Friday, October 29, 2010

Review: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

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Reviewed by Ingrid

Published: 1818

It's about: This novel is about the misadventures of one Catherine Morland, a seventeen-year-old, naive, and emotional young woman who expects the world to be exactly as it is in her favorite Gothic novels. She visits Bath where she meets some new friends, including the manipulative Isabella Thorpe and intriguing Henry Tilney and his sister. Henry's father invites Catherine to come stay with his family at Northanger Abbey, where Catherine expects to find ghosts, poisons, blood, and other spooky/wierd things. Not surprisingly, the Abbey is nothing like Catherine expects, although this world of the Jane Austen novel is everything you would expect, including titillated young girls, handsome, witty, and wealthy young men, silk dresses, carriage rides, and wedding bells.

I thought:
Ultimately, I'm glad that I read this book. As I had expected, there were many things I wasn't so excited about but also a few things that I did like.

First of all, I hate when novels end with a marriage. Getting married just isn't the ultimate goal and pinnacle of life. I'm also not so interested in the minutiae of social life that Austen describes. So and so has this much money, wears clothes of such and such fabric and style, rooms handsomely furnished, blahblah. It seems like every page has a sentence like "'Oh! But you musn't!' she cried." I have studied Jane Austen before in a few classes  and I readily admit that she is a very good writer. The style and narrative structure of her novels is simply just not my taste.

But besides that, I did like the way Austen portrayed Catherine, a girl with a sensitive disposition affected by all of the gothic novels that she reads. I'm sorry but I have to say, gothic novels ... GAG. I despise gothic literature. According to Wikipedia, gothic literature is "a genre of literature that combines both horror and romance." In my opinion, horror and romance have little aesthetic merit when they exist in and of themselves. There are people out that that I respect who like gothic literature, and it may have its merits, but my opinion of it is pretty much on par with Twilight. So think of it this way: this book is about a girl who has read too many Twilight books and expects her true love to be just like Edward.*

Verdict: In between. I don't want to put this one in the rubbish bin because, even if I didn't like the writing, I admit that it was well written, and I appreciated the message (besides the marriage part.)

Reading Recommendations: If you like Jane Austen, you should definitely read this.

Warnings: None, I guess.

Favorite excerpts:
Charming as were all Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and charming even as were the works of all her imitators, it was not in them perhaps that human nature, at least in the midland counties of England, was to be looked for. Of the Alps and Pyrenees, with their pine forests and their vices, they might give a taithful delineation; and Italy, Switzerland, and the South of France, might be as fruitful in horrors as the were there represented. Catherine dared not doubt beyond her own country, and even of that, if hard pressed, would have yielded the northern and western extremities.

What I'm reading next: Composing a Life by Catherine Bateson

*Note: I think it is fine to read books purely for entertainment, including gothic novels and even Twilight. My criticism is of those who engage with these kinds of books to the extreme that they begin base their entire outlook on life on them.

Comments (21)

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I love this review! I'm going to have to keep what you said in mind when I eventually read this book. I agree with what you said about books ending in marriage. It's not like that's the end of their lives or anything! I also love how you described Catherine as being like the super Twilight fans today. What a wonderful comparison! That just goes to show you, as much as things change, some things will always be the same.

- Emily @ Reading While Female
2 replies · active 767 weeks ago
Thanks for your comment, Emily. I'm really glad you liked my review ... I was a little nervous about posting it. I don't want anyone to think I'm bashing on their favorite books, even though I guess I kind of am. But I am glad you agree with me!
As to the ending in marriage, like Ingrid mentions in one of these comments, Jane Austen never married herself -- she believed the opposite about marriage, that, like you said, it isn't the be-all end-all of a woman's life. I think she uses marriage in her books as a way to make her social commentaries and criticisms within the given structure of society -- rebellion under the guise of submission, ay?

That's my thought on it.
I thought Northanger Abbey quite funny because Jane Austen really lets loose with her wit and sarcasm. I think Austen wrote of social detail and happy-marriage-endings not because she idealized it, but because so many others did--and she was constrained by it. It just cracks me up how she pokes fun at the Twilight followers of her day.

I think you are right in what you say, though--if you don't like the writing style, it is going to be difficult to enjoy.
2 replies · active 767 weeks ago
Hi Melody! I agree, Austen's writing was quite funny in some places. I am quite a sarcastic person at times and I do like sarcasm in writing - I tend to find it funnier than others. I definitely agree that Austen was writing within the social constrains of the time. I'm glad I didn't live then ... haha. I think it says something too that Austen herself never married.
But still, sarcasm and all that aside, I just can't jive with her for some reason.
I agree also! I was surprised when I read this book how much I enjoyed it and how humorous it was! Totally different from any of Austen's other books!
I've never read this, but I just recently watched an adaptation of it that I thought was pretty hilarious. The way her imagination gets the best of her! Ha! Catherine seems like a very likeable character, and I agree that your comparison between her and a Twi-hard is spot-on.
I do like Jane Austen, so I'm sure I'll read this one day. Thanks for reviewing it!
1 reply · active 767 weeks ago
Hi Christina, yes, if you like Jane Austen you will definitely enjoy it! I'd be kind of interested to see the adaptation now that I've read the book ... maybe there are some clips on youtube. I'll check it out.
Ingrid, I very much liked your review too. While not my favorite Austen novel (by far), it is part of her overall oeuvre and should definitely be read. As it was one of her earlier works of prose, I have always considered it to be more 'primitive' (and no pejorative intended) than her later works. Your comment-- "Getting married just isn't the ultimate goal and pinnacle of life", while certainly true by today's standards was viewed quite differently in her day, unfortunately. As I father of adult daughters, I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities that are available for them now versus the serious restrictions that society placed on women in days past. And we still have a long, long way to go.

Excellent review, and keep up the great work here on "The Blue Bookcase."

Cheers! Chris
1 reply · active 767 weeks ago
Thank you Chris, I really appreciate that! Yes, social customs were QUITE different back then and I am extremely grateful that we women aren't as constrained today. Though, like I said in response to Melody, I think it says something about Jane Austen herself that she was able to publish so prolifically and never married.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Chris!
I haven't read this one but I love both Jane Austen novels and gothic literature so it sounds like a great book to me! I think gothic literature is more than romance & horror, it's about the writing style and suspense. And I hate Twilight.
1 reply · active 767 weeks ago
Hello Sam. Everyone has different tastes and that's what makes the world interesting! You should definitely check out this book, I think you would enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by!
So far I haven't worked up the courage to read another Austen novel after Pride & Prejudice. Like you, I think she's a great writer, but the 'gossipy' & 'marriage as the be all and end all' aspects of her books can cause spontaneous eye rolls, I've found. I like how you summed up the book as someone who expects life to be like Twilight - now that's a scary thought!
So I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who LOVE Austen, yes the romances are great, but her writing style is what gets me. She's so subtle with her sarcasm and social commentary it's brilliant. Persuasion is by far my favorite of her novels, and Northanger Abbey is my least, but what I do love about it as that she wrote the entire thing as a satire to make fun of the Gothic novel which she also found to be ridiculous, so I think it needs to be read knowing that Austen is making as much fun of those type of girls who would love to be in Bella's shoes as we are (:
I'll have to strongly disagree with wikipedia here on the the definition of gothic literature. It's not just about horror but romance has very little to do with the genre. Horror is downright scary. But gothic is spooky with a twinge of the paranormal. Think of Henry Jame's "The Turn of the Screw"
"The Turn of the Screw" has no romantic relationship. The entire story makes you wonder "is there really a ghost or is this lady nuts?" Now there CAN be a a romantic relationship in gothic literature like Jane Eyre. Jane see ghosts when a child and there's a creepy feeling throughout which makes a (new) reader wonder if there's paranormal activity going on or some other rational explanation.

I did like Northanger Abbey though not as well as P&P. I think Austen's texts are parodies which question everything, even marriage to some extent. Austen herself never married. But she had to make a living and the time in which she lived strongly dictated that a woman who wanted to survive better marry. I guess I like reading Austen books as social commentary and history. Sorry if this post got long!
1 reply · active 766 weeks ago
Thanks for your reply, Chelle! I've read some Henry James and I do really like his writing. You make a good point, I admit that I've read very little in the Gothic genre so I appreciate your input.
Oh, my. I've read The Mysteries of Udolpho and I've read two and a half books from the Twilight series. They are nothing alike. Radcliffe is so poetic, and her message (I think) is exactly what you say above: don't base your life on entertaining novels. (Only my thoughts! I respect your viewpoint.) :-)

I guess you already read my review of Northanger Abbey and know I believe Austen was saying exactly what you say, in this book, about weddings, etc. And totally mocking the whole Gothic fad! :-D
1 reply · active 715 weeks ago
Yes ... I knew you would say that, haha. I don't read so much for "aesthetic merit" like I guess I did last year. From my point of view then, Gothic literature and Twilight had that in common - I didn't think they were "literary." Like I said on your blog, I read for different reasons now.

Thanks for your comment! :)

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