Vanity Fair

Yes, I've finally finished reading Vanity Fair! This is a day to celebrate! It was just so long and with many filler chapters that after a while the book just sat there as if I thought it could read itself (It didn't). Well last night I stubbornly sat myself in bed and promised to finish the whole thing. Not just because I wanted to know what happens to the characters, but also because we're done discussing the book in class and I need to get to Villete by Charlotte Bronte.


There are not many people who would willingly subject themselves to more than eight hundred pages for hours and hours, but those who do are great lovers of the book. Here are the pros:
1. Vanity Fair was funny and smart.
2. There were pictures (I know!).
3. You could certainly apply what you learned from the book on your own perspective of the world.


Cons:
1. Good lord, it was longer than long.
2. There are many unnecessary bits, typical of serialized novels (Yes, inferring to Dickens here).
3. If you're looking for the ideal, perfect character, this is A Novel without a Hero.


There have been questions about the last point, whether the novel is without a hero may be because it suggests that the world is full of dirty characters or perhaps Thackeray is pointing out a heroine, genderizing a role that never was established before only because it is usually assumed to be filled by a male. Enter Becky Sharp, woman extraordinaire. In manners and appearance she is the epitome of femininity, but at the same time she tramples the weakness and helplessness that females as individuals typically represent.


Did I like the book? The first read was all right, but I think I'd have to skip all the skimming if I want to make a defiant stand on the book.