Symbols

Northanger Abbey is a symbol for gothic novels. It is described to be similar to those found in many gothic novels that were popular at the time this novel was written. As Catherine rides with Henry into Northanger Abbey, it is like a transition from her world into the world of the many gothic novels that she has read; or so she thinks it is. Once she sees the Abbey and finds it disappointingly ordinary, she begins to picture it as if it were a scene from the gothic novels. Everything around her seems to be just like that of the gothic novels and she finds everything suspicious and mysterious looking in order to make it more full of excitement and adventure.  She begins to take it too far when she starts to suspect Henry’s father, General Tilney, of murder and her wild imagination begins to scare herself. In this gothic novel that she has created in her mind, Catherine views herself as the heroine who is put into all of these frightening situations. It is all fun and games until the fear that she instils on herself becomes real and she is afraid of her own imagination. It is not until she leaves Northanger Abbey that she can begin to get back to her normal life.

What We Can Learn

From this novel we can learn that what we read or watch can impact our lives and the way that we think. Catherine filled her imagination with scenes and stories from gothic novels so much that she began to believe that they were true. Everything around her in Northanger Abbey suddenly became a part of her own gothic novel as if she were the heroine who had to solve everything. Ordinary objects, passageways and storms became suspicious and mysterious and she could no longer see them as anything but the newest mystery to be solved. This is applicable to our own lives because when we read books or watch movies, we can sometimes get swept under the impression that it is the way that it is in real life. It can be dangerous when these two worlds of fiction and non-fiction collide and it can become difficult to sort out what is true from what is not. This is why we need to keep these two worlds separate. It  a great thing to expand your imagination and engage in books and media, but we just need to make sure that we are filling our minds with the right kinds of things.  

The Conflict

Catherine takes much pleasure in reading gothic novels and absolutely adores her surroundings in Northanger Abbey. It makes her feel like she is in one of the many novels that she has read. Her imagination takes her on many journeys as she explores the mysterious looking artefacts and passageways while visiting Northanger Abbey. At first she enjoys the mystery and the feeling of being in a gothic novel, but eventually she begins to scare herself and the feeling that everything is suspicious begins to overwhelm her. When she learns that Henry’s mother passed away, she suspects that his father, General Tilney, might have murdered her and so she begins to poke around looking for clues. As soon as Henry finds out about her suspicions, he gets very angry with her. Now not only has she hurt herself, but also the man that loves her and whom she also loves so dearly. The novels that she reads seem so real to her that she believes that is what real life should be like too. She becomes confused by her own emotions and nearly loses the man she loves because of this problem.     

Catherine's Growth as a Character

Catherine begins the novel as a naive teenager whose life has been relatively sheltered. When she accepts the invitation from the Allens to go with them to Bath, a resort for wealthier British society, her life begins to change. She begins to experience a whole new lifestyle and quickly befriends Isabella Thorpe, who is superficial and loves to gossip. Isabella eagerly engages Catherine into the social life of Bath, and she ends up falling for Catherine’s brother, James. Catherine is completely ignorant to the fact that James and Isabella are in love and also to the fact that she is leading John, Isabella’s brother, to believe that she is in love with him. She also embarrasses herself in front of Henry Tilney, the man that she loves, when he finds out that she thinks his father might have murdered his mother. Catherine is very good at reading books and becoming engaged in the stories, but unfortunately she is not very good at reading people. This causes problems for Catherine throughout the novel, but eventually she learns from the mistakes that she made with Isabella and General Tilney. She matures and grows as a person and in the end marries Henry Tilney.

Themes

Gothic Novels: Northanger Abbey is often referred to as a “Gothic Parody” because of the way that it mocks items that were so typical in the gothic novels which were popular at the time that Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey. Titles of many gothic novels are mentioned throughout the novel because they are what Catherine enjoys reading. The Abbey resembles places which are often found in gothic novels and this is what makes Catherine suspicious about so many things that she sees and experiences in the Abbey; things that would have contained mysterious items or caused problems in the typical gothic novels. 

Reading: This novel demonstrates how much reading can affect your imagination. Catherine begins to convince herself of things that would have been true in the novels she has read. She imagines herself as one of the characters in a gothic novel as she walks through Northanger Abbey and thinks that mysterious and suspicious things might be found or discovered while she is there. 

Wealth: Northanger Abbey displays the importance of wealth in the Georgian Era. Isabella chooses to break of her engagement to James Morland, Catherine’s brother, because she thinks that Frederick, someone of greater wealth, is interested in her. Mrs. Allen is obsessed with clothing and shopping and feels better about herself when she notices Mrs. Thorpe’s worn out clothes. General Tilney wants all of his children to marry rich and sends Catherine away when he is untruthfully told that her family is almost poor. During the tour that General Tilney gives Catherine of Northanger Abbey, he is constantly asking Catherine how his home and landscape compares to Mr. Allen’s.  

The Setting

The setting of Northanger Abbey is unique because it resembles the settings of the gothic novels that Catherine so loves to read. The Abbey turns out to be more modern than Catherine expects because General Tilney has fixed it all up and left only a few of the old structures. It still takes on a gothic form and it is the gothic feel and look of the abbey that triggers Catherine’s imagination and makes her believe things about the Abbey that are not actually true. For example, Catherine convinces herself that there is something mysterious about the old cabinets that she finds while exploring in Northanger Abbey. However, when she opens them, she discovers that they contain nothing mysterious or suspicious at all; only some old laundry bills. The setting is intriguing because it is like that of a gothic novel, but yet it is not. The hidden passageways lead to nothing suspicious and the fierce storms do not cause mysterious things to happen. It is all in her imagination. Catherine expects these passageways and storms to have the same outcome as in the many gothic novels that she has read because her surroundings remind her of them. The ballroom dances which Catherine attends with Isabella and the Allens also allow us to experience the magnificence of the wealthier British society, which are again very common in gothic novels.