The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Catherine joins the Allen family and heads to Bath. There is some worry about “dangers” which have been depicted in novels. She joins into the routines of Bath society - attending the rooms, balls, concerts, and theater. She meets Mr. Tilney and seems very much interested in him.

Mrs. Allen meets an old school friend, Mrs. Thorpe, which introduces Catherine to the Thorpe sisters. Isabella becomes an instant friend to Catherine. It turns out that Catherine’s brother, James, is friends with John Thorpe. John seems to be much interested in Catherine, yet Catherine finds him boring.

How is Catherine different from the societal female norm?

How does Catherine’s education affect her?

What makes a hero?

What does Austen think about writers and readers?

How are we influenced by books?

Catherine seems like an ordinary teenager from a sheltered upbringing. She has been brought up to have good manners but has had little opportunity to practice them.

The story is a typical one of the innocent damsel’s introduction to the world—but brought down to earth. As Austen’s repeated sly asides indicate, the fiction of the era tended to depict extreme, even fantastical, situations in which the heroine faces peril and her character is tested. The humor lies in her repeatedly putting Catherine in settings where she has everyday versions of those perils and tests. A typical example is in chapter 8, at her second dance, when John Thorpe fails to turn up for the promised set: “To be disgraced in the eye of the world, to wear the appearance of infamy while her heart is all purity, her actions all innocence, and the misconduct of another the true source of her debasement, is one of those circumstances which peculiarly belong to the heroine’s life, and her fortitude under it what particularly dignifies her character.” In Catherine’s case, of course, the situation doesn’t involve losing her character by being abducted or some other disaster, but simply sitting down while other girls are dancing.

I feel like what raises this section above mere parody or satire is a perception on Austen’s part that the melodramatic scenarios in most novels of her era are popular with female readers precisely because they are exaggerated versions of the everyday dramas of women’s real lives. Although the situations of novelistic heroines are wildly exaggerated, they contain a kernel of truth about female powerlessness and the frustrations of living under inequality that allow readers to connect with them. In the scene quoted above, Catherine’s life is not in danger but she is suffering neglect and dismissal that is legitimately painful, and under the rules of that era’s society, there’s nothing she can do about it.

Although Austen legitimately mocks the excesses of gothic fiction, she seems to be mocking a habit of taking those stories literally, not the emotional truths that lie behind them.

How are we influenced by books?
Reading fiction is one of the ways we learn about society—how to interact with others, what to expect from others. It’s one of a variety of ways in which we learn about the world around us. In Jane Austen’s day, one learned these things from teaching within the family, teaching at church, and reading. Some young people got to go to school, where they picked up important social skills, and some lived in more urban settings where they mingled with a wider set of people. Catherine didn’t have the benefit of a wide range of acquaintance, so she has “only” the principles she was raised with to guide her. This makes her both more vulnerable to the worldliness of Isabella and John Thorpe and better able to judge their behavior rightly than someone brought up without strong guidance on manners and principles.

On this reading I am struck by the extremes of John Thorpe’s speech. He is full of cant expressions—most of his slang not suitable for a female’s ears—and swearing. Some people think Jane Austen’s language has a sameness to it, but his (along with Lucy Steele’s in Sense and Sensibility) really stands out, and it shows the range of Austen’s capabilities. Henry Tilney’s conversation, the little we have seen so far, is much more “normal” for Austenese language.

Also notable is the contrast in the two men’s subjects. Thorpe seems only capable of speaking about topics of interest to men, in a style acceptable to men; Tilney tailors his conversation to his company, picking subjects he thinks his interlocutors would like, even when speaking with the vapid Mrs. Allen. Nevertheless, Tilney manages to be clever and charming. (I should warn y’all, when it comes to Austen heroes I am Team Tilney all the way.)

Abigail wrote: "On this reading I am struck by the extremes of John Thorpe’s speech. He is full of cant expressions—most of his slang not suitable for a female’s ears—and swearing. Some people think Jane Austen’s ..."

I’m team Tilney too. Thorpe seems very self impressed and self centered. Great point about the topics the men choose.

Abigail wrote: "Catherine seems like an ordinary teenager from a sheltered upbringing. She has been brought up to have good manners but has had little opportunity to practice them.

The story is a typical one of ..."

Brilliant perception, Abigail, about how the perils of melodrama parallel real issues in women's lives!

Innocent Catherine is much like the innocent heroine of Sanditon, in the TV version anyway, who comes right from a rural home to a more diverse and complex society and has multiple issues fitting in.

Thanks! Yes for the TV version of Sanditon, though on the page the heroine is wise beyond her years, more or less a stand-in for the omniscient narrator. I thought it was wise of the adapter to change that! But my sense of Sanditon the book is that Austen wasn’t writing for publication at that point; she knew she was too ill to write a serious novel and so she returned to her roots of writing satire for the amusement of her family. It’s fun to read after Northanger Abbey because instead of a gullible female adopting the manners of sentimental fiction, she has a gullible male do so!

Abigail wrote: "On this reading I am struck by the extremes of John Thorpe’s speech. He is full of cant expressions—most of his slang not suitable for a female’s ears—and swearing. Some people think Jane Austen’s ..."

About men's subjects - I have read this a few times so I'm not rereading it right now, and I don't remember if it's in this section. But there is a part where the men talk animatedly about their horses, and it struck me that it is exactly the way some men talk about their cars today!

Robin P wrote: "Abigail wrote: "On this reading I am struck by the extremes of John Thorpe’s speech. He is full of cant expressions—most of his slang not suitable for a female’s ears—and swearing. Some people thin..."

Yes it is in this section. Thorpe talks about his carriage and horses constantly

Lots of laughs in the first nine chapters, with the sheltered and unworldly Catherine Morland being ‘thrown to the lions’ of society in Bath. Her predicament was reminiscent of Evelina but not quite as farcical.
Both Mrs. Allen and John Thorpe are sublimely ridiculed in their conceited preoccupations with either costume or horses/gigs and Isabella was a brilliant parody of the ‘say one thing but mean another’ society prima donna of that time.

All the action seemed to circle around four elements :-

muslin 
,
The deliberate comparison of Mr. Tilney’s conversation about muslin with John Thorpe’s horse and gig talk was a rather obvious technique by the author. However, there have been many men who have cleverly disguised their intentions by pandering to the interests of women. The background of Mr. Tilney does not suggest anything like that but Catherine’s full on belief of everyone telling the truth all the time and her falling for the first man who shows an interest may prove to be a concern. At least she realises that John Thorpe is no longer a man she likes mainly because he confuses her with his lies and is only interested in himself.

pump room 
,
The pump room seems to be the daytime centre of intrigue and gossip (except on Sundays) especially for the women of the town.

crescent 
,
If he/she is not at the pump room then it must be the Royal Crescent. A stroll along the paths and promenades will get you noticed and help you fill your card at the next ball.


and Udolpho 

This is Catherine’s escape route away from reality. From the ridiculous antics of John Thorpe to the even more strange and subversive antics of Montoni and Morano. Her discussion with John Thorpe about the book was delightfully funny.

(More examples of original illustrations from editions of Northanger Abbey can be found here…….

http://www.mollands.net/etexts/northa... )

This is my first time with Northanger Abbey, though I've read most of Austen's other novels. I'm listening to the audiobook (read by Wanda McCaddon) and it's impossible to miss how out of place John Thorpe's language is. Her reading of his lines really makes the subtle narrative asides pop. And the descriptions of Mrs. Allen have actually made me laugh out loud. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story develops.

Joe wrote: "This is my first time with Northanger Abbey, though I've read most of Austen's other novels. I'm listening to the audiobook (read by Wanda McCaddon) and it's impossible to miss how out of place Joh..."

Austen had a great sense of humor and clearly saw the funny side of society