By Lisa R. Cheng
What was Catherine Morland thinking while she was staying at
the Northanger Abbey? In the stormy night, in her room, her curiosity about an
old chest in the corner sent her into a frenzy of mystery discovery. She
believed this house was not a happy one. The death of the mistress, the serious
and ill-tempered general, the quiet although good-natured daughter of the
general had made Catherine, a daughter of a clergyman who’d been welcomed as a
young guest spend her days at the Abbey in both wonder and perplexity.
For Catherine Morland, seventeen-year-old country girl who
was first away from home, every new encounter in Bath was full of fancy. Her
beauty and candid nature attracted attention and friendship from every possible
connection. At a ball Catherine was charmed by a very amiable young man Henry
Tilney, the son of General Tilney who owned Northanger Abbey. Their mutual
impression had been built on conversations over novel reading and judgement of
human intention. Catherine was also endeared by a new friend Isabella, who became
engaged with her brother James Morland. Isabella’s flirtation with Henry
Tilney’s brother bewildered Catherine and eventually killed their friendship.
When Catherine was invited by General Tilney to stay at Northanger
Abbey she was thrilled. Her fascination about gothic novels and mysteries
stirred her enthusiasm in finding secrets she had believed. When her
self-imposed belief in the dark secret of Northanger Abbey proved to be false
and disappointing, she felt ashamed and wretched.
The very sudden dismissal of her stay at Northanger Abbey by
general Tilney was most unpleasant. Catherine was sent home by public
carriages. She was devastated and felt very mad about herself for her poor
performance as a guest. Unaware of the reason of her dismissal, she was left to
believe that her being overly curious about the death of Henry Tilney’s mother
had irritated General Tilney. And she doubted that Henry Tilney would ever meet
her again.
Jane Austen at this point made her young heroine look very
bad indeed! If she had not done that, as a reader I would not have felt so
satisfied when Henry Tilney showed up in the front yard of Morland’s home two
days after, intending to offer his hand to Catherine. His affirmation about
marrying Catherine regardless his father’s disapproval is the victory in every
reader’s heart.
Again, Jane Austen had mocked about the ridicule of social
ranking, the irony of human misjudgement, the evil of confinement of women, and
the power game through marriages. Throughout the pages, her insights about
courtship, human nature and intentions flash brilliance. So much so, the plots,
characters and the romance only serve the purpose of sending her strong
messages.
#janeaustenbooksreview #janeaustenbookclub #janeaustenfans #janeaustennorthangerabbey #northangerabbey