The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Thackeray's Waterloo: history and war in Vanity Fair

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
0306-1973
19-38
Hammond, Mary
36bc55ac-8543-411f-ba89-668e19905e35
Hammond, Mary
36bc55ac-8543-411f-ba89-668e19905e35

Hammond, Mary (2002) Thackeray's Waterloo: history and war in Vanity Fair. Literature and History, 11 (2), 19-38.

Record type: Article

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.

Text
48443.pdf - Version of Record
Download (4MB)

More information

Published date: October 2002
Keywords: william makepeace thackeray, vanity fair, battle of waterloo, critique of `official' war history

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 48443
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/48443
ISSN: 0306-1973
PURE UUID: 5f8f69fd-4593-40d5-94a6-25fff6566484

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Sep 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 09:46

Export record

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×