"Northanger Abbey"

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at Catherine's gothic fantasies in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" and focuses on her reading of gothic novels and how they trigger her imagination to invent wild fantasies at Northanger. It examines how she renounces these fantasies as well as the importance of Henry Tilney as the lover-mentor figure in helping her to see how foolish she has been. It discusses whether or not Catherine has been completely foolish in giving into these fantasies and argues that her suspicions, as absurd as they may seem, actually allow her to pick up on the oppressive atmosphere at Northanger and reveal a much more 'real' and modern mystery than any in her gothic novels.

From the Paper:

"Henry almost confirms Catherine's ideas of the abbey with descriptions of "sliding panels and tapestry". He recognises that these are objects which appear frequently in the type of novel Catherine likes to read, and so he knows this will appeal to her curiosity. It is interesting to note that "what one reads about" appears in speech marks. It is almost as if Henry is gently mocking Catherine. He knows that the abbey is not as she has imagined, and it seems that he believes she is na've in thinking this way. This reinforces Catherine's foolishness in believing what she later does, and heightens the educational value of Henry, the lover-mentor figure in the novel."

More papers on "Northanger Abbey":

• Book Review # 71225 : "Cultural Criticism of Northanger Abbey"
• Analytical Essay # 66340 : "Northanger Abbey"
• Analytical Essay # 58766 : "Domestic Interiors in "Northanger Abbey"

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