Northanger Abbey

A Jane Austen Original

Read for the first time August 2025.

Enjoyment rating: 3 out of 5

The beginning is quite slow. I understand that Jane was setting the scene, explaining the main character and her life. But it was quiet dry until Catherine finally arrived in Bath and made the acquaintance of the Thorpe family. The introduction of Isabella as a close friend to Catherine gets the story going.

I was initially unsure about my feelings towards Catherine Morland. As I said above, the first few chapters were slow. There was a lot of groundwork, describing the Morland family, their situation in life, what Catherine was like and how she differs from heroines from other novels of the time.

By Chapter 10, I decided I liked Catherine Morland. Despite her rather sheltered upbringing, she is capable of making up her own mind. Growing up sheltered and without experiencing a wide variety of people, places, and situations can sometimes make it difficult to distinguish one's own thoughts and beliefs from the the predominating thoughts of those around them. Her assessment of Mr. John Thorpe solidified my liking her because she doesn't much care for him and neither do I. I quickly began to have a bad feelings about him by the way he spoke and worried he and/or his sister would cause some form of mischief.

SPOILERS BELOW

Well, I was right. Both Isabella and John Thorpe got up to some mischief to the detriment of Catherine and her brother. Their treatment and manipulation of young Catherine was disappointing to see in people that were supposed to be good friends.

But, I was particularly shocked by the General's behavior in the manner in which he kicked Catherine out of Northanger Abbey. The rushed explanation at the very end of the book makes it make some sense but for the time I'm sure it was still quite shocking to depart so much from the proper form of leave-taking.