Northanger Abbey

About the book

Catherine Morland leaves her familiar home for Bath, where friendships, dances, and the prospect of romance supply an education more confusing than she expected. Her enthusiasm for Gothic novels encourages her to search for dramatic explanations, especially when an invitation takes her to Northanger Abbey. Austen enjoys the pleasures of sensational fiction even while teasing the habits of mind it can encourage. The reader must notice less theatrical puzzles too: unreliable compliments, concealed financial calculations, and the difference between lively conversation and genuine consideration. Catherine's inexperience makes her vulnerable, but her openness also gives the comedy its warmth. The novel asks how stories shape expectations, and what kinds of evidence are needed before deciding that another person is either a hero or a villain.

• Reading and imagination
• Social education
• Appearance and motive

Why read it

For affectionate literary satire whose everyday deceptions can be stranger than a Gothic mystery.

English text