Reading-Report-of-Vanity-Fair-名利场阅读报告

1ReflectiononVanityFairWilliamMakepeaceThackeray,theauthorofthebookVanityFair,isoneofthegreatestcriticalrealisticwriters.Hisdescriptionofthegeneralmoodandhumanfeelingsofthesocietyissharpandpenetrating.VanityFairhassuperbartisticaccomplishment.Inthisnovel,theauthordescribedmanydifferentkindsofcharacters,butmostofthemwereselfishandhypocritical.AsthesubtitleofVanityFairsaid----ANovelwithoutaHero,itwastrue.VanityFairhadnobighero.Itjustrelatedthetalesoftwomainfemalecharactersinthe19thcenturyinEngland,BeckySharpandAmeliaSedley,whohadnearrelationshipbuttheoppositecharacteristics.Ameliawasborninamerchantfamily,whogainedhappinessultimately.Shewaskindhearted,softheartedwoman,butshelookedweakandignorant.Afterherhusbanddied,shedevotedherselftohersonandherdearmemoryofherhusband.Onlywhenreadingherhusband’slettertoSharp,sherealizedhowfoolishshewas.AndfinallyshefoundthatDobbinwasjustherMr.Right.ComparedwithAmelia,Beckyhasanangel’sappearancebutanevilheart,whichmostlyattractsme.Itismoreclosetoreallife,andrevealsthesocialconditionsatthattime,whichareworththinkingabout.BeckySharpwasthemostbeautifulandcharmingwomen.HerfatherwasafrustratedpaintersandhermotherwasaFrenchoperadancerwhowasdeadwhenBeckywasstillyoung.Beinganorphanwithoutsocialpositionornoblefamily,Beckylookedseductivebuthadacalculatingmind.Inordertostepintothehighlevelsofsociety,shemadefulluseofhercharmandtricksandbecameavainandgreedyliar.Shewasenergeticandtriedtocontrolherownfate,withthebeliefthatshewasnotinferiortotheother.BeckySharpbeganhersociallyambitiouscareerduetothefriendshipwithAmelia,whowassoftheartedandsentimental.BeckytriedtomarryJosSedley,Amelia’sbrother,afoolishbutrichman.Whilelateron,shethenbeganherlovewiththemeanandgreedySirPittCrawley,butmadethemistakesofmarryinghissecondson,Rawdon.Hermarriagedidnotpreventherfrompursuinghersocialambition.ShethenbecamethemistressofLordSteyne.Finally,RawdondiscoveredBecky’sbetrayalandthenlefther.Herambitionswereeventuallydefeatedandsheappearedtoberespectableintheend.TheimageofSharpisneitheridealizednorsimplified.Sheisrealandcomplicated,whichcanbeseeneverywhere.Asanwomanwhostruggledforabetterlivingconditionandforahigherstateoftheupperclass,sheisshrewd,selfishandpursueswealthandpositionbyanymeans.Butsheisintelligent,energeticandhasakeensenseofhumorandadeepunderstandingofpeople.TheauthorsuccessfullypresentsastrikingcontrastbetweenSharpandAmelia.Inmyopinion,suchwritingtechniquesmakethecharactersmuchmoredistinctiveandattractive.Fromtheauthor’sskilledwriting,Iknowmoreabouttheinnatefeaturesandthehumanbeings,particularlythebadanddarkside.Maybe,everybodycanfindsomeshadowsofhimselfononeofthecharactersinthenovel.Everycharacterinthenovelisalive.Everybodyhastheirownstory,theirownanxietyandhappiness,whichcantimelyarisethereader’semotionalresonance.