Thackeray's Waterloo: history and war in Vanity Fair
Thackeray's Waterloo: history and war in Vanity Fair
Using contemporary writings about Waterloo gleaned from a number of primary sources, this paper places Vanity Fair in the context of what Eric Hobsbawm (1968) has described as a 'concentrated effort' on the part of the middle classes of the 1840s to 'give themselves confidence and pride in their historic task' by 'reshaping the institutions of Britain in a manner suitable to industrial capitalism'. It argues that one of the most crucial reshapings being carried out was the 'official' history of war, and that it is a critique of this practice which lies at the heart of Thackeray's satire.
william makepeace thackeray, vanity fair, battle of waterloo, critique of `official' war history
19-38
Hammond, Mary
36bc55ac-8543-411f-ba89-668e19905e35
October 2002
Hammond, Mary
36bc55ac-8543-411f-ba89-668e19905e35
Hammond, Mary
(2002)
Thackeray's Waterloo: history and war in Vanity Fair.
Literature and History, 11 (2), .
Abstract
Using contemporary writings about Waterloo gleaned from a number of primary sources, this paper places Vanity Fair in the context of what Eric Hobsbawm (1968) has described as a 'concentrated effort' on the part of the middle classes of the 1840s to 'give themselves confidence and pride in their historic task' by 'reshaping the institutions of Britain in a manner suitable to industrial capitalism'. It argues that one of the most crucial reshapings being carried out was the 'official' history of war, and that it is a critique of this practice which lies at the heart of Thackeray's satire.
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Published date: October 2002
Keywords:
william makepeace thackeray, vanity fair, battle of waterloo, critique of `official' war history
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Local EPrints ID: 48443
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/48443
ISSN: 0306-1973
PURE UUID: 5f8f69fd-4593-40d5-94a6-25fff6566484
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Date deposited: 24 Sep 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 09:46
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