名利場（英文原版）Vanity Fair

在主題上，這本書和《如今世道》有異曲同工之妙，只不過一個從金融騙局的角度切入，一個以男女婚姻關係爲主線。這本書又名爲A Novel Without A Hero，角色塑造上Thackeray全程緊貼主題，每一個人物的性格上都留下了他/她獨特的缺陷，在故事的起承轉合間體現，讓讀者忍不住產生共鳴，或是憎惡、或是嘆息，感慨他們的不完美，又感慨他們的無可奈何。 Amelia是那個年代（或許現在仍是）男性所喜愛的女性形象：單純、忠貞、善良、溫柔。 “She was not brilliant, not witty, nor wise overmuch, nor extraordinarily handsome. But wherever she went she touched and charmed every one of the male sex, as invariably as she awakened the scorn and incredulity of her own sisterhood. I think it was her weakness which was her principal charm - a kind of sweet submission and softness, which seemed to appeal to each man she met for his sympathy and protection.” Amelia像白蓮，生於亂世可出淤泥而不染，面對誘惑毫不動搖，因爲她本身有種鈍感的惰性，這也讓她對許多事情選擇視而不見。她對Dobbin的愛表面充滿感激，其實唯獨對這個從始至終忠於自己的男人展現出了對別人沒有的殘忍。 “It is those who injure women who get the most kindness from them; they are born timid and tyrants, and maltreat those who are humblest before them.” 比起同樣真誠的Dorothea（《米德爾馬契》)和Melanie (《飄》），她缺乏那股韌勁，也沒有什麼人格魅力可言，男人們喜歡的是從她身上折射的馴服感，而Dobbin愛的是“我深愛着她”這個熟悉的感覺，而非她這個人本身，就如他的獨白所說：“it was myself I deluded, and persisted in cajoling; had she been worthy of the love I gave her, she would have returned it long ago. It was a fond mistake. Isn’t the whole course of life made up of such? And suppose I had won her, should I not have been disenchanted the day after my victory?” 其實Dobbin根本不會回頭，那纔是Amelia應得的報應。 另一位女主角Rebecca像曼陀羅，表面人畜無害，卻帶有致幻和麻醉作用的毒。她沒有好的出身，但她機靈、大膽，靠着左右逢源一步步躋身上流社會。如果他是個男人，或許能用自己的聰明才智做一番事業，風靡一時，但她註定會從雲端墜落，就像《如今世道》中的Melmotte，因爲用謊言鋪的路，終究走不長遠。 “But that is the misfortune of beginning with this kind of forgery. When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your lies in circulation inevitably multiples, and the danger of detection increases every day.” 其實她的聰明很像《飄》中的Scarlett O’Hara，可是她沒有Tara那片土地爲Scarlett帶來宿命綁定，所以她漂浮不定，漸漸迷失在虛榮中。 “Ah, how dreary it seemed, how miserable, lonely, and profitless! Should she take laudanum, and end it, too - have done with all hopes, schemes, debts and triumphs?” 讀到這裏時我想起了《安娜·卡列尼娜》，想起了《包法利夫人》，或許Rebecca也像她們一樣死在了故事的這個轉折點，像絢爛的煙花，消失在黑暗的夜空中。 可她和她的謊言都活下去了，且在獲得了Jos的信任後，她又有了東山再起的資本。而Amelia和Dobbin也在書末重歸於好。如此唐突的快樂結局下，或許正是Thackeray隱藏的諷刺：騙子吸乾了信徒的血，施暴者重得她的忠僕。 這就是名利場。

Maybe the writer owes readers a sad ending.i think the writer is forced to write a happy ending.But why?This book should have been a sad ending.it is a pity just for me.

“You determined long ago, that nothing should stand in your way. Not birth, not money, nor the opinions of others.”

讀過最好的英文小說！社會人情的細節，對於人的心理變化，都描述得複雜而不冗長。這份將無甚唯美之處的瑣屑日常算計都描述得生動趣味的功力太難得了。讓我想起了是大臣系列。這本書是否是英式幽默的集大成者呢？

birth,childhood,education,marriage,life for Vanity Fair of two heroine women, different friendship and love, how to face with bankruptcy, death, sepatation, and any difficulties , different life endings for them, only the most kind ,heat-warmed, affectionate heroine has a happy ending . And most importantly is that families has always been our trust-worthy and dependable harbour whenever we go or whatever had happened to us, we can always depend on our families.

這一版除了章節排版混亂外，其他還行。薩克雷的成名作和代表作，語言辛辣諷刺。