Northanger Abbey Flashcards
When was Northanger published?
1817- early 17th century
How did Austen die?
In 1816 she contracted Addison’s disease of the kidneys.
Why were her novels popular?
For the satirical portrayal of upper class England
What was Austen’s main tool for her books?
Ironic wit
What is Northanger Abbey often referred to?
An ironic parody of both gothic novels and unsophisticated romances that were popular in this period.
The mysteries of udolpho
The monk
Plot overview:
- Catherine Morland is introduced
- The Allens offer to take Catherine with them to Bath- a resort for the wealthier members of British society. She accepts
- She is introduced to Henry Tilney and quickly falls for him
- They run into Mrs Thorpe and Catherine and Isabella are soon best friends.
- Isabella, superficial and fond of gossip indicts Catherine into the social world of Bath with all its balls, shows , fashion and gossip.
- When Catherine and Isabella have soon settled into a close relationship they are met with the arrival of James Morland and John
- John tries to woo Catherine, but his bragging and arrogant nature puts her off.
- Soon all of Isabella’s time is taken up with James and Catherine has to spend time with John. Catherine decides to become friends with Eleanor they make plans for a walk with Henry.
- Catherine is pressurised into riding with John and Isabella, on the way she spots Eleanor and Henry , but John refuses to stop, angering Catherine. She apologises
- Catherine and Tilneys finally go on a walk and Isabella and James get engaged and John leaves with the impression that Catherine is in love with him.
- Fredrick turns up and Isabella flirts with him. Eleanor invites Catherine to visit the Tilneys home in Northanger Abbey. Catherine accepts, before leaving Isabella tells her that John is planning to propose to Catherine ,she tells Isabella that he is mistaken.
- Catherine leaves for NA, and tells Henry how she imagines the Abbey to resemble the haunted ruins of the gothic novels she loves. It’s however not.
- Catherine becomes intrigued by the death of Eleanor and Henry’s mother her mind full of gothic ploys Catherine suspects that General Tilney murdered his wife. Catherine sneaks into her room and gets caught by Henry who scolds her. Catherine is ashamed.
- Isabella and James engagement is called off.
- General drops hints of Catherine and James getting married
- Catherine receives a letter from Isabella saying that Fredrick has left her and tells her to apologise to James. Catherine is angry and wishes she had never met Isabella.
- The general leaves for a business trip and returns and unexpectedly tells Eleanor to send Catherine away back to Fullerton.
- Catherine mopes around and is sad until Henry proposes
- Henry explains that his fathers behaviour was due to John Thorpe. In Bath, when John thought Catherine loves him, he had told general Tilney that Catherine was from a very wealthy family. When the General ran into John much later after Isabella told him Catherine’s true feelings John angrily told the general that the moorlands were almost poor. The General was frustrated and sent Catherine away.
- Eleanor married a very wealthy and important man which puts the general in a good mood , and once he is told of the true nature of the morlands financial situation, which is moderate he gives his consent and they marry.
Character analysis of Catherine Morland
Both Austen and Catherine portray Catherine’s life in heroic terms- Austen humorously and Catherine seriously, especially when she suspects General of murdering his wife.
Austen uses irony to portray Catherine, and as a result Catherine is realistically portrayed as deficient in experience and perception unlike the heroines of gothic and romance novels. She fails to recognise the developing relationship between James and Isabella. And fails to know Isabella’s true nature. She also leads John into thinking she’s in love.
Catherine is inexperienced at reading people and this is what causes many of the problems she encounters , and by the end of the novel she becomes a much better judge of character.
Character analysis of Henry Tilney
Most perceptive figure in the novel, he has read hundreds of books
Compared to John who is arrogant and rude , Henry is gentle and caring.
Character analysis of General Tilney
Comes closest of any character to being an antagonist in NA
All General Tilney thinks about is wealth and finery
Gets in the way of his children’s happiness
Like John Thorpe he is given to boasting and preoccupied with himself when he is not meddling in his children’s lives.
Character analysis of Isabella Thorpe
Although she can’t be called a villain she causes many problems over the course of the novel
She is a gold digger
She manages to weasel a marriage proposal out of James but then discovers she isn’t as rich as she assumed
Cannot refuse the attention of a young man
Who wrote Udolpho?
Anne Radcliffe
What are the themes in NA?
Youth, reading , wealth and ostentation
How is youth one of the themes?
Catherine’s naïveté
NA portrays Catherine in situations common to teenagers: she faces peer pressure when John and Isabella urge her to join them on a carriage trip.
Austen contrasts the youthful Catherine with the older more experiences Henry.
Many readers can sympathise with Catherine once she returns home and immediately becomes sulky and obstinate with her parents.
How is reading a theme/motif?
There are two kinds of reading in NA- reading books and letters and reading people.
Catherine is young and naive and has a hard time distinguishing between the two types of reading. Before she can really enter the world of adulthood she needs to improve her ability to read people as well as novels. She is unaware of many things in the novel.
How is wealth and ostentation a theme in NA?
In Austen’s novels characters are often partly defined by their wealth and status.
She makes wealth itself the goal and passion of characters like Isabella and General.
