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Vanity Fair, a novel (1847-1848) by British writer William Makepeace Thackeray. Thackeray's first major novel, it is a story of English society at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The central characters are the penniless orphan Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, the daughter of a rich merchant. The fortunes in life and love of the two young women remain in distinct contrast throughout the complex plot, as Amelia descends into poverty and widowhood while the sharp-witted and unscrupulous Becky enjoys an extravagant lifestyle with a series of lovers.
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