Economic Condition Review of Related Theories

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2.3. Criticism

This criticism was written by Pat Rogers, a professor of Liberal Arts at the University of South Florida. He wrote the introductory part and edited Vanity Fair, where this criticism was taken from. He started with commenting the title. It referred to John Bunyan’s picture of the world as a crowded market place of temptation. Originally entitle with Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero, its subtitle also served as another provoking endless interpretation. The position of a hero is replaced with a heroine. So, it is a novel about a heroine, not a hero. The plot revolves around Amelia and Becky. Rogers also quoted in Chapter 30, “if this is a novel without a hero, at least let us claim to a heroine”, to show that it was Becky that acted like a heroine while she helped her husband calmly preparing his leaving for battlefield. According to Rogers in his introduction to Vanity Fair, there are some questions concerning the plot of Vanity Fair. On the other hand, the book’s characterization is praised in many ways. One character that is considered successful in achieving the readers’ attention is Becky Sharp. “There can be few readers who would fail to recognize the triumph which is Becky Sharp” xxvii. Rogers describes that Thackeray depicts Becky’s character with persuasive consistency. Thackeray knows that Becky is a heartless, self-centered and evil woman, and spares no pains to make sure that we are aware of this. But she is also admirable in more limited ways, on account of her courage, independence, and clear-headed realism xxvii. He shows that Thackeray clearly describes Becky from two sides, virtues and vices. Rogers also says that another interesting point from Becky is his position of 22 Thackeray’s satires. Thackeray uses her both as the butt of the satire and as the tool to show his satire. Another critic is Seymour Betsky, a Fulbright professor of English, University of Utrecht. Though Thackeray is not the first novelist who writes the novel about the struggle of middle class or the gross behavior of upper class, Betsky says that he is the first novelist who really hates rank and privilege, and shows it in his characters. But he is the first novelist who, hating rank and privilege in his bones, skins bull-dog teeth into every single abuse of rank and privilege: self- defeating miserliness in a Sir Pitt Crawley; in Rawdon Crawley the prodigality of bloods and dandies; the mediocrity of mind and talents that govern the great nation with a growing empire, exemplified in Mr. Pitt Crawley; extreme brutality in Lord Steyne, trading on its prerogatives. Betsky also says that the weapon of Vanity Fair that attracts the readers is Thackeray’s satires. It is a satirical novel. Thackeray shows that there are many moral inequalities in Vanity Fair, but he also predicts that there is no radical change to reform those.

2.4. Theoretical Framework

There are some theories that are applied in this study. Those theories are used in order to answer the problems. To answer the first problem, the theory of character and the theory of characterization are applied. It is important to know the theory of character because the analysis of this study is also dealing with some characters of the novel. Besides explaining about what is meant by character, this theory also explains that the readers can see the novel’s world through the characters’ eyes. Theory of characterization is employed in this study in order to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI