Who is the Villain in Northanger Abbey?

In the novel Northanger Abbey, it is clear that the protagonist, or heroine, is Catherine Morland. However, in this Gothic parody we are left without a villain, or at least without an obvious villain. How can we have a story of a heroine without a villain to corrupt her objective? The answer to this question is not too clear if the book is read solely as a domestic fictional novel and without considering the satirical Gothic elements that are, or are supposed to be, influencing the narration and direction of the book.

Catherine is a young woman who is so deeply consumed by her Gothic novels that she is oblivious to the social dynamics around her. She, as the narrator states, "was often inattentive, and occasionally stupid" (Austin, page 9). She goes to Bath in search of courtship, and is soon manipulated by many, if not all, the characters in Bath. Catherine is an oblivious girl who cannot pick up on the subtle social ques that people hint at her to indicate their interest in her, her brother, or whatever their objective may be. Because Catherine is essentially an innocent blank slate, people in Bath feel the need to manipulate her to satisfy their own agenda, making every character an opposing force to our protagonist. Some of these antagonists, or manipulators, are less obvious than others. It is clear that John Thorpe is one who uses Catherine to advance his own desires while disregarding hers. For example, John intends to marry Catherine, and despite her previous arrangements to meet with the Tilney siblings one evening, he lies to Catherine by telling her the Tilneys had already left, enticing Catherine to join him on a carriage ride. A less obvious character that subtly manipulates Catherine is Henry. Like John, Henry intends to propose to Catherine. He is attracted to Catherine by her curiosity and naivete. For example, when Henry and Eleanor discuss art on their walk with Catherine, Catherine becomes embarrassed that she is ignorant to the concepts that they are discussing. Instead of looking down upon her, Henry seems to get-off to informing Catherine about art, using her ignorance to feel good about himself.

I do not believe that there is a villain in the actual case of events that take place throughout the story, however there are a number of antagonists that try to manipulate and corrupt Catherine for their own molding.

One reason this novel is satirical is that it is narrated by a narrator who reads this domestic fictional story as a Gothic novel. By doing this, the narrator forces the reader to assume that Catherine, our heroine, is supposed to encounter a villain. Catherine complements the narrator's technique of expecting Gothic circumstances by reading Gothic literature throughout the novel. The books she reads make her believe that she is on her own Gothic adventure, and forces her to assume there must be a villain in her adventure. Because she is so inexperienced at reading people, she assumes that the closest thing to a villain in her circumstance is General Tilney. As she lets her imagination get the best of her, she suspects that the General has murdered his wife and sets out to prove he is the villain.

In conclusion, there are several characters in the novel whose objectives oppose those of our protagonist, but they do not meet the qualifications of a villain. Furthermore, although there is no authentic villain in the Gothic sense of the word, Catherine's delusions force another character to take the role of a villain.