William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair

”Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?”
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A novel without a hero indeed! Full of delightfully vain, proud, hypocritical, deceitful, and entirely flawed characters, Vanity Fair is an incredibly entertaining, cutting satire of the 19th century English society. Frequently breaking the 4th wall, the novel almost reads like a lighter version of War and Peace in my opinion, and never takes itself seriously in the face of the pompous subject matter. 
Particularly with the names that become increasingly ridiculous at each chapter (Miss Sharp, Lord Tapeworm, Papoosh Pasha, and St Catherine of Schlippenschloppen among many others), this was a very entertaining read that satisfies the reader with its period drama feel.

Vanity Fair

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