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A&E Original Movie

Vanity Fair: Part 5

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

1. VIS CODE 25:00 - Rawdy complains to his father of Steyne’s frequent visits. Does Rawdon know that Steyne visits Becky when he is not home? (No. Rawdon has always played the swindling game with Becky; he did not realize she was entertaining Steyne alone. He begins to sense that something is not quite right.)
2. VIS CODE 28:00 – Steyne manages to get Becky and Rawdon presented at court with Pitt and Lady Jane. Lady Jane admires Becky’s brocade (shawl) and jewels. Who gave Becky the shawl and diamonds? (Pitt did. Off screen Becky has been carrying on a dalliance with Pitt when he is working in London. She flatters him to con him out of jewels and perhaps some cash.)
3. VIS CODE 31:00 - Steyne is tiring of Becky’s mere flirtations; he wants to sleep with her. Becky operates on the assumption that her sexy charm will keep Steyne on ice, but he has waited long enough, and he forces her to have sex with him. Explain this scene. (The tables have been turned on Becky: Steyne now has the upper hand. He knows she is a liar, and she is now his mistress – a paid one. This is not a pleasant situation for Becky; she keeps this fact from her husband. In the tradition of Victorian novelists, Thackery is not explicit about extra-martial sex; he merely hints that Becky sleeps with Steyne.)
4. VIS CODE 39:00 & 44:00 - Pitt and Lady Jane tell Rawdon that gossip has it that Steyne is “keeping” his family. At the Steyne’s party Becky endures a social cut when the ladies refuse to talk to her. Rescued by the kindness of her sister-in-law Lady Jane, Becky is invited to sing and play the piano. Lady Steyne cries. Why? (Becky is very smart to sing a religious song to the ladies, thereby putting them into a quandary: they want to hate her, but she sings so well and it is a religious song. Lady Steyne cries because she and everyone else know her husband is having an affair with Becky, and she knows there is absolutely nothing she can do about it.)
5. VIS CODE 44:50 – Rawdon is bailed out by Lady Jane. He races home and catches Steyne making love to Becky. Steyne thinks that this is a trap – another game by the Crawleys to get money out of him – but Rawdon is furious. Rawdon finds the jewelry and the thousand pounds Steyne gave Becky – which was more than enough for his bail, for one thing. Why does Rawdon snap? (He never thought Becky would use him as they have used others. He has been duped by her, and he is furious. Rawdon truly loves Becky, and he is deeply pained to learn she not only withheld money from him (“I have always shared with you”), but she is Steyne’s kept mistress. For the first time Becky cries real tears: the gig is up.)