Northanger Abbey: Review

Northanger Abbey is now my second all-time favorite Jane Austen book. Pride of place goes to Persuasion. Pride and Prejudice is a fine novel, but it doesn't send me into the raptures it does so many other people; and I positively dislike Emma. Abbey has all the classic Austen elements: the lovely drawing room comedy of manners, the skewering of social class, the exposure of human frailties (particularly greed and pride in social position) and adds a delightful satire of the Gothic novels which were so popular at the time.

Catherine Morland, an unlikely heroine--as noted in the very first line, finds herself on a trip to Bath. Miss Morland has had no experience of the ways of society and soon finds herself attached to Isabella Thorpe. She is quite certain that her new friend will teach her what she needs to know and has great faith in Isabella's honesty and openness. Following Isabella's lead, she frequents the pump room and the evening dances and soon meets Mr. Henry Tilney. While she becomes more and more attached to Mr. Tilney, she is unaware that Isabella's brother John has intentions of his own. And she has no idea how John Thorpe's intentions will affect her dealings with the Tilney family later.

Eventually, Catherine is invited to stay at Northanger Abbey, home of the Tilneys, and a great friendship evolves between her and Eleanor Tilney. Catherine's Gothic taste in reading catches up with her, however, and soon she is imagining mysteries and danger in every corner. It takes a great many misunderstandings before Catherine's adventures at the Abbey are sorted out to a happy ending--which Jane Austen knows her readers are expecting: "my readers, who will see in the tell-tale compression of the pages before them, that we are all hastening together to perfect felicity." However, we do not reach that "perfect felicity" until we have witnessed the romantic chase with all of its ritual and prime motivations: ambition, greed, power, pleasure, self-interest....and, yes, even love.

This was a delight to read. As always, it is a perfect commentary on the social mores and expectations of the time. And Austen is even more pointed about it than usual--using authorial asides to make certain things clear. In some novels this might be distracting, but I did not think so here. I also enjoyed the send-up of the Gothic novel. She parodies the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing before it even came into existence. I love how inexperienced Catherine believes she can see through to the true motives behind everyone she meets....and is constantly wrong. Four stars out of five.