Contrast as a Principle of Structure In Vanity Fair

Abstract

HE STRUCTURE of Vanity Fair is in many ways unlike that of typical Victorian novel, whatever that might be. A general criticism of serial has been that serial form of publication ... has undoubtedly been responsible for much overplotting. The Victorian in general suffers from too heavy a structure.' While this is true of many of novels of Dickens and Collins, it is not true of Vanity Fair. On contrary, Vanity Fair supposedly lacks structure, organization, and plot. It is a novel without a plan;2 like Topsy, [it] just grew.3 And, of course, serial form was to blame: the spasmodic writing of monthly installments prevented good integration.4 However, while it is true that Vanity Fair does not have heavy structure of a Dickens or Collins novel, it is not true that it lacks structure or organization. Just as Thackeray's unity is new-a unity of theme rather than traditional unity of plot involving life of a hero-so is his structure a new kind of structure. In traditional novel, structure depended on continuity of action, on flow of narrative and dramatic action from one climax to next. But with Vanity Fair, principle of structure changes from continuity of action to contrast of characters and actions they perform. Little attention has been paid to influence of serial publication on shape and structure of Victorian novel. Kathleen Tillotson has pointed out that within a single number, bal-