Life and Reading

Life is interesting. When we're all associating with each other and comparing our thoughts and ideas that we have about life and literature, we might all come across many different perspectives that people have. The parody of a Gothic novel, like in Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen is a great example of how those perspectives that people can have on life and literature are portraying a very funny contrast between the upsides and the down sides of reasoning how it is that a person aught to be seen, how we all associate with each other (or should be for that matter), and most importantly, what it is the we all deserve when it comes to respecting character qualities. Jane Austen's novel as said in a foot note on page 30 to be a parody (or "mock Gothic"). She represents her thoughts on literature as incredibly valuable where "the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of it's varieties, the liveliest delineation of it's wit and humor are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language." This high respect for that novel idea is absolutely a very high respect for the values which can't be seen in Gothic literature. This story is all about respect and complements. People are who they are and they are humble or respected otherwise even despite any flaw in character. It is so cheery and bright that the very thought of insisting that there be any Gothic ideas of dreariness or rebels and enemies would only be humorous. Even despite Isabella being as small bit less respect worthy at times and any other negative judgement calls on a character,

Throughout the entire book, I found Catherine to be the exact opposite of a goth and all of the events throughout the story to be the exact opposite of Gothic entirely. Despite all said "ignorance" on Catherine's part, I believed it to be as symbolic of her nature in not understanding that she wasn't getting it that how much there was to be appreciated for. The other characters might very well have been speaking with better manors and much higher sophistication, in the end, I think she was simply amounting to everybody simply by fighting the entire idea of Gothic.

Catherine's ideas are very bright and thoughtful despite her feelings of inferiority and any other qualities she may have possessed which were in any cause of judgement still very gently regarded as nothing to fear. There were no seriously disturbing plot points nor were there any more worry some characteristics of others rather than perchance the misjudgment of others (on Catherine's part). Despite our supposed fears of any of the other characters being judgmental or overbearing, they all still maintained a very seriously important level of respect and high regards for each other in terms of acting in ways which should be respected as proper.

Interestingly enough, it appeared as though Jane Austen had proposed throughout the novel that people are all having conversations about ideas which are formed about each other throughout their lives. When she's speaking of families in this town of Bath and the mindful ventures of a new young woman to the town and her development of character and intellect, in relation to speaking of books, it seems right for her to inform us what she believes in, she's expressing quite a lot. From the most civilized and respectful standpoint, despite everybody else's convictions on life and each other (and all sorts of other ideas that we can note from the novel), I found that Catherine's true point of view expressed by the narrator was about how many people there were to be seen and heard and understood, and to be understood as respect-worthy. She meets a lot of people in Bath and she seems fairly wise in making judgement calls on everybody. There's a lot to say for their merit against any dark or dreary judgement calls.

The Gothic Phase was played a big role in the novel as brightener to the contrary of Gothic. The nature in contrast was even less dreary and ever so brighter because we had something so bright in comparison. It was in no way Gothic and or at all to be seen as ruining, harsh, or devastating. Catherine had every right and reason to be seen as a girl who deserved respect to her intelligence and encouragement. Perhaps there never was a change in her true character all along, but more of a realization that she had not been in the conversation enough in the first place in order to hear properly and see where the conversation was going. Although, she was not truly ignorant, nor should she have ever been ashamed, she has truly implied enough reasonably polite and ingeniousness in character before the conversations even became increasingly intellectual. People were having bright conversations and eliciting positive characteristics like maintaining a decent level of respect for each other (as in treating each other as "ladies," and "gentlemen." They also encourages strongly a lot of powerfully profound inspiring ideas for people to have more wit and sense when it belongs to the category of a novel which is positive with a heavenly ending.

Isabella Thorpe- The Original Mean Girl

1) Does Northanger Abbey have a villain? If so, which character is the villain? Why do you think that?

As I brought up in class, Northanger Abbey is not a story that is set up to have a distinct “hero” and a distinct “villain.” Instead, it focuses more on the life of Catherine and the people involved in helping her transform into the woman she will become. I have really enjoyed reading a romantic novel that has a gothic hint to it, being a mockery nonetheless. I haven’t been too exposed to this genre of literature from this time period, but I feel like I have learned a lot. Throughout this story, we see many characters behave in a way that causes us to second guess their motives and think twice about the way they behave.

Upon reading this topic on who represents the villain, my immediate thought with red flashing lights in my head was, “ISABELLA THORPE!!!”. Isabella embodies many of the qualities of a girl that my mom would not have wanted me to be friends with as a younger girl. Isabella is probably one of the most manipulative people in the story. She is your typical mean girl, always trying to flaunt her superiority to Catherine. At first, Isabella confused me, in that she seemed like a legitimate and caring friend. Quickly, her ulterior motives in becoming Catherine’s friend in order to get to her brother just show her self-seeking ways and selfish tendencies.

Whether that be flaunting the fact that Isabella knows more, her looks, or her attitude, she makes sure to stroke her own ego all the time. Isabella relishes the attention that Catherine (in her naïve and easily impressed ways) gives her, and further continues to put on some sort of show for Catherine. She is distressed when she doesn’t receive the attention she desires for Catherine as the story develops. Isabella is somewhat of a social chameleon, who blends to appease whoever she is around and will say just about anything in order to feel like she is approved of and important.

Isabella is also boy crazy, which isn’t a characteristic that Catherine embodies upon coming to bath. Isabella takes it upon herself to be a sort of “mentor” to Catherine, giving her a more worldly experience. Some may argue that she is tainting Catherine with her worldly views, but it does serve as an important step into Catherine’s development. However, her erratic behavior when it comes to Henry’s older brother, Captain Tilney, is what bothered me the most. She quickly pushed aside her idea of a relationship with Catherine’s brother in order to pursue something “better” for the concept of money. The narrator discusses Catherine’s opinion on Isabella by saying “She wished Isabella had talked more like her usual self, and not so much about money, and had not looked so well pleased at the sight of Captain Tilney.” (119). To me, this quote made Isabella seem extremely shallow and pathetic, in that her only interests in life revolved around men and money.

 Isabella indirectly is truly an evil person and not the kind of company I would want to keep. Her selfish motives for friendship, money, and self-indulgence are what draw me to the conclusion that she is a negative person and character in the story. She is a classic mean girl, and her indirect ways of being such an awful person make her even more sinister.

Isabella as Villain In Northanger Abbey

Just as we discussed in class, I don’t believe that Northanger Abbey has a true villain or hero. There are definitely a few characters who are less likable than others, but none who truly have evil intentions. John Thorpe, who lies to Catherine—making her look bad—to convince her to go on a carriage ride with him, is one of these characters. He talks only about what interests himself and does not care for Catherine’s wants or needs. Another distasteful character is General Tilney, whose true intentions become clear when he forces Catherine to leave Northanger Abbey: he is only interested in befriending people who have profuse wealth like himself.

Of all the characters, however, Isabella Thorpe is in my opinion the most deplorable. Although she is outgoing, beautiful, and appears to have a very likable personality, it is all a show she puts on to fulfill her own selfish desires.

When she first meets Catherine, Isabella is quick to befriend her, more so than her two sisters, even though they are closer in age to Catherine than Isabella is. Isabella’s motive for building a connection with Catherine is simply to get closer to James, whom she pursues. Catherine, being her naïve self, does not realize this ulterior motive, and is only happy to finally have an acquaintance in Bath. Because Isabella is older and therefore more knowledgeable, she “had a very decided advantage in discussing such points” as comparing the balls and fashion of different cities (Austen 26). Catherine greatly admires her new friend, but it soon becomes clear that Isabella feels a sense of superiority over her.

Also, once Isabella and James start spending more time together, Isabella does not put nearly as much time and energy into her friendship with Catherine. While discussing her morning spent with James, Isabella tells Catherine, “I would not have had you by for the world; you are such a sly thing, I am sure you would have made some droll remark or other about it” (Austen 57). When Catherine refutes this accusation, Isabella responds with, “I know you better than you know yourself” (Austen 57). The condescending manner in which she speaks to Catherine is detrimental to their friendship. Isabella is also manipulative; her actions and words to Catherine are calculated to get the result she desires. Catherine becomes aware of this when Isabella is extremely persistent about her coming to Clifton. Catherine ponders that “Isabella appeared to her ungenerous and selfish, regardless of every thing but her own gratification” (79).

Isabella’s craving for wealth is evident when she starts flirting with Captain Tilney even though she is engaged to James. This is when her true deceiving and self-seeking nature is overtly proven. By the end of the novel, Catherine and Isabella are no longer friends, further proving that Isabella is not a positive character, and wasn’t meant to last. She served only as brief and artificial friend to Catherine, as well as a lesson that Catherine most likely learned from. In this respect, Isabella Thorpe was the closest thing to a villain in Northanger Abbey.

Going Against the Gothic

After only recently being introduced to the idea of gothic literature, but having the experience of reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelly in the past, I have a good idea of what does or fails to fall under the category of said movement. And I can say that the mysterious and suspenseful mad scientist feeling from both the characters, as well as the writing in Frankenstein, do cause a good amount of anticipation and excitement while read. Catherine, Jane Austen’s “heroine” in the novel Northanger Abbey, seeks the same sense of awe and terror a heroine in a traditional gothic styled story would experience. Instead, Catherine experiences a fairly normal stay in Bath, before heading out to the Abbey to have an even less eventful time.

Expectations are frequently not met when Catherine suspects some sort of danger is looming. At one point, Henry has Catherine on the edge of her seat while playing on her gullibility and eagerness for a “gothic” experience: “’Oh! Thou—whomesover thous mayst be, into whose hands these memoirs of the wretched Matilda may fall’—when your lamp suddenly expires in the socket, and leaves you in total darkness.’ ‘Oh! No, no—do not say so. Well, go on,’”(Northanger Abbey, 126). To an extent, there is suspense from Catherine’s perspective, but it is only a taste of the drama in the tradition gothic style. And in this case with Henry, he is merely poking fun at the idea, much like the author.

It is possible that the reason Jane Austen wished to parody the gothic style was to juxtaposition reality and imagination to show that realism aided to the growth of Catherine. Because Catherine realized the real suspense was only in her mind, she was able to mature and grow as a character. It is possible that Henry would not have married her until she gave up her childish, adventurous spirit for what was never there.

Since the events of Catherine’s life are so matter of fact in reality, and the idea of Catherine needing to give up her love for adventure in the Gothic spirit in order to marry into a well off family, I can see how the novel could discourage the reader from reading Gothic fiction. The Gothic elements within the novel are there either to be made fun of, or in Catherine’s case, to get her into trouble. Expectations are continuously constructed in Catherine’s mind, believing she were a true gothic heroine, but she is let down enough to give up the search altogether. So my final takeaway would be Jane Austen’s style does not encourage one to take up a gothic narrative, but she doesn’t explicitly discourage it. Mainly, she shows the growth of a character that wishes to have a gothic experience, then shifting her perspective after being let down, and soon thereafter becoming engaged to Henry Tillney.

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.

Murky Villainous Evil Doing

1) Does Northanger Abbey have a villain? If so, which character is the villain? Why do you think that?

Northanger Abbey has many antagonistic forces within it; John and Isabella Thorpe and General Tilney are three such powers. In a story that doesn’t really have a hero, the villain would also be present on a murky almost plane of existence.

John Thorpe is an almost villain. He is selfish and egotistical. He cares only for his own goals and desires. He almost abducts her for a carriage ride, and refuses to let her off when she begs to leave. In modern day that would be considered kidnapping. Thorpe also gives wrong information to General Tilney in the belief that it will further his own interests to make her seem wealthier and better connected than she is. This information is what first pushes General Tilney towards Catherine as a future daughter-in-law. John then proceeds to give more wrong information after his marital hopes are dashed that Catherine is practically destitute that leads to General Tilney kicking him out.

General Tilney is another such almost villain. Catherine attempts to paint him as a Gothic Villain from one of her stories, an unrepentant murderer. While that turns out to be a false accusation he is guilty of being greedy and incredibly ill mannered. When he finds that she is penniless—which she is not—he turns her from his house under false pretenses. He makes her leave by hack post-chaise with no servant to accompany her and no time to write home. Not only is this abominably rude but it is also incredibly dangerous for her. A single young woman traveling by herself is considered dangerous even now a days.

Isabella Thorpe is probably the most obviously evil. She is manipulator, a user, and to some extent abusive to her friends. She befriends Catherine specifically to further her own interests with James Morland. She keeps the friendship going after she finds that Catherine is incredibly naïve and easily lead about. After she becomes engaged to James and finds out how little money will be coming their way she is openly disappointed and then proceeds to openly flirt with other men in front of Catherine. This is rude, but the way she brushes off Catherine’s worries about her behavior is borderline abusive. She makes Catherine out to be stupid and her father to be miserly.

In this gothic parody the existence of a heroine is perhaps the most mocked. The existence of a villain is only mentioned when General Tilney fails to live up to expectation. So in that case, does there even have to be a villain? All of the characters are mixed bags of good and bad. The point is Catherine learning that she is not a Gothic Heroine and so that there is no Gothic Villain and that reality lays far away from the books she has read. If this story parades as a Gothic Narrative what lies underneath is a domestic fiction which needs only the actions of everyday life to succeed. And in that, Northanger Abbey does flourish. 

Villainy in Northanger Abbey

As I brought up in class, Northanger Abbey could be viewed largely as a coming of age story; Catherine is introduced in chapter 1 as having "by nature nothing heroic about her," and is noted to have built up an image of herself as a heroine by reading so many (gothic) novels. However, as the novel progresses, and Catherine finds herself trying to fit the plot of her life with that of her favorite books (i.e. suspecting General Tilney of murder), it becomes clear that Catherine is not truly a hero, and she has no true villain to combat.

While Isabella is shallow, basing her social relationships on how much they will benefit her, and John is obnoxious, consistently making advances toward Catherine while assuming she's interested, neither of these are truly villainous behaviors in the grand, fictitious sense of the word. Both characters are still relatively tolerable toward Catherine, and neither go out of their way to undo Catherine's 'heroism.'

While at Northanger Abbey, it becomes clear that the force most antagonistic to Catherine is her own naivete. As she takes in the details of the room she is staying in, she notices and old chest in the corner and spends an entire paragraph fantasizing about what mysterious thing could be in it. She later searches every drawer in the room for "treasure," even checking them for false linings, and finding nothing. Her desire to live out a gothic novel at the abbey goes so far that she begins to suspect General Tilney of murdering his wife, a notion that offends Henry to the point that Catherine believes their chance to romance utterly destroyed. In her time at the abbey, Catherine has caused the most trouble for herself, and this fits with a reading of Northanger Abbey as a coming of age story.

The biggest part of Catherine's maturation is overcoming her naive desire to live like the heroine of a gothic novel. Isabella and John both help Catherine further along on this path by serving as fairly antagonistic characters, but this ultimately serves to help Catherine overcome her own shortcomings and grow into the more realistic person she is by the end.