William Makepeace Thackeray

Along with Dickens, he is one of the most representative novelists of 19th century British literature. He was born on July 18th near Calcutta (now Kolkata) as the only son of a financial officer stationed in India. He lost his father at the age of four, and returned to his home country the following year, leaving his mother behind when she remarried. He was raised by his aunt, so he never had to worry about money, but he grew up without knowing the warm atmosphere of a home. He entered Cambridge University in 1829, but was unable to concentrate on his studies and dropped out the following year. He went to continental Europe, and after returning to Japan, he studied law, but this also did not last long. He eventually went to Paris to study painting, which he loved, and lived a bohemian life, spending his youth as a dilettante with no firm decision, typical of a rich boy. He was a good person, but because he was naive, his friends made him get a taste of hobbies and forced him to pay off the debts, and he ended up bankrupt after being forced to buy a shady newspaper, losing all of his father's inheritance at the age of 22. He was forced to make a living by illustrating books and working as a newspaper correspondent in Paris, and in 1836 he married Isabella Shaw, whom he met in Paris.

Soon after, however, his wife was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and his daughter had to be raised by someone else, and he had to earn all the money himself. As a result, he was forced to fight against the terrible hardships of life, which completely changed his previous carefree life. He gave up on making a living as an artist and devoted himself to writing miscellaneous writings, writing critiques, comedy, and novels, whatever came to his hand. Among them, "The Life of English Snobbish People" (1847, later renamed "The Book of Snobbish People") is a good example of Thackeray's talent as a satirist. "Vanity Fair" (1847-1848) brought him instant recognition in the literary world, and "Henry Esmond" (1852) solidified his status as a writer.

In spite of his literary success, his private life was extremely miserable. Perhaps to try to ease the loneliness of not being able to experience the happiness of family life, he became intimate with Jane, the wife of his close friend, the Reverend Brookfield. However, as both of them were married, he was unable to consummate their love and they had to part ways, heartbroken. On the other hand, his reputation as a writer grew with works such as Pendennis (1850) and The Newcombes (1855). In 1860, he became the first editor of the Cornhill Magazine, and became a leading figure in the British literary world. However, his health deteriorated and he died on December 24, 1863, at the age of 52. For better or worse, he was considered a rival of Dickens and compared to him, but although his works are less powerful than Dickens's, they are superior in terms of their restrained, cultured style and their sharp historical sense. As detailed biographical research has been carried out in recent years, his works, which had previously been criticized for being preachy and overly sentimental, are being reevaluated.

[Shigeru Koike]

"Saito Bishu, World Literature Series 40: English Snobbism" (1961, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Fujita Seiji, Studies on Thackeray (1972, Hokusei-do Shoten)" ▽ "Suzuki Sachiko, The Anxious Victorian (1993, Shinozaki Shorin)" ▽ "Suzuki Sachiko, Reading Thackeray: The Anxious Victorian Continued (1996, Shinozaki Shorin)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ディケンズとともに19世紀イギリス文学を代表する小説家。7月18日、インド駐在の財務官のひとり息子として、カルカッタ（現、コルカタ）付近に生まれる。4歳で父を失い、翌年再婚する母を残して本国に帰り、以後叔母の家で養われたため、金に困ることはなかったが、家庭の温かい空気を知ることができないままに成長した。1829年ケンブリッジ大学に入ったが、勉強に打ち込めず翌年中退、ヨーロッパ大陸に遊び、帰国後法律を修めたが、これも長続きしなかった。結局好きな絵の修業のためにパリに渡り、ボヘミアン的な生活を送るというぐあいで、典型的な金持ちの坊ちゃん育ちにありがちな、腰の定まらないディレッタント的な青年時代を送った。それだけに人はよいが、世間知らずのため、友人から道楽の味を覚えさせられてはその負債を押し付けられ、果ては怪しげな新聞を買収させられて破産するという始末で、父の遺産を22歳にしてすべて失ってしまった。やむなく生活のために挿絵を描いたり、新聞のパリ通信員として細々と暮らしたりしながら、パリで知り合ったイザベラ・ショーと1836年に結婚した。

　しかしまもなく妻が精神科病院に入院、娘も他人に預けて育ててもらわねばならず、そうした費用を全部自分で稼がねばならなかった。そのため、以前ののんきな暮らしから一転して、恐ろしい生活苦と闘うことになり、画家として生計をたてることを断念して、雑文書きに専念し、評論、戯作、小説と手あたりしだいに書きまくった。なかでも『イギリス俗物列伝』（1847。のちに『俗物の書』と改題）は風刺家としてのサッカレーの才能がよく出ている。『虚栄の市』（1847～1848）によって一躍文壇に認められ、『ヘンリー・エズモンド』（1852）が彼の作家としての地位を揺るがぬものとした。

　こうした文学的成功にもかかわらず、私生活はきわめて悲惨なもので、家庭生活の幸福を味わえぬわびしさを紛らわそうとしたのか、親友である牧師ブルックフィールドの妻ジェーンと親密になったが、ともに妻があり夫がある身であったので、その愛を成就することもできず、傷心のまま別れねばならなかった。一方、作家としての文名は『ペンデニス』（1850）、『ニューカム一家』（1855）などによりますます高まり、1860年『コーンヒル雑誌』発刊に際して初代編集長となり、イギリス文壇の大御所となったが、健康を害して1863年12月24日52歳で世を去った。彼はよきにつけ悪(あ)しきにつけディケンズのライバルとみなされ、比較されたが、ディケンズに比べて彼の作品は力強さで劣っても、抑制のきいた教養ある文体、鋭い歴史的感覚などで勝っている。最近詳しい伝記研究が行われるにつれて、これまでとかく説教臭や感傷過多が非難された彼の作品が、再評価されるようになった。

［小池　滋］

『斎藤美洲訳『世界文学大系40　いぎりす俗物誌』（1961・筑摩書房）』▽『藤田清次著『サッカレー研究』（1972・北星堂書店）』▽『鈴木幸子著『不安なヴィクトリアン』（1993・篠崎書林）』▽『鈴木幸子著『サッカレーを読む――続・不安なヴィクトリアン』（1996・篠崎書林）』

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