"Girl Goes to Acquaintance's House and Talks Too Much"
Takeaways and highlights from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, a gothic parody
My friend brought her copy of the movie Northanger Abbey (1987 BBC version). We watched it together with my husband. The whole time, they were trying to figure out who the antagonist was, while I was trying to figure out when Catherine and Henry would fall in love. Neither was clear until the end.
Cation: Spoiler alert. This is for people who have already read or watched Northanger Abbey. If you haven't read it yet, read that first, then read this. Or read this first, to see if you'd like that.
Here are the takeaways.
An active imagination can get you into hot water.
Being naive is a forgivable offense. Being disingenuous is not.
An minor insult is contemptable, an accusation is reprehensible.
Friendship, folly, or falling in love. We can only have two of the three.
In true Jane Austen fashion: forget what your family thinks, marry who you want.
It took me a while to finish Northanger Abbey. My friend said Jane Austen is one of those authors you really have to chew on when you read her. And I agree. It’s Jane Austen’s first novel. Northanger Abbey is a really simple tale with lots of juicy conversation. If I had to pick a romantic trope for it, it would be Forced Proximity (maybe?). But since it is a gothic novel, there’s little butterflies in your belly type of romance. There’s more focus on the coming of age story of young Catherine, mixed with mystery and haunted secrets. The lives of Catherine Moreland, Isabella Thorpe and Henry Tinley are a great addition to the Jane Austen world.
It’s a lesson on how a naive girl with an active imagination can cause a lot of damage to her reputation. Her dark suspicions come from reading gothic novels of that era and cloud her better judgement. She entertains ludicrous delusions and it affects her relationships with her friends and those that hosted her at Northanger Abbey. She is a simple country girl who comes from a big family and naively compares the danger in her gothic novels to her present relationships. The cardinal sin here is that she is withdrawn from reality and assumes the worst in others. Northanger Abbey is different from Jane Austen’s other novels. Rather than a mature sensible female protagonist at the forefront, we watch a young, naive country girl make a fool of herself in front of a family of socialites in high society.
We also peek into the lives of young Isabella Thorpe and Catherine Moreland. They’re fickle best friends who are both coming of age and falling in love. They learn about jealousy and the troubles that come with finding a man. Isabelle is manipulative and wants to marry rich. She only cares about association and status. At 17, Catherine is innocent and unsophisticated. But she is just happy to be invited to the party. Although Catherine doesn’t know what she wants in a husband or a suitor, Henry, a charismatic clergyman, more or less crosses her path by accident. Catherine is taken by his charming wit and easy conversation.
Other friendships at Northanger Abbey include socialites Mrs. Thorpe and the Allens. Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thorpe are close friends even though their lives are so different. One has no children, the other has three. Mrs. Allen sees Catherine as her surrogate daughter. Mrs. Thorpe’s daughter Isabella takes after her mother’s tastes and temperaments. One is rich, the other less so. They enjoy talking about chiffon dresses, the latest gossip and their children. They make a fine friendship duo of women whose children are growing up together.
I would 10 out of 10 recommend this book to a friend and read it again if I was in the mood for a pleasant read with a grave twist at the end. Northanger Abbey is an endearing story of a naive girl with an active imagination. She’s kind, she’s simple and she lets her creativity run away with her common sense. The heroine shows us that youth is a treasure, but it can also be a curse. We watch with tongue in cheek as the modest country girl mingles with flashy high society. She enters a new world in the English countryside and faces challenges that require grace, kindness and humility.
What did you think of Northanger Abbey? Let me know in the comments 😊 Or share this with a friend who also loves Jane Austen novels ❤
Thanks for reading,
Anna
PS. I originally wanted to name this book review “What’s the family secret?” or “Can you find love in a haunted mansion?” I was on the fence, so I asked my husband for advice, since he watched the movie too. His came up with a new title that made me laugh a lot more. So that is what we went with.
I’m a Jane Austen fan, but I’ve not read this one. Great book review! You have intrigued me into possibly seeking it out.
I haven’t read NH but watched the movie.
I thought Isabella’s character was very interesting. Saying one thing but acting in a completely different way - the complete opposite of Catherine.
The actors all played their parts beautifully and now I’m curious to read the book!