I think I could be a good woman if I had five thousand a year.
This new edition includes all Thackeray\'s original illustrations..
Thackeray\'s scepticism of human motives borders on cynicism yet Vanity Fair is among the funniest novels of the Victorian age.
The satire is at once biting and profound, sparing none in a clear-eyed exposure of a world on the make.
The battle for social success is as fierce as the battle of Waterloo, and its casualties as stricken.
Thackeray paints a panoramic portrait of the age, with war, money and national identity his great subjects.
Set during the Napoleonic wars, Vanity Fair follows Becky as she cuts a swathe through Regency society.
Becky\'s fortunes are contrasted with those of her best friend Amelia, who has none of Becky\'s wit and vitality but whose gentle-heartedness attracts the devotion of the loyal Dobbin.
Craving wealth and a position in society, she charms, hoodwinks, manipulates everyone she meets, rising in the world as she attaches herself to a succession of rich men.
Becky Sharp is sharp, calculating and determined to succeed.
I think I could be a good woman if I had five thousand a year
