《名利场》的现实意义初探-《名利场》的艺术特色(2)

Lord Steyne (stain is the symbolic meaning) lives in Gaunt House. Wealthy , honored , and bored , he fills his life with sensuous pleasure , but actually his spiritual existence is empty , as Gaunt indicates. Becky Sharp is not named by accident ; neither are the Crawleys , who use every means to crawl up the social and monetary ladder.
(c) Humor
At other times Thackeray makes use of humorous situations to affect his satiric purpose. There are funny and amusing situations ,which serve to expose some pretension of affections , some hypocrisy or social vanity. For example , Joseph Sedley boasts that he is a lady2killer and tells endless tales of how ladies love him and follow him. But when his pretensions are exposed he appears in a ridiculous light. Sir Pitt is a stingy , dirty , disreputable boor who canpt spell , doesnpt read , eats boiled mutton ,and has nothing but one candle in the house. But it stands in an ornate silver candlestick , and three footmen serve the boiled2mutton. The situation is funny when Old Sir Pitt proposes marriage to Becky :“I am an old man , but a good man. Ipm good for twenty years. Ipll make you happy , see if I donpt. You shall do what you like , spend what you like , and everything in your own way. Ipll make your settlement. Ipll do everything regular. Look dear !”[4] ,and the old man fell down on his knees and peered at her like a satyr. Rebecca stared back at a picture of consternation. She wept some of the most genuine tears that ever fell from her eyes :“Oh,Sir Pitt!”she [4]said ,“Oh, Sir,I2Ipm married already. ”Beckyps worship of money is thus exposed , and we are much amused at the discomposure of Old Sir Pitt , old enough to be Beckyps grandfather.
It should be noticed that the author’s exposure of contemporary vanities and affectations is generally mild and gentle and good2natured , but occasionally he can also be bitter and savage. For example , there is savagery and bitterness in the way in which he shows us how the people in Vanity Fair fawn upon the rich and kick the poor. Thus Mrs.Sedley objects to the marriage of Becky with her son , for she is a mere governess , and George Osborne also works against her , for he would not like to have a mere governess as his sister2in2law. All of the characters of the novel , either themselves moved by vanity or destroyed by the vanity of others form a brutal , sterile , and fragmented world. In the background of this world , there are insanity and violence. There are violent old men furious at their sons , and forlorn spinsters clutching at husbands and lusting for other womenps children. The satire is often harsh and brutal , but despite the occasional savagery of the picture , Vanity Fair ,surprisingly enough , remains a great comic novel. It abounds in characters and situations that are incomparable art , making us accept even the worst in the world as inevitable, sad , funny , and valuable , because it is human.

As one critic observes ,“Thackeray is good at satire and realistic description so we can call his narrative method in Vanity Fair unique. Vanity Fair is presented by summarized narrative without much recourse to the minds of the characters. If there is any doubt as to how the reader should judge an inpidual , the author steps in and makes appropriate comments. ”[2] For example , the Sedleys lose their money , the chief critic and enemy is Old Oborne , with whom Sedley has started in business. Thackeray comments on the psychology of Old Osborneps attitude :“When one man has been under very remarkable obligations to another , with whom he subsequently quarrels , as common sense of decency , as it were , makes of the former a much severer enemy than a mere stranger would be .a persecutor is bound to show that the fallen man is a villain .Otherwise he , the persecutor , is a wretch himself. ”[1]
Thackerayps technique of storytelling is often picturesque and dramatic. The sustained narrative flow is broken continually by inpidual comic or serious scenes ,full of drama and movement. For example , there is Old Sir Pittps proposal to Becky ; the contrasts of partings between husbands and wives before the Battle of Waterloo ; Jos Sedleyps flight from Brussels ; the midnight“hurry and bustle”at Queenps Crawley when Old Sir Pitt has a stroke , and Mrs Bute Crawley finds Miss Horrocks , the butlerps daughter , decked in her“guilty ribbons”; the whole series of pictures at the end of party at GauntHouse,culminating in the confrontation of Becky and Lord Steyne by Rawdon Crawley[5] .
Apart from these long descriptions of dramatic interludes ,the emotional mood is everywhere sharpened and focused by physical details. Thackeray does not linger over deathbeds , like Dickens , but his pathetic touches are all the more effective for being glimpses only. For example , Amelia , futile and useless , watching George Packing , leaning against the wall , holding his crimson sash to her breast like a stain of blood ; Georgeps unused bedroom in Russell Square , with its whips and caps , a Bible and a pair of spurs on the mantelpiece ,“a dried inkstand covered with the dust of ten years”;Lady Steyne , back in happy memories of her convent childhood , weeping silently as she listens to Becky singing.

In all these ways , Thackeray varies and enlivens his narration , and avoids monotony. Variety is further imparted by his sentence structure that ranges from a few words to a whole paragraph. Sometimes , the novelist addresses the readers directly , and at other times his address takes the form of a question. Sometimes the narration is slow and leisurely , and at other times it is swift and rapid. Essay or narration alternates with scintillating , witty dialogue , and dramatic scenes and situations. Immense variety , in short , characterizes Thackerayps narrative technique.
In addition , vividness and allusion are imparted to the narration by the use of symbol and imagery. His symbols are drawn from daily life , from the classics , and from the Bible. For example , Rebecca Sharp is likened to Deligh and Clytemnstra , and Jane Osborne is likened to Iphigenia. Best of his imagery is drawn from the common , everyday objects, scenes and sights of nature. Sometimes Thackerayps comparisons are humorous. For example , he compares Rebecca being tried at court to the cleaning of dirty linen by putting it through the laundry.
As a narrator and storyteller ,however Thackeray has his faults. His too frequent intrusions make the narration loose and discursive. The story rambles and the essays containing generalized reflections are introduced too frequently. But despite such faults , it still makes interesting reading. And whatps more , Thackeray has succeeded in his mission of exposing the futile , the snobbish , and false money2values of Vanity Fair.
In conclusion , Thackeray is not only a great realist , but also an eminent satirist. His narrative is quite unusual. It is no doubt that Thackeray can be put on a par with Dickens , a great English writer of critical realism in 19th century.

References :
[1] Lames Vinson. Novelists [M]. The Macmillian Press Ltd. , 1997.
[2] HarrisFitzgerald. NineteenthCenturyLiteratureCriticism[M].England:OxfordUniversityPress,1977.
[3] Liu Bingshan. Brief History of English Literature [M]. Shanghai :Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press ,1985.

[4] William Makepeace Thackery. Vanity Fair [M]. The Continental Book Company ,1995. htt
[5] Chen Jia. A History of English Literature [M]. Commercial Press ,1981.