Molly Ivins
American journalist (1944-2007)
William Makepeace Thackeray was an acclaimed English novelist and illustrator known for his satirical works, especially the novel ‘Vanity Fair’ and ‘The Luck of Barry Lyndon’. Despite facing personal challenges, Thackeray rose to fame and is now considered one of the prominent authors of the Victorian era.
Table of Contents
Occupation
Family Info
Siblings
Thomas Thackeray
Spouses
Isabella Gethen Creagh Shawe
Children
Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie
Harriet Stephen
Jane Thackeray
About the William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeraywas an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1847-1848 novel Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of British society, and the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which was adapted for a 1975 film by Stanley Kubrick.
Thackeray was born in Calcutta, British India, and was sent to England after his father’s death in 1815. He studied at various schools and briefly attended Trinity College, Cambridge, before leaving to travel Europe. Thackeray squandered much of his inheritance on gambling and unsuccessful newspapers. He turned to journalism to support his family, primarily working for Fraser’s Magazine, The Times, and Punch. His wife Isabella suffered from mental illness, leaving Thackeray a de facto widower. Thackeray gained fame with his novel Vanity Fair and produced several other notable works. He unsuccessfully ran for Parliament in 1857 and edited the Cornhill Magazine in 1860. Thackeray’s health declined due to excessive eating, drinking, and lack of exercise. He died from a stroke at the age of fifty-two.
Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, gaining popularity through works that showcased his fondness for roguish characters. He is best known for Vanity Fair, featuring Becky Sharp, and The Luck of Barry Lyndon. Thackeray’s early works were marked by savage attacks on high society, military prowess, marriage, and hypocrisy, often written under various pseudonyms. His writing career began with satirical sketches like The Yellowplush Papers. Thackeray’s later novels, such as Pendennis and The Newcomes, reflected a mellowing in his tone, focusing on the coming of age of characters and critical portrayals of society. During the Victorian era, Thackeray was ranked second to Charles Dickens but is now primarily known for Vanity Fair.
Frequently Asked Questions
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist and illustrator who lived from 1811 to 1863. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1847-1848 novel Vanity Fair and the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon.
Vanity Fair is a panoramic novel by William Makepeace Thackeray that portrays British society in the early 19th century. It is considered one of Thackeray’s most renowned works and a classic of English literature.
William Makepeace Thackeray was born in Calcutta, British India, in 1811. He was later sent to England after his father’s death in 1815.
Thackeray faced several personal challenges, including squandering much of his inheritance on gambling and unsuccessful newspapers. He also had to support his family through journalism after his wife, Isabella, suffered from mental illness, leaving him a de facto widower.
Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, known for his savage attacks on high society, military prowess, marriage, and hypocrisy. His later novels, such as Pendennis and The Newcomes, showed a mellowing in his tone, focusing on the coming of age of characters and critical portrayals of society.
During the Victorian era, Thackeray was ranked second to Charles Dickens as a prominent author. However, in modern times, he is primarily known for his novel Vanity Fair, which has cemented his place as one of the most influential writers of the Victorian period.
Thackeray’s health declined due to excessive eating, drinking, and lack of exercise. He ultimately died from a stroke at the age of 52.
35 Quotes by William Makepeace Thackeray
- 1.
Bravery never goes out of fashion.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 2.
People hate as they love, unreasonably.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 3.
Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 4.
When you look at me, when you think of me, I am in paradise.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 5.
The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 6.
Good humor is one of the best articles of dress one can wear in society.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 7.
It is to the middle-class we must look for the safety of England.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 8.
Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields, or if it beats you sometimes, dare it again and you will succeed.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 9.
‘Tis strange what a man may do, and a woman yet think him an angel.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 10.
A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 11.
If a secret history of books could be written, and the author’s private thoughts and meanings noted down alongside of his story, how many insipid volumes would become interesting, and dull tales excite the reader!
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 12.
A good laugh is sunshine in the house.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 13.
Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 14.
It is impossible, in our condition of Society, not to be sometimes a Snob.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 15.
When I walk with you I feel as if I had a flower in my buttonhole.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 16.
Follow your honest convictions and be strong.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 17.
Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 18.
It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 19.
Do not be in a hurry to succeed. What would you have to live for afterwards? Better make the horizon your goal; it will always be ahead of you.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 20.
Dinner was made for eating, not for talking.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 21.
It is only hope which is real, and reality is a bitterness and a deceit.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 22.
I would rather make my name than inherit it.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 23.
There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 24.
The world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 25.
There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 26.
Except for the young or very happy, I can’t say I am sorry for anyone who dies.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 27.
I never knew whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 28.
What money is better bestowed than that of a schoolboy’s tip? How the kindness is recalled by the recipient in after days! It blesses him that gives and him that takes.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 29.
An evil person is like a dirty window, they never let the light shine through.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 30.
Kindnesses are easily forgotten; but injuries! what worthy man does not keep those in mind?
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 31.
The book of female logic is blotted all over with tears, and Justice in their courts is forever in a passion.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 32.
Next to the young, I suppose the very old are the most selfish.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 33.
To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 34.
Remember, it’s as easy to marry a rich woman as a poor woman.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)
- 35.
People who do not know how to laugh are always pompous and self-conceited.
William Makepeace ThackerayBritish novelist (1811-1863)