Moral Teaching Through The Intrusive Narrator In Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray is a representative figure in the 19th century English literature. His masterpiece Vanity Fair has been widely acclaimed and has attracted tremendous critical attention ever since its first publication. However, a large number of studies of this novel seem to have been limited to the analysis of the female images, investigation of the relationship between Thackeray and his peer writers and the translation of the novel. As a representative novel of English Critical Realism, this novel has been noted for its social criticism and moral teaching, but relatively little research has been done as to how moral teaching is realized in the novel. Therefore, this thesis, combining Ethical Literary Criticism and narratological theories, is to explore the role of the intrusive narrator in the moral teaching of the novel.Ethical Literary Criticism focuses on the ethical issues in literary works. It requires its critics to "return" to the ethical environment of a literary work, and reveal the implied moral values through analysis of the ethical context and ethical conflicts in the novel. The present author in her study of Vanity Fair notices that its narrator is very intrusive and that the intrusiveness of the narrator to a great extent manipulates the reader in their response to the ethical issues in the novel so as to help realize the novel’s function of moral teaching.The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is Introduction, which briefly introduces Thackeray and his literary creation, gives a survey of previous studies of Vanity Fair both at home and abroad, and explains the focus and structure of the thesis.Chapter Two explains the ethical context in the novel presented by the intrusive narrator. The ethical context in the novel concerns social stratification and gender issues. The narrator’s description helps the reader see the social mobility as well as social distinction in the 19th century England. His depiction of two kinds of women and two kinds of relations also present the ethical context concerning the relationship between women and men of that time.Chapter Three analyzes the ethical conflicts reflected in intrusive narration. First, it’s ethical conflict concerning personal issues, which is reflected in narration about Amelia who sometimes has to struggle between her emotional needs and her Victorian morality. Then, it’s ethical conflict concerning social issues, which is foregrounded in narration about the converse attitudes towards social mobility.Chapter Four reveals the moral values conveyed through the intrusive narrator. On one hand, the narrator insists on the traditional moral values, which can be seen from his arrangement of a happy ending for Amelia and his criticism of Rebecca’s extramarital relations. On the other hand, narrator compromises with the emerging moral values, which is reflected in his acceptance of social mobility and his sympathy for the "new woman".The last chapter is Conclusion, which summarizes the discussions in the previous chapters and restates the arguments of the thesis. It naturally draws the conclusion that the intrusive narrator of Vanity Fair conveys the implied moral values of the novel and helps realize its function of moral teaching through his narration of the ethical context and ethical conflicts.