Read about another entry on the list.Becky Sharp (Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray).
A clever orphan and the founding foremother of shameless gold digging, Sharp engineers her own marriage for money, launching herself into an elite universe of parties, social intrigue, sex, and, of course, wild consumption.
Happiness factor: Negligible. “Her success excited, elated, and then bored her.” But even though war, debt, and that pesky impoverished background are always nipping at her heels, it’s hard not be impressed by how much Becky manages to accumulate before her empire starts to crumble.
Vanity Fair also appears on John Mullan's list of ten of the most memorable governesses in literature, Stella Tillyard's list of favorite historical novels, John Mullan's lists of ten of the best fat men in literature and ten of the best pianos in literature, and Thomas Mallon's list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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