Thackeray’s Middle-class Consciousness In Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is acknowledged as Thackeray’s most representative work, in which he devotes himself to exposing various human foibles and the corruption of a money-worshipping society. Throughout the novel, there are numerous lifelike characters of different classes. These distinct characterizations made by Thackeray not only enable us readers to have a general idea about the social groups in the19th century Britain, but also provide us with clues to understand the writer’s middle-class consciousness.The thesis interprets Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness with the help of Marxist Class Theory. And based on a close reading of the novel and specific analysis of representative characters of each class, the author of this thesis tries to prove that Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness has something in common with the prevailing Victorian middle-class ideology but at the same time has its unique features different from those of other middle-class men. On one hand, Thackeray, like most middle-class members, conveys his appreciation of middle-class virtues and strongly criticizes the degradation of the upper class and the lower class. However, on the other hand, different from his fellow men, Thackeray doesn’t completely agree with the model of Victorian "angel in the house". Moreover, he has enough courage to disclose and criticize the defects in his own class.In order to fully interpret Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness, the thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One is a general introduction of Thackeray, Vanity Fair and Marxist Criticism relevant to the novel. In Chapter Two, the author of the thesis analyzes typical characters of each class to demonstrate Thackeray’s middle-class stand towards different classes. Chapter Three illustrates the features of Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness. And the uniqueness of his consciousness doesn’t consist in his adherence to Victorian morality, his approval of ideal gentleman but in his toleration for the lower class, another type of "angel in the house" and his mild criticism on the middle class. In Chapter Four, it focuses on the formation of Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness. One is social influence. Owing to the intense conflicts between classes and disparity of class values in the19th century Britain, most middle-class men have prejudice against the two other classes. And Thackeray is no exception. The other factor is related greatly to Thackeray’s personal experiences which include his family background, his educational experiences, his living circle and etc.The last chapter is a summary of the main points in above four chapters and a brief estimation of Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness. And the author of the thesis believes that progressive and upright as he is, Thackeray is still a middle-class writer restricted by the ideology of his own class. He who can tolerate the lower class will neither treat them as equals nor truly understand their predicament. Also his criticism on his own class is no other than a mild self-mockery. All these reflect the limitations of Thackeray’s middle-class consciousness.