luce's snooty ode to Garbo are mostly of antiquarian interest. Most of the historic stuff is great (e.g., Fritz Lang directing a crowd scene in Metropolis), and the most austere cineaste should own this book. On practically every page, Vanity Fair's Hollywood dazzles. It's a keeper. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

Vanity Fair has, from the start, made Hollywood its stomping ground. For its readers, this star-studded book encapsulates a century of the movie mecca's glory, glamour, and scandal. Garbo and Grant, Tracy and Hepburn, Fairbanks and Pickford, Taylor and Burton, the Gishes and the Barrymores rub shoulders with today's cinematic giants in an incomparable collection of luminous images, classic essays, and delightful caricatures from the archives of Vanity Fair from as far back as 1914.

Surrveying the brightest stars, moguls, directors, and writers, Vanity Fair's Hollywood is a stylish and definitive focus on timeless glamour, mythic beauty, and unquenchable celebrity.

Customer Reviews:

Vanity Fair's Hollywood.......2005-09-05

This is truly a fantastic snapshot of Hollywood at it finest hour of every year that awards where given.

Every movie goer should have this on thier coffee table.

Not enough of the old stuff.......2002-11-01

While there were some great vintage articles and photographs, why are pages blown to show wastes like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, and other I-make -money- because- of- my- looks and not acting ability "artists?" Many obscure silent and early talking stars could've and SHOULD'VE been included. But that's the way it is- nobody cares for the old. Makes a great coffee table book. Get this from the library. I was disappointed. I was done with it in one afternoon.

Great coffee table book!.......2002-09-27

This book is filled with photographs and essays about Hollywood and its stars. There is a wide variety of photographs exhibited here. My only complaint would be that they are not set up in any kind of order. A picture of Jack Nicholson playing golf on one page and then turn the page to find a picture of Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. I suppose they thought chronological or theme order would have been too predictable. My favorite photos are: Doris Day (p. 26), the essay and photo of Greta Garbo (pgs. 42-43), James Dean clowning (p. 47), Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren (p.158) the Malibu Beach drawing from 1933 (p.242), Sophia Loren (p. 247), Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney (p. 276), Loretta Young in 1935 and 1999 (pgs.292 and 293) and Olivia de Havilland (p. 310). As you can tell, my interests are toward vintage photos, but there are photos of today's celebs as well, such as Gwyneth Paltrow or Cameron Diaz and these are wonderful photos, too. The pictures in Vanity Fair are always unique and this is a great compilation.

I love this book.......2002-06-22

I have always loved movie books, and this one on the stars is great. The pictures are really fabulous, and I have spent hours looking through it and reading the text over and over again. My only disappointment is that there is not enough old Hollywood in the book. But, for new Hollywood photos and gossip, this is a primo tome.

Read in conjunction with Lynch's Mulholland Drive........2002-02-14

A delicious, witty, immensely entertaining and amusing overview of the famous and talented of Hollywood. The photos are absolutely delightful as I imagine they would be by Edward Steichen,Herb Ritts, Irving Penn and (especially) Annie Leibovitz among (many) others. The photos seem to capture the nature of the subjects - Brando so anti glamour, Anjelica Huston so assertive, and Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon on the closing page, half naked and in drag, so so ... they're just great subjects/actors. The illustrations are also great as is the prose by Dorothy Parker, P.G. Wodehouse and others. The only disappointment is that in paperback the binding is so fragile that the weight of the pages pulls the book to pieces. My copy has broken completely away from the covers, and not from any rough handling. In hardcover this is a five star enterprise, perhaps one of the best I have seen considering the thousands of books that are associated with that place.

The Smart Magazines: 50 Years of Literary Revelry and High Jinks at Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Life, Esquire, and the Smart Set

Average customer rating:

The Smart Magazines: 50 Years of Literary Revelry and High Jinks at Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Life, Esquire, and the Smart Set
George H. Douglas
Manufacturer: Archon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0208023097

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All's fair in love and "Vanity"

Vanity Fair (Penguin Popular Classics)
William Makepeace Thackeray
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140620850

Customer Reviews:

All's fair in love and "Vanity".......2005-04-09

Average customer rating:

Cliffsnotes Vanity Fair (Cliffs Notes)
Inc. Cliffs Notes
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822013207

Book Description

This satirical novel of manners will fascinate the careful reader. The story of the various fortunes of two women in 19th-century England is filled with sly irony and tongue-in-cheek humor, yet it offers the leisurely reader a chance to find subtle meanings.

Average customer rating:

Vanity Fair, a Novel Without a Hero

Manufacturer: Heron Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Dark blue faux leather hardcover. Ornate gilt decorations and title. Sewn-in blue page marker ribbon. 8" X 5" X 1-1/2". A Novel without a hero.

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