Ten of the most memorable governesses in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the most memorable governesses in literature.

One entry on the list:

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

It seems to be Becky Sharp's fate to be a governess: she is clever, educated and impecunious, so she takes a job in the household of Sir Pitt Crawley. But she has ideas well above this modest station and has soon used her intimacy with the family to ensnare her employer's son Rawdon – her first step up the social ladder.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Vanity Fair also appears on Stella Tillyard's list of favorite historical novels, John Mullan's lists of ten of the best fat men in literature and ten of the best pianos in literature, and Thomas Mallon's list.

--Marshal Zeringue