Northanger Abbey Research Paper

Northanger Abbey, one of Jane Austen’s many famous romance novels, is set in early nineteenth century England. It tells the story of Catherine Morland and the coming of age of the seventeen-year-old girl with an obsession for Gothic Novels. Using satire, and ironically imitating Gothic novels, Jane Austen captures a light-hearted and humorous tone, while simultaneously captivating the reader in the elements of a classic novel: love, mystery, and drama.

Jane Austen was born to a clergyman and his wife, in December 1775, as the seventh child out of eight. Mr. Austen, besides working as a reverend, took up many other jobs in order to substantially support his large family. Although not extensively wealthy, however by no means poor, the close-knit

Unexperienced, uninformed, and of the age to marry, she goes to visit the touristy town of Bath with her rich aunt and uncle, where she forms a friendship with the flirty Isabella Thorpe, who gets engaged to James Morland, Catherine’s brother, Isabella’s obnoxious brother, John Thorpe, who brags immensely, and despite treating her with little respect, is sure that he and Catherine will eventually marry, and the Tinsley Siblings: the sweet Elanor and witty Henry, the latter on which she develops a crush. Catherine’s stay at Bath expires when the Tinsley’s and their seemingly kind father, General Tinsley, invite her to return to their home at Northanger Abbey with them. Extremely imaginative, and influenced by her beloved Gothic novels, Catherine fantasizes about Northanger, filled with murders, and scandals, waiting for her to uncover them. Upon arriving, Northanger disappoints Catherine in that it lacks the eerie ambiance that characterizes the setting of a gothic novel. Falsely assuming that the General has his supposedly dead wife locked up, Catherine uses her imagination to create a horrific story that Henry quickly rebukes and tells her the sad truth of his mother’s completely natural death. Ashamed, Catherine abandons her wild notions and enjoys Northanger in a more realistic perspective.

For example, on one occasion, Catherine makes conversation with Elanor, by solemnly uttering “I have heard that something shocking indeed will soon come of London” (Austen). Horrified, Elanor mentions her concern for a friend she has in London in which a riot would affect. Henry, after teasing the girls, explains to them that Catherine meant to bring up the occurrences of a recently released publication, while Elanor took the news quite literally. In fact, in its entirety, the Northanger Abbey spoofs the format of a gothic novel, a literary genre popular in the late eighteenth century. Laced with irony and amusement, the narrator comically touches on how most gothic heroines would never read the novels that they star in, contrasting it to Northanger’s heroine who pours over the romantic and thrilling readings, craving fear and adventure. Notably, “Austen did not ridicule the Gothic novel itself so much as its disturbing effect on its readers” (Frantz), instead, she demonstrated satire literary devices in the most exquisite way: expressing a viewpoint while maintaining a light-hearted and often hilarious