William Makepeace Thackeray, página 4 de 11

In "George Cruikshank," William Makepeace Thackeray presents an incisive exploration of the life and artistic contributions of the renowned caricaturist and illustrator. Written in a witty and satirical style characteristic of Thackerays oeuvre, the book situates Cruikshank within the broader context of 19th-century English society, examining how his work reflected and critiqued the social and political issues of the time. Thackeray deftly combines biographical narrative with social commentary, using a richly descriptive language that paints a vivid picture of Cruikshanks world, showcasing both the artists talent and the turbulent environment in which he operated. Thackeray, a contemporary of Cruikshank, was deeply influenced by the social dynamics of his era, often drawing upon his own experiences as a keen observer of English society. His background in art and literature, along with his commitment to social reform, provided him with a unique lens through which to appreciate and critique Cruikshanks work. This insight allowed Thackeray to present a multi-faceted portrait of the artist, intertwining their lives through shared cultural and artistic pursuits. "George Cruikshank" is an essential read for scholars and enthusiasts of 19th-century literature and art alike. Thackerays blend of biography and literary critique invites readers to engage with the transformative power of satire, making it an invaluable resource for understanding the interplay between art and society.

We know exceedingly little of the genesis and progress of Esmond. "It did not seem to be a part of our lives as Pendennis was," says Lady Ritchie, though she wrote part of it to dictation. She "only heard Esmond spoken of very rarely". Perhaps its state was not the less gracious. The Milton girls found Paradise Lost a very considerable part of their livesand were not the happier.But its parallels are respectable. The greatest things have a way of coming "all so still" into the world. We wranglethat is, those of us who are not content simply not to knowabout the composition of Homer, the purpose of the Divina Commedia, the probable plan of the Canterbury Tales, the Ur-Hamlet. Nobody put preliminary advertisements in the papers, you see, about these things: there was a discreditable neglect of the first requirements of the public. So it is with Esmond. There is, I thought, a reference to it in the Brookfield letters; but in several searches I cannot find it. To his mother he speaks of the book as "grand and melancholy", and to Lady Stanley as of "cut-throat melancholy". It is said to have been sold for a thousand poundsthe same sum that Master Shallow lent Falstaff on probably inferior security. Those who knew thought well of itwhich is not wholly surprising.

The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh and the Irish Sketch BookSir,It becomes every man in his station to acknowledge and praise virtue wheresoever he may find it, and to point it out for the admiration and example of his fellow-men.Some months since, when you presented to the writer of these pages a small account for coats and pantaloons manufactured by you, and when you were met by a statement from your creditor, that an immediate settlement of your bill would be extremely inconvenient to him, your reply was, Mon Dieu, sir, let not that annoy you; if you want money, as a gentleman often does in a strange country, I have a thousand-franc note at my house which is quite at your service.History or experience, sir, makes us acquainted with so few actions that can be compared to yours,an offer like this from a stranger and a tailor seems to me so astonishing,that you must pardon me for thus making your virtue public, and acquainting the English nation with your merit and your name. Let me add, sir, that you live on the first floor; that your cloths and fit are excellent, and your charges moderate and just; and, as a humble tribute of my admiration, permit me to lay these volumes at your feet.Your obliged, faithful servant,M. A. TITMARSH.ABOUT half of the sketches in these volumes have already appeared in print, in various periodical works. A part of the text of one tale, and the plots of two others, have been borrowed from French originals; the other stories, which are, in the main, true, have been written upon facts and characters, that came within the Authors observation during a residence in Paris.As the remaining papers relate to public events, which occurred during the same period, or to Parisian Art and Literature, he has ventured to give his publication the title which it bears.

A large portion of the public, and especially that smaller section of the community, the readers of books, will not easily forget the shock, as universal as it was unexpected, which was produced at Christmas, 1863, by the almost incredible intelligence of the death of William Makepeace Thackeray. The mournful news was repeated at many a Christmas table, that he, who had led the simple Colonel Newcome to his solemn and touching end, would write no more. The circumstance was so startling from the suddenness of the great loss which society at large had sustained, that it was some time before people could realise the dismal truth of the report.It will be easily understood, without elaborating on so saddening a theme, with how much keener a blow this heavy bereavement must have struck the surviving relatives of the great novelist. It does not come within our province to speak of the paralysing effect of such emotion; it is sufficient to recall that Thackerays death, with its viii overwhelming sorrow, left, in the hour of their trial, his two young daughters deprived of the fatherly active mind which had previously shielded from them the graver responsibilities of life, with the additional anxiety of being forced to act in their own interests at the very time such exertions were peculiarly distracting.It may be remembered that the author of Vanity Fair had but recently erected, from his own designs, the costly and handsome mansion in which he anticipated passing the mellower years of his life; a dwelling in every respect suited to the high standing of its owner, and, as has been said by a brother writer, worthy of one who really represented literature in the great world, and who, planting himself on his books, yet sustained the character of his profession with all the dignity of a gentleman....

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Before taking up her new post as a governess, the artful and ambitious Becky Sharp spends a brief period at the family home of her friend Amelia Sedley. Passive, pampered and utterly reliant on others, Amelia is the opposite of her scheming and ruthless friend. While Becky tries to ensnare the wealthy and vain Jos Sedley, Amelia desires nothing more than to be betrothed to the self-obsessed and raffish soldier George Osborne. Meanwhile, Captain William Dobbin, with his constant and selfless love for Amelia, is the only one who steers clear of any calculated romantic manoeuvrings. Woven into the climactic events of the Napoleonic Wars, and set against a backdrop of gaudy elegance and cut-throat personal ambition, Vanity Fair is an epic and sweeping satire, and a landmark of English literature."

It tells the story of Henry Esmonds twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington. Henrys romantic entanglements with an older woman lead up to his taking a commission in the British army and fighting under the command of General Wolfe at the capture of Quebec. On the outbreak of the American War of Independence he takes the revolutionary side. George, who is also a British officer, thereupon resigns his commission rather than take up arms against his brother.