In his introduction to the 1998 Oxford World Classics edition of William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, John Sutherland writes of Amelia Sedley and Becky Sharp:As we first meet them, Regency girls, together in a coach, so we leave them, now two early-Victorian ladies, either side of the charity stall which declares their mutual respectability in the eyes of the world.One character is good but dull: the other naughty but appealing. Their careers have had numerous ups and down, but they end in an uneasy equilibrium. Who could we offer as a modern parallel?
Easy. Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams.
Thanks to Gerald Ajam and The Victorian Web for Thackeray's original illustration of Amelia and Becky at the charity stall.
1 comment:
Nice one! Fabulous comparison.
I've just re-read Vanity Fair which was highly enjoyable but so very, very long. In order to compare and contrast, I then re-watched the BBC mini series which, although also enjoyable, didn't really explain why Becky fought so terribly hard for position and respectability. How she would have thrived in the modern world.
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