Rebecca Sharp—generally known as Becky—is the main character in Thackeray's satirical novel, Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero, which was published incrementally between 1847 and 1848. Thackeray wished … See more

Educated at Miss Pinkerton's Academy, Sharp was an orphan. With no parents to guide her, either towards a good marriage or a career, she set out on her own to take what she could get from life. Her opening scene has her leaving the academy in a coach and throwing … See more

Critical
Mid-Victorian literature was still somewhat orientated towards "young ladies' literature" where the readership was morally sensitive. … See more

• Media related to Becky Sharp (character) at Wikimedia Commons
• Thackeray's Vanity Fair at Wikisource See more

For much of the book, due to her lower-class origins, Sharp is not treated as a social equal to her associates, who are at least middle if not upper class. She is "notoriously immoral" — indeed, according to one commentator, she is the "embodiment of … See more

Oscar Wilde said that he asked a female friend of Thackeray's whether Sharp had any real-life basis. She said that although the character was … See more

In 1899, Langdon Mitchell's production of Vanity Fair toured the United States with Minnie Maddern Fiske as Sharp, a role Fiske received critical praise for. The following year his … See more