Vanity Fair · Chapter
XII: Quite a Sentimental Chapter explained
The chapter returns to London to follow Amelia Sedley, who is deeply in love with George Osborne.
What happens
The chapter returns to London to follow Amelia Sedley, who is deeply in love with George Osborne. It contrasts her genuine, affectionate nature with the condescending attitudes of George's sisters, Miss Osborne and Miss Maria Osborne, and their governess Miss Wirt, who dismiss Amelia as insipid. Amelia's devotion to George is portrayed as both tender and naive, while George's absences and the hints of his neglect suggest an imbalance in their relationship. Captain Dobbin's quiet, awkward visits to Amelia reveal his unspoken feelings and loyalty.
Themes in this chapter
Vanity and Hypocrisy
The Osborne sisters' condescending kindness to Amelia, while privately dismissing her as insignificant, exemplifies social hypocrisy and vanity.
Appearance vs. Reality
George is believed by his sisters to be constantly with Amelia, but the narrator reveals he is often absent, highlighting the gap between public perception and private truth.
Gender and Power
Amelia's entire emotional life revolves around waiting for George, reflecting the limited agency and dependence of women in romantic relationships during the period.
Characters to notice
- Amelia Sedley
Portrayed as deeply in love with George Osborne, writing long, emotional letters and waiting anxiously for him; she is dismissed by George's sisters as insipid but is shown to be tender and trusting.
- George Osborne
Absent for much of the chapter; his sisters claim he is always at Amelia's, but the narrator hints he is not always with her, suggesting neglect.
- William Dobbin
Visits Amelia under the pretense of seeing George, but shows awkwardness and blushes when teased; his concern for Amelia's sadness hints at his deeper feelings.
- Miss Osborne
One of George's sisters; she and Maria patronize Amelia and wonder what George sees in her, reflecting their snobbery.
- Maria Osborne
George's other sister; she joins Jane in dismissing Amelia and shows jealousy when Mr. Bullock dances with Amelia.
- Miss Wirt
The governess to the Osborne sisters, described as a 'rawboned Vestal' who joins in the condescending treatment of Amelia.
- Joseph Sedley
Mentioned as being away at Cheltenham, besieged by an Irish widow, leaving Amelia alone.
- John Sedley
Noted as graver of late, absorbed in City affairs, and not noticing Amelia's romantic preoccupation.
Key passages
“We don't care a fig for her... She is fade and insipid”
A critic dismisses Amelia as dull and uninteresting.
Reflects the harsh judgment of Amelia by other women in society, which the narrator ironically suggests is a compliment.
“What could George find in that creature?”
George's sisters and their governess repeatedly wonder why George is attracted to Amelia.
Highlights the sisters' snobbery and their inability to see Amelia's genuine qualities.
“She wasn't a heroine. Her letters were full of repetition. She wrote rather doubtful grammar sometimes, and in her verses took all sorts of liberties with the metre.”
Amelia's letters are imperfect and unpolished, but full of heartfelt emotion.
The narrator defends Amelia's sincerity over literary perfection, emphasizing the value of genuine feeling.
“I will only act Moonshine, and peep harmless into the bed where faith and beauty and innocence lie dreaming.”
The narrator compares himself to the character Moonshine from A Midsummer Night's Dream, innocently observing Amelia's pure and trusting nature.
A literary allusion that underscores Amelia's innocence and the narrator's protective, voyeuristic role.
