anity Fair, which appeared in monthly instalments in 1847 and 1848, is a satirical novel of manners which shows William Thackeray's apprenticeship in satirical and mock-heroic writing. It is from one point of view, a study in which the demands of society operate on human character and vice versa; in this world the meek are not blessed, but are pushed to the wall, and wit, opportunism and unscrupulousness form an unbeatable combination of qualities. Unbeatable, at least, Thackeray seems to say until the final round, when somehow the rewards and punishments are readjusted and the simple prevail over the cunning after all.

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