Northanger Abbey [Paperback]

Jane Austen’s first novel,Northanger Abbey—published posthumously in 1818—tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen’s fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satiricalNorthanger Abbeypokes fun at the gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.

This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the first edition of 1818.“Jane Austen is the Rosetta stone of literature.” —Anna QuindlenRobert Kielyis Loker Professor of English and American Literature at Harvard. His most recent books areReverse Tradi-tion: Postmodern Fictions and the Nineteenth Century NovelandStill Learning: Spiritual Sketches from a Professor’s Life.

1. Robert Kilely, in his Introduction, says that althoughNorthanger Abbeysatirizes gothic novels, what?s more significant about it is the manner in which Jane Austen bases her narrative on conversation. How is conversation used in the novel as a narrative device? How does conversation both aid and hinder the characters?

2. Jane Austen deftly shifts voices so as to allow us to see the world through Catherine?s eyes and her own eyes (often through Henry Tilney). What effects does this have on the reader?

3. What gothic elements are incorporated into the novel? What are the anti-gothic elements and figures of the novel? How does Austen juxtapose Bath and the Abbey?

4. It can be argued that Henry Tilney is a foil to John Thorpe. What other characters serve as foils to each other? Does Catherine have a foil?

5. Consider the use of sarcasm in the novel. How does Henry Tilney?s sarcasm force Catherl“p