Coming on the heels of The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844), in which a financially strapped and roguish outsider tries vainly to find a place in English society, Vanity Fair paints on a much broader canvass and finds the ultimate social climber in the talented, lovely and ever-conniving Becky Sharp.

FORBES: Picture This

Jason teaches English and writes, and Bridget teaches art and paints.

FORBES: Authentic Connections and Growing Your Creative Confidence

The 12-page article in current affairs magazine Stern, which sells around one million copies a week, paints a damning portrait of modern Britain under the title of The English Patient.

BBC: Row over 'crisis-hit' Britain article