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A&E Original Movie

Vanity Fair: Part 3

Overview:

Vanity Fair, a Novel without a Hero, by William Makepeace Thackeray, is a novel of English society in the early 1800s set during the Battle of Waterloo. Published in serial form in 1848, Thackeray poked fun at the vanity of man; most of the novel’s characters are pompous people who are motivated by greed; humility is in short supply. The novel follows the lives of two women, Becky Sharp and Amelia (Emmy) Sedley. Becky and Emmy are in marked contrast throughout the novel. Becky is destined to become a governess, but she is clever and schemes her way out of her humble beginnings. In Becky, Thackeray has created one of the most bold and determined female characters in an early Victorian novel.

History:

The year is 1815. Napoleon, Emperor of France from 1804-1815, escapes from his banishment on the island of Elba, and rebuilds his army (Tape 2, VIS CODE 45:00). The Battle of Waterloo is imminent. Thackeray’s characters Rawdon, George, and Dobbin prepare to leave for battle from Brussels, where the English army awaits marching orders. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in a village south of Brussels on June 18, 1815. At Waterloo Napoleon received a crushing blow from the Allies (British, Dutch, German, and Prussian troops), who were led by Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. The Allies lost about 22,000 men and the French about 37,000. The word “waterloo” has come to mean a disastrous or crushing defeat. The French never regained the power they once enjoyed under Napoleon. The English king during this time was George IV. Queen Victoria, queen when Thackeray wrote Vanity Fair, gained the throne in 1837 and ruled for 64 years.

National Standards:

1. History (Era 7, Standard 32) – Students will gain a general understanding of early 19th century life in England (country estates, seaside resorts, and London). Events leading up to the Battle of Waterloo are illustrated, including the pageant-like preparations of the English in Brussels; the Battle itself is shown in colorful montages.

2. Geography (Standard 2) – The following places figure in the film: London, England; Brighton, England; Brussels, Belgium; Waterloo, Belgium; India; Coventry Islands.

3. Language Arts (Standard 9 & 10) - William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, a Novel without a Hero, (1848), is a captivating story of English society during the Napoleonic Wars. The novel was published in monthly parts, 1847-48. It is considered a masterpiece, peopled with characters from all walks of life – kings, rogues, swindlers, gamblers, ladies, officers, and gentlemen – hence the novel’s title, Vanity Fair.

Vocabulary

Discussion Questions

VIS CODE 22:00 – Mr. Osborne ordered George to marry the wealthy Miss Swartz from the West Indies. When he learns George has disobeyed him, he disowns him. Why did George marry Emmy? (Certainly not because he loves Emmy. He marries her for several reasons: she adores him, he enjoys defying his father, Dobbin bullies him into it, and he thinks his father, who has indulged his every whim thus far, will forgive him. Note that George is too cowardly to tell his father he and Emmy are married; he gets Dobbin to do it.)
VIS CODE 24:15 – Becky and Rawdon have serious money troubles, yet they travel to Brighton, a seaside resort. What are they doing in Brighton with the honeymooners? (They went to Brighton for two reasons: Becky learned from Briggs that Miss Crawley would be there, and they are still trying for a reconciliation; secondly, Rawdon hopes to fleece Joseph and George of some cash.)
VIS CODE 33:50 – 43:00 – The army awaits its marching orders in Brussels. Becky causes quite a stir when she appears on horseback alongside General Tufto and Rawdon. At the ball George tells Becky he is in love with her. Does Becky have any morals? Does she care for George? (Becky does what she needs to do to survive. Her morals are certainly lax: she openly flirts with men in a time when women were supposed to be demure. Her clothing is always sexy, and her use of cosmetics is daring, to say the least. Only prostitutes and actresses wore makeup at this time. She flirts with the General because he presumably pays for their lodgings. She toys with George’s affections purely for revenge; she remembers how he spoiled her plans to marry wealthy Joseph.)
VIS CODE 48:00 – Before marching Rawdon leaves Becky all he has, including two horses, which prove to be invaluable assets. Do Rawdon and Becky love one another? (Becky seems to genuinely love her husband, and he her. The couple is certainly a good team – but as the film progresses we realize that Becky uses Rawdon as she uses everyone else. She is incapable of compassion, but as viewers we (perhaps) admire her pluck.)
VIS CODE 50:00 – Discuss the director’s use of montages. (The tape ends with a montage of faces, soldiers’ boots, swelling crowds, horses stomping and other noises and sights that illustrate the troops beginning to march out of Brussels. The quick glimpses, as well as the mounting volume of the music, convey the frightening reality of war.)

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