Northanger Abbey : The Jane Austen Collection

by Jane Austen, Beth Eyre (Narrator)

Brimming with eerie mansions, things that go bump in the night, and a playful sense of farce, Northanger Abbey is Jane Austen’s brilliant Gothic satire.

At seventeen, daydreaming about thrilling adventures is almost a rite of passage. Such is the case for the imaginative and open-hearted Catherine Morland, who craves the kind of excitement she finds in her beloved Gothic novels.

When Catherine is invited to Bath, she is swept up in a glittering world of new friendships, flirtations, and social intrigue. Captivated by the charming Henry Tilney, she’s overjoyed when he invites her to his family’s grand estate, the formidable Northanger Abbey. Yet as Catherine explores its shadowy corridors on stormy nights, her love of Gothic drama causes her imagination to run wild—blurring the line between fiction and reality, and prompting her to suspect mystery where there may be none at all.

A witty send-up of Gothic conventions and youthful fancy, Northanger Abbey sparkles as a coming-of-age tale about the power of imagination, the journey to self-understanding, and the sometimes perilous allure of stories.

Jane Austen (1775–1817) is one of the most beloved authors in English literature. Renowned for her sharp wit, social insight, and unforgettable heroines, she has captivated readers for over two centuries. Her best‑loved works - such as 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility' -  continue to inspire countless adaptations for screen, stage, and radio.

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Published September 15, 2026

About the author

Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her deft use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.