Skip to main content
Modern Philosophers
All books

Book

Available now

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray

Set during and after the Napoleonic Wars, it follows two contrasting women: the cunning, ambitious Becky Sharp, who schemes her way through society despite having no money, and the gentle, wealthy Amelia Sedley.

"Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray is a novel. Set during and after the Napoleonic Wars, it follows two contrasting women: the cunning, ambitious Becky Sharp, who schemes her way through society despite having no money, and the gentle, wealthy Amelia Sedley.

What you get

  • The book as EPUB, PDF, delivered to your library after payment.
  • Bought on its own: yours to keep.
  • With Library Pass: 1 month: 2061 books, 30 days of access, one payment, doesn't renew.
  • With Library Pass: 3 months: 2061 books, 91 days of access, one payment, doesn't renew.
  • With Library Pass: 6 months: 2061 books, 182 days of access, one payment, doesn't renew.
  • With Library Pass: 1 year: 2061 books, 365 days of access, one payment, doesn't renew.

Read a passage

While the present century was in its teens, and on one sunshiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a large family coach, with two fat horses in blazing harness, driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig, at the rate of four miles an hour. A black servant, who reposed on the box beside the fat coachman, uncurled his bandy legs as soon as the equipage drew up opposite Miss Pinkerton's shining brass plate, and as he pulled the bell at least a score of young heads were seen peering out of the narrow windows of the stately old brick house. Nay, the acute observer might have recognized the little red nose of good-natured Miss Jemima Pinkerton herself, rising over some geranium pots in the window of that lady's own drawing-room.

"It is Mrs. Sedley's coach, sister," said Miss Jemima. "Sambo, the black servant, has just rung the bell; and the coachman has a new red waistcoat."

"Have you completed all the necessary preparations incident to Miss Sedley's departure, Miss Jemima?" asked Miss Pinkerton herself, that majestic lady; the Semiramis of Hammersmith, the friend of Doctor Johnson, the correspondent of Mrs. Chapone herself.

"The girls were up at four this morning, packing her trunks, sister," replied Miss Jemima; "we have made her a bow-pot."

"Say a bouquet, sister Jemima, 'tis more genteel."

Contents

  1. 01Chapter I
  2. 02Chiswick Mall
  3. 03Chapter II
  4. 04In Which Miss Sharp and Miss Sedley Prepare to Open the Campaign
  5. 05Chapter III
  6. 06Rebecca Is in Presence of the Enemy
  7. 07Chapter IV
  8. 08The Green Silk Purse
  9. 09Chapter V
  10. 10Dobbin of Ours
  11. 11Chapter VI
  12. 12Vauxhall
  13. 13Chapter VII
  14. 14Crawley of Queen's Crawley
  15. 15Chapter VIII
  16. 16Private and Confidential
  17. 17Chapter IX
  18. 18Family Portraits
  19. 19Chapter X
  20. 20Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends
  21. 21Chapter XI
  22. 22Arcadian Simplicity
  23. 23Chapter XII
  24. 24Quite a Sentimental Chapter
  25. 25Chapter XIII
  26. 26Sentimental and Otherwise
  27. 27Chapter XIV
  28. 28Miss Crawley at Home
  29. 29Chapter XV
  30. 30In Which Rebecca's Husband Appears for a Short Time
  31. 31Chapter XVI
  32. 32The Letter on the Pincushion
  33. 33Chapter XVII
  34. 34How Captain Dobbin Bought a Piano
  35. 35Chapter XVIII
  36. 36Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin Bought
  37. 37Chapter XIX
  38. 38Miss Crawley at Nurse
  39. 39Chapter XX
  40. 40In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen
  41. 41Chapter XXI
  42. 42A Quarrel About an Heiress
  43. 43Chapter XXII
  44. 44A Marriage and Part of a Honeymoon
  45. 45Chapter XXIII
  46. 46Captain Dobbin Proceeds on His Canvass
  47. 47Chapter XXIV
  48. 48In Which Mr. Osborne Takes Down the Family Bible
  49. 49Chapter XXV
  50. 50In Which All the Principal Personages Think Fit to Leave Brighton
  51. 51Chapter XXVI
  52. 52Between London and Chatham
  53. 53Chapter XXVII
  54. 54In Which Amelia Joins Her Regiment
  55. 55Chapter XXVIII
  56. 56In Which Amelia Invades the Low Countries
  57. 57Chapter XXIX
  58. 58Brussels
  59. 59Chapter XXX
  60. 60"The Girl I Left Behind Me"

About this edition

Author
William Makepeace Thackeray
Language
English
Era
Modern (c. 1800–1945)
Reading level
Intermediate: some philosophy helps
Formats
EPUB, PDF
Length
925 pages
This edition
Modern Philosophers

Reader reviews

No reviews yet. Reviews appear here once readers write them.

Sign in to write a review.

Discussion

No comments yet. Members can discuss this book here.

Sign in to join the discussion.

Reviews and comments are written by readers, not by us. Be kind and stay on the book; we remove anything abusive or off-topic. See the Terms.