Does Northanger Abbey have a villain?

 My initial thought on this topic was that John Thorpe was the villain of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.  I thought he was the closest character that prevented Catherine from fulfilling her desire, but then I had to identify a true conflict. If we were to frame the story around Catherine’s goal and desire and it was to marry Henry Tilney, John Thorpe would be the villain since he was the one who sabotaged their engagement. Although this may be one of the conflicts in the story, I there is a much deeper conflict that involves an internal conflict.

            In a sense I see Catherine as a villain to herself and maybe that’s what makes it a gothic parody. Catherine herself is the protagonist and the villain. If we say Catherine’s main goal was to live a gothic adventure, we can argue that she is her own villain since she expects a gothic adventure, but disappoints herself with her crazy imagination. We can even argue that the gothic novels she reads act like the villain since they give her an expectation that won’t really happen in real life. But then, we can argue that it’s her own fault for feeling the way that she does and she sets herself up to failure. Catherine prevents herself from being content since she expects so much from a gothic adventure.

Now that I think more about the topic, I would also argue that “reality” can possibly be the villain of Northanger Abbey. Catherine’s desire is to have a gothic adventure, but reality hits and does not go with Catherine’s imagination. Reality is the villain that prevents Catherine’s from having the gothic adventure that she wants.