Publisher's Synopsis
A Shabby Genteel Story is a novel written by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1840. The story follows the lives of two young women, Amelia and Caroline, who are struggling to make ends meet in London. Amelia is a governess who is in love with a young artist named Edward, but her love is unrequited. Caroline is a seamstress who is in a relationship with a man named Captain Costigan, who is a drunken and unreliable suitor.As the story unfolds, the two women face a series of challenges and setbacks, including financial difficulties and romantic entanglements. They are forced to rely on their own wits and resourcefulness to survive in a world that is often cruel and unforgiving.Thackeray's novel is a biting satire of Victorian society, with its rigid class distinctions and hypocritical moral standards. He uses humor and irony to expose the flaws and foibles of his characters, and to comment on the social and political issues of his time.Overall, A Shabby Genteel Story is a poignant and witty portrayal of life in 19th-century London, and a testament to Thackeray's skill as a writer and social commentator.The Misses Macarty were excessively indignant that Mr. Fitch should have had the audacity to fall in love with their sister; and poor Caroline's life was not, as may be imagined, made much the happier by the envy and passion thus excited. Mr. Fitch's amour was the source of a great deal of pain to her. Her mother would tauntingly say, that as both were beggars, they could not do better than marry; and declared, in the same satirical way, that she should like nothing better than to see a large family of grandchildren about her, to be plagues and burdens upon her, as her daughter was.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.