William Makepeace Thackeray
1) Vanity Fair
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Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 12.4 - AR Pts: 66
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Thackeray's best-loved work, "Vanity Fair, is a satire of epic proportions, and proves that deep-seated cynicism and heartfelt morality don't have to get in the way of a good story. Filled with exceptionally drawn characters, biting social humor, and Thackeray's own illustrations, "Vanity Fair is not only one of the great English novels of the nineteenth century, its title has become synonymous with the follies of high society. Nicholas Dames is Assistant...
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 12.4 - AR Pts: 66
Description
This book is a satire of early 19th century British society. A bewitching beauty who bends men to her will using charm, sex, and guile. An awkward man who remains loyal to his friends, even when those friends don't deserve his affection. A mother who cannot get over the loss of her husband and devotes her life to her child. Though written in 1847-48, William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair is peopled by types who remain familiar today. The novel's...
3) Barry Lyndon
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Eager to leave his humble beginnings, Redmond Barry, runs multiple scams, conning his way into the military and pursuing the fortune of a young widow.
For every momentous achievement, he's riddled with a bittersweet result.
Redmond Barry is born into a poor Irish family and desires to become a man of status and means. Although ambitious, he's naturally mischievous and has no interest in doing things the right way. After falling into debt, he joins...
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When Fairy Blackstick created a magical rose and ring, she did not anticipate their existence to be so troublesome. With the power to warp perception, the rose and the ring each make their bearer seem beautiful and irresistibly charming. However, as they are passed down, the magic of the items had been forgotten, leaving their new owners clueless of this ability. The ring resides in the Paflagonia kingdom. Giglio, the King's nephew, is the rightful...
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Book of Snobs is a collection of satirical works by William Makepeace Thackeray first published in the magazine Punch as The Snobs of England, By One of Themselves. Published in 1848, the book was serialised in 1846/47 around the same time as Vanity Fair.
While the word 'snob' had been in use since the end of the 18th century Thackeray's adoption of the term to refer to people who look down on others who are "socially inferior" quickly gained popularity....
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Serialized from 1848-1850, The History of Pendennis is the coming-of-age story of Arthur Pendennis, a young country-born gentleman who travels to London to make his fortune. There, as Thackeray depicts with his customary satirical flair, he finds work as a journalist and is drawn into the machinations of his scheming uncle, Major Pendennis.
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First published serially from 1847 to 1848, "Vanity Fair" is William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous work in which the author reflects his interest in deconstructing the notions of literary heroism of his era. It is the story of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, who have just completed their studies at Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies and are beginning to embark upon the world. The simple-minded nature of Amelia, who comes from a wealthy family,...
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Originally published in two volumes in 1858-59, this historical novel is a sequel to Henry Esmond and a prequel of sorts to Pendennis. It follows Esmond's twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington, as they try, in different ways, to crawl out from beneath the thumb of their mother. They may succeed-but they may also be seriously deceived.
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Catherine: A Story first appeared in serial form in Fraser's magazine published under a pseudonym. The tale of Catherine Hayes, who was burned to death in 1726 for murdering her husband, is Thackeray's attempt to show the folly of investing criminals with romantic heroism, which was common at the time.
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Roundabout Papers is a rich collection of columns that Thackerary wrote for Cornhill Magazine, a Victorian periodical and literary journal, and showcases his range of interests, thoughtful musings, and literary skills. Includes: "On a Lazy Idle Boy," "Thorns in the Cushion," "On a Joke I Once Heard from the Late Thomas Hood," "A Mississippi Bubble," and many more.
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Compiled in one book, the essential collection of books by William Makepeace Thackeray: The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan, Barry Lyndon, The Bedford-Row Conspiracy, The Book of Snobs, Burlesques, Catherine: A Story, The Christmas Books, The Fatal Boots, The Fitz-Boodle Papers, Notes on a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo, George Cruikshank, The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., The History of Pendennis, The History of Samuel Titmarsh, Memoirs...
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In this sweeping novel that spans decades, Thackeray tells of the virtuous and upstanding Colonel Thomas Newcome and of his son Clive. After Clive's mother dies, he is sent to school and studies his true passion, art. Set in the mid 1800s, the novel explores the theme of life repeating itself from one generation to the next-for example, the tendency to sacrifice love in favor of marrying for financial security or for social position. A masterful portrayal...
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A comedy in two acts, The Wolves and the Lamb tells the story of Horace Milliken, a wealthy widower and merchant, his family, and Miss Prior, his children's governess.
Thackeray approaches his characters with a thoughtfulness and keen eye for detail that permeates much of his writing, and brings this story to life.
16) Stray Papers
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This 1901 treasury of wit, assembled by Thackeray's biographer Lewis Melville, covers the great English satirist's career and collects early sketches of some of his most famous characters. The book includes "Letter from Mrs. Ramsbottom," "Poles Offering Corn," "The Choice of a Loaf," "Little Spitz," and more.
17) The Virginians
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Two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the Revolutionary War. 'To endure is greater than to dare, to tire out hostile fortune, to be daunted by no difficulty, to keep heart when all have lost it, to go through intrigue spotless, to forgo even ambition when the end is gained: who can say this is not greatness?' The Virginians is a sequel to Henry Esmond, and tells the story of his twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington. Both become...
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In this book of trenchant essays-framed as letters to a fictional nephew, "Bob"-Thackeray documents his variously amusing, annoying, and appalling experiences in Britain's capital city. He attends balls, dinners, children's parties, gentlemen's clubs, the opera, and even a public hanging, and has a wicked observation to make about each.
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George Brandon, an impoverished gentleman, scorns the family he lodges with, but decides to amuse himself by attempting to seduce the daughters, ultimately setting his sights on the youngest. His casual amusement, however, ends with the very real threat of a duel. Self-delusion, snobbery, and an obsession with money are the underlying themes in this engrossing tale.
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"Shewing Who Robbed Him, Who Helped Him, and Who Passed Him By" is the subtitle of the last (1861-62) complete novel by the master English satirist. This semiautobiographical look back at the rollicking misadventures of a young heir is narrated by Thackeray's alter-ego, the hero of his earlier coming-of-age novel Pendennis.