Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1847-48, satirizing society in early 19th-century Britain. The books title comes from John Bunyans allegorical story The Pilgrims Progress, first published in 1678 and still widely read at the time of Thackerays novel. Vanity fair refers to a stop along the pilgrims progress: a never-ending fair held in a town called Vanity, which is meant to represent mans sinful attachment to worldly things. The novel is now considered a classic, and has inspired several film adaptations.