Currently Reading: Northanger Abbey

Having read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, I was completely thrown off at the beginning of Northanger Abbey. I didn’t start off liking it, but I blame that squarely on the uncomfortable feeling that often accompanies the unexpected. The book lacks that reverent, almost inaccessible tone of so many classics. The pages are noticeably full of dialogue, resulting in a very animated, fast-paced story. There is also an air of detachment, as the narrator makes comments as if she is thinking through the actual writing of the novel. For example, the narrator mocks a character’s constant jabber by dedicating just one paragraph to her life story, explaining that if told by the character herself, it would surely take up the following three to four chapters. There’s even a short essay in defense of novels tucked into Chapter 5.
 
Catherine Morland, a 17-year-old country girl, travels to Bath to experience, for the first time, a vibrant social scene full of theater, dance, and flirtations. Northanger Abbey is a parody of Gothic fiction, which is echoed in the protagonist, a devout reader of books starring young heroines in precarious situations. Where I am in the book, Catherine has just begun reading The Mysteries of Udolpho and she is obsessed. However, it seems as if she soon begins to have foreboding, irrational thoughts about everything around her, as if she believes herself to be the heroine of a Gothic novel. The book’s influence on her is to only grow stronger, and the results are promised to be troublesome and hilarious.
 
I’m one third of the way in and not only do I have a soft spot for the protagonist, but I’m also already rooting for a couple, Catherine and Henry Tilney; there’s a character I can’t stand, John Thorpe, and a character I’m suspicious of, Isabella Thorpe, the girl who is your best friend until she gets a boyfriend and you never hear from her again. As mentioned, the book moves quickly, so I don’t think I’ll be waiting long to arrive at Henry Tilney’s home, Northanger Abbey.

Comments

  1. I read this for the first time a few months ago, and your suspicions of Isabella are spot on. She’s like every other boy-crazy teenage girl. So long as she has a boyfriend, she’s occupied, but if you have one, and she doesn’t, Watch out! I compared her to Regina George on “Mean Girls” in my blog on the novel. I did enjoy it, but it does slow down once she leaves Bath for Northanger. You can definitely see Austen comparing and contrasting what’s good for a person vs. what seems attractive but bad for you in Catherine’s friendships with Eleanor and Isabella.

  2. Northanger Abbey and Emma are my favourite Jane Austen books…maybe because I like to like what everyone else overlooks, or because I don’t like to have the same favourites as everyone else…but probably mostly because they’re the best 🙂

  3. I started Northanger Abbey once and put it down because of it’s contrast to Austen’s other novels. I want to try reading it again. I’m eager to see your next post on it when you finish 🙂

  4. I took a whole class over Jane Austen my last semester of school and it was awesome. I really enjoyed all of her books (with the exception of Mansfield Park. Fanny Price is made out to be incredibly moral and steadfast, but really she’s just a tight ass. Or at least that’s what I think.)

  5. This has made me really curious! I’ve only read Pride and Prejudice (which I loved) and Mansfield Park (which I didn’t like) of Jane Austen’s novels, but this one is now definitely on my TBR. It sounds like a really fun read!

  6. Hi – I’m new to the comment section here – just wanted to let you know that I’m really enjoying reading your blog and your foray into Austin – I cheated about 3 years ago and watched every single film back-to-back, but I’ve forgotten the story lines and you’re inspiring me to do it properly this time!

  7. I love Northanger Abbey because it is so different from Austen’s other novels. I think Catherine’s age makes everything a little less serious, and it seems more irreverent than “Pride and Prejudice” or even “Sense and Sensibility.” I hope you enjoy it! It really is a fast-paced, fun read.

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