American Journal Of Philological Sciences
324
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
324-327
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue05-89
The Functions Of "Letter" As an Element of The
Narrative Structure of W. Thackeray's Novel "Vanity
Fair"
Sattarova Ismigul Baxtiyorovna
Teacher of Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Uzbekistan
Dr Sarah Green
Institute for Ethics in AI, USA
Received:
31 March 2025;
Accepted:
29 April 2025;
Published:
31 May 2025
Abstract:
The article examines the functions of "writing" as a way of contrasting the characters in W. Thackeray's
novel "Vanity Fair". It is noted that the "letters" in the novel play an important role on a compositional and
motivational level. Special attention is paid to the representation of the concept of "wealth" in the "letters" given
in the novel. This analysis is informed by the current trends and approaches in reading narratives from the
Victorian era, with a focus on the relations between Thackeray’s letters and imperialism, emotional distance, and
performativity.
Keywords:
Writing, situation, context, reaction, artistic concept, motive, narrative structure.
Introduction:
Narrative Form and Social Critique
W. Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair is a large-volume work
in which the author reveals the vices of Victorian
society. It was published in 1853. Continuing the
existing national tradition of describing life in England,
following Fielding, W. Thackeray ridicules the immoral
model of life in English society in his novel. It should be
noted that the author chooses a peculiar form of
narrative in which he expresses his thoughts implicitly
[5,240], thereby showing his individual, creative
manner against the background of a traditional English
novel of the 19th century. The author personifies his
image in the novel as a Puppeteer who acts as an
observer of everything that happens, thereby giving a
subjective description of events. The Puppeteer's
comments emphasise the main idea of the novel, laid
down by the author, that the world is fair where
everything has material value, and wealth occupies a
higher position than moral qualities. Thanks to the
comments of the Puppeteer, the novel becomes
extremely logically structured. Thus, Nakao (2024)
suggested that this type of narrator, often known as the
“Thackeray
-
type narrator”, functions on the basis of
performance where he mimes character psychology
and frequently intermixes free indirect discourse with
authorial judgment to evoke rampant uncertainty. [8,
22]
Research
Along with the Puppeteer's comments, W. Thackeray
uses "letters" as a special component of the narrative
structure. Following the literary tradition of the classic
English novel of the 19th century, in which "letters" are
considered a constructive element of a work of art, W.
Thackeray, in the novel "Vanity Fair", in several cases,
refers to "letters" using their expressive possibilities. In
this article, we will consider the versatility of letters by
making a specific thematic classification. It seems that
the parts of the novel in which the author uses "letters"
as an element of narration provide an opportunity to
consider "character subtexts" in their pure form [2,17],
determine the spatial and temporal separation of
events, perform a communicative and pragmatic
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
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function, and are also significant at the compositional
level since they are included in the general context of
the novel. Letters are a necessary element of the
composition of a textual whole. As Glovinsky (2020, 96)
pointed out, the application of the epistolary form by
Thackeray is purposeful since the novel in letters was
gradually evolving into realism by the third-person
omniscient narrator at the time of the writing.
Therefore, the letters in Vanity Fair may be seen as
belonging to the bygone form of the novel but also as a
means of distancing the reader on the part of the
author.
DISCUSSION
Firstly, it is crucial to point out that the letters
mentioned in the novel are used as a tool for the
formation of characters. In this regard, it is necessary
to agree with the ideas of O. V. Protopopova, based on
which the first person can be viewed as the epistolary
form of psychological convincing, the actualisation of
the inner spiritual state of characters, the creation of
intimacy in the narratives, and the ability to reveal the
character’s personality more or less. [4,634]
Considering the personal nature of the letters, we
believe that in the text of the novel, "letters" act as a
manifestation of character subtexts through which the
concepts of "poverty-wealth" are actualised. According
to A.A. Boronin: "One of the stages of an adequate
interpretation of character subtexts is the allocation of
special semantic units in their structure
–
concepts"
[2,17]. The scientist notes that the study of concepts
makes it possible to describe the personal
characteristics of a fictitious subject more thoroughly.
Therefore, considering the letter written by Rebecca
Sharp to Emilia, it can be determined that when
narrating the events that took place, she highlights
material wealth: " one of them has the bed in which
Queen Elizabeth slept;... old cup, both gold and
silver..." [7,49] N.S. Bolotnova focuses on "the
associative layer that, in the process of the reader's
cognitive activity, forms ideas about different aspects
of the artistic concept reflected in the text" [1,75]. The
textual associative field of the concept of "wealth" is
numerous (carriage, coat of arms, huge house), which
stands out especially in Becky Sharp's letters. Through
letters, the author shows her the value of material
wealth, thereby modelling her psychology. "Letters", in
this case, act as a means of self-presentation of the
heroine. Note that at the end of this letter, the
Puppeteer's comments are given, which highlight the
"keywords" of Rebecca's letter
–
"lady weeping for the
loss of her beauty", "with hay-coloured whiskers and
straw-coloured hair" [7,52], he ironically defines the
main everyday problem
–
the capture of the groom.
This interaction of the letter and the narratorial
response thus vindicates Harden’s (1967) assertion that
Thackeray achieves a formal unity as he relates the
characters’ inner transformations and motifs in the use
of both the embedded and authorial narrator.
Secondly, letters in the novel are an essential
structural component that determines the chronology
of the novel's actions and serves as a means of defining
space-time relationships in the work. The novel "Vanity
Fair" was written by W. Thackeray chronologically,
taking into account the historical time of the action and
the narrative of the hero's life. Chronological
storytelling is a logical way to create a social ladder
along which Rebecca ascends and establishes herself in
a secular society in a short time. Therefore, U.
Thackeray needs events related to the storyline of
Becky Sharp's rise up the social ladder. Note that the
author points to the transformation of events through
the dynamics of space, which is significant in the work.
Note that the author indirectly indicates the time and
place of the events through the dates on the letters.
Thus, the temporal-spatial aspect of the "letters" is
significant in the novel. This use of letters to construct
a narrative in Nicholas Nickleby also provides cohesion
to the episodic plot of the novel, as also pointed out by
Harden's (1967) formalist reading of the internal
structure of the novel.
Thirdly, we emphasise that for W. Thackeray, "writing"
is a way of subjectively characterising the heroines.
Since the novel has the subtitle "A novel without a
hero", the author does not divide the characters of the
story into positive and negative characters. However,
we believe that the "letter" given at the beginning of
the novel, written by Miss Pinkerton, is a way to get
acquainted with the characters who will become the
driving centre of events. At the same time, we note that
the text of the letter carries a hidden meaning,
reflecting a positive modality towards Emilia: "... Miss
Sedley ... whose delightful sweetness of temper has
charmed ... the affectionate regards of her mistress";
and a negative one towards Rebecca: " Miss Sharp's
stay in Russell Square may not exceed ten days". [7,6]
Thus, the "letter" is communicative, and it aims to
identify the positive and negative subjective-evaluative
characteristics of the characters in the novel. The
important technique of "repeating" Pinkerton's
negative opinion further allows Thackeray, emotionally
but in a different context, to reinforce Rebecca Sharp's
social inequality in Crowley's camp: "I have nothing to
say in her displeasure… I am sure nothing will occur to
injure them in the elegant and refined circle of the
eminent Sir Pitt Crawley» [7,64]. It is important for Miss
Pinkerton that Rebecca's position has changed; where
she is now in a wealthy society. A change in the social
status of a character is the reason for contrasting
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
characteristics about her. In addition, since Rebecca is
from a noble family and is a pupil of Miss Pinkerton's
school, saying bad things about her can affect her
reputation. This underlines the accursed share's
distinct epistolary characteristics, as Nakao (2024) calls
it, 'narratorial performance,' which unearths further
inner evaluations masked by politeness.
Fourthly, the ontological nature of the letters lies in the
fact that they are a component of W. Thackeray's
narrative strategy. Note that the author cites an entire
chapter, framed as a letter, in which Rebecca tells her
friend about the events of her life. This method of
narrative allows us to describe different events within
the framework of a single letter. Glovinsky (2020)
stated that these longer letters are both textual
"containment" and "sentimentality, thus making it
possible for Thackeray to pillory and deploy the
epistolary structure at the same time.
Fifth, in the modern scientific paradigm, there is the
concept of an epistolary linguistic personality, which is
understood as the author (addressee) of the content of
epistolary texts. In this regard, A.V. Kuryanovich makes
a classification of categorical parameters of an
epistolary linguistic personality, among which the
researcher identifies the level of "rhetorical skill
necessary to achieve communicative tasks and
expressed in the justified and effective use of stylistic
resources of language" [3, 259]. In creating the "letters"
of the novel, the author also strictly follows the main
idea of the novel, pointing to the rhetorical skill of
Becky Sharp. Note that in the part "Before the curtain",
the Puppeteer characterises Rebecca as: "... flexible at
joints" [7,3].
This definition of the author finds its proof throughout
the novel, as the author shows her skill in cunning not
only in life situations but also acts as a brilliant
adventurer who can. It is "correct" to express your
thoughts by choosing the right words. Dictating the text
of the letter to her husband, Rawdon Crowley, Rebecca
chooses words that could soften Lady Crowley's
relationship with her nephew: "... which very possibly
may be fatal ... say goodbye to my dearest and earliest
friend" [7,165]. This tactical use of rhetoric underscores
the notion of Rebecca as a constructed 'epistolary
personality,' as she moulds herself and her letters into
a work of art, reflecting 'sentimental distance' as
understood by Glovinsky (2020) in relationship to
Thackerary's narrator.
Sixth, by analysing the "letters" in the novel "Vanity
Fair", it becomes evident that the "letters" given in the
novel provoke events or motivate them. It should be
noted that the proposed opinion of I.V. Silantyev, who
highlights: "... the characteristic way of naming a motif
through a keyword" [6,84], is very relevant to our
study. So, in Rawdon's "letter" to his aunt Lady Crawley,
which Rebecca dictates, it is possible to clearly identify
the keywords that the author uses as a definition of the
character's motif repertoire. Note that the author cites
several similar situations in which writing serves as an
actualizer of the characters' motives. We find
interesting two mirror situations in which Rebecca
Sharp dictates to her husband, Rodon, the text of
letters that he sends to his rich aunt. "My dear
Aunt,"…” [7,159]. In this case, the "letter" acts as an
actualised of the intentions of the characters
–
that is,
it is not written to ask for forgiveness sincerely but for
the benefit of Rebecca Sharp and her husband Rodon
want to receive.
The "letter" is also significant for the development of
the plot, as old Miss Crawley realises that Rawdon did
not write this letter himself, and thus her hatred for
Rebecca increases. As already noted, this situation
repeats itself after the Battle of Waterloo, when
Rebecca also dictates to her husband what he needs to
write in a letter to his aunt. The author repeats a similar
situation in which the intention of the letter is to reveal
the character of the characters. The significance of
these events lies in the definition of Rebecca Sharp as a
cunning adventurer who controls her husband. In their
family, she plays the leading role and manipulates her
husband. It is also important to note that for all her
cunning, the author points to her intellectual abilities
when she corrects her husband's mistakes: "You old
booby," Rebecca said, pinching his ear and looking over
to see that he made no mistakes in spelling
—
"beseech
is not spelt with an a, and the earliest is. "So, he altered
these words, bowing to the superior knowledge of his
little Missis" [7,159].
The recurring motif of letter-dictation shows the
formally conditioned mechanism of the imagery that
accentuates Rebecca’s domination i
n domestic and
rhetorical spaces. According to Silantyev (2004, 103),
this indicates the “keyworded” nature of motivational
topics in characters’ actions.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, the analysis of the "letters" in W.
Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair shows that they are
multifunctional. The main function of "writing" is
modelling characters' images. Similarly, "letters"
determine the chronology of the development of
actions and are a special component of the author's
narrative strategy. The significance of "letters" is also in
the motivational repertoire, as they provoke events.
In addition to their structural role, letters in Vanity Fair
are also narrative and ideological means that merge
sentimental tradition and satire. The narrator's
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
327
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
distancing from the letter toward imperialism and
formalism creates a tension that is not easy to
decipher. Thus, the epistolary methodology is not by
any means limited to the sphere of characters'
communication; it also manifests itself in the planes of
the cultural performance of feelings and the
establishment of the narrator's position.
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