Northanger Abbey Study Guide

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey is the story of Catherine Morland and her holiday to Bath, England during the Regency Period. Pursued by several men and enraptured by the Gothic novels of the time, Catherine begins to develop a new worldview as the finds the truths underlying her society. The narrative is a deconstruction of the archetypal Gothic novel, exchanging supernatural horror for the trials and hypocrisies of Regency England and its social mores.

  • The intricacies and tedium of high society, particularly partner selection.
  • The conflicts of marriage for love and marriage for property.
  • Life lived as if in a Gothic novel, filled with danger and intrigue, and the obsession with all things Gothic.
  • The dangers of believing life is the same as fiction.
  • The maturation of the young into skeptical adulthood, the loss of imagination, innocence and good faith.
  • Things are not what they seem at first.
  • Social criticism (comedy of manners).
  • Parody of the Gothic novels' "Gothic and anti-Gothic" attitudes.

In addition, Catherine Morland realizes she is not to rely upon others, such as Isabella, who are negatively influential on her, but to be single-minded and independent. It is only through bad experiences that Catherine really begins to mature and grow up.

You'll need to sign up to view the entire study guide.

Sign Up Now, It's FREE
Source: Wikipedia, released under the Creative Commons Attributions/Share-Alike License
Filter Your Search Results: