Pendennis, semiautobiographical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, published in monthly installments from 1848 to 1850 and published in book form in two volumes in 1849–50.
The novel traces the youthful career of Arthur Pendennis: his first love affair, his experiences at “Oxbridge University,” his employment as a London journalist, and so on. The character also appears in two of Thackeray’s subsequent novels, The Newcomes (1853–55) and The Adventures of Philip (1861–62).