This early Jane Austen novel is a satire among other things of the reading tastes of the Romantic Period's young, sending up their near addiction to improbable Gothic "horror" stories. Despite being grounded in such literary particulars, the novel remains an awfully good read. Contemporary college students in my experience think overwhelmingly that Austen is not just writing about Mrs. Radcliffe et al, but has much to tell them about life and taking one another seriously rather than playing at "relationships." Detailing the entrance of her naive, countryside heroine (Catherine) into the splendors and miseries of adulthood, Austen is here fully brimming over with her unmistakable satiric wit, charm, and astonishing worldly wisdom. Catherine, for instance, from the outset has already confounded life and art, so she is disappointed, to our delight, that on her first journey to Bath and grown-up experience, there's "not one lucky overturn of the carriage to introduce her to the hero." Austen's women -whether naive (Catherine) or vain and coquettish ( fashion-hungry Mrs. Allen and men-with-money-hungry Isabella Thorpe)- are all well drawn, and equally so are her men, especially the boorish John Thorpe, an early example of the "it's all about me" guy, and the triumphantly witty, hard-headed, yet kind Henry Tilney. Astonishingly, Austen concluded very early as a novelist that it's only the few genuine individuals in life who follow a civilized code of manners, whereas most other people are in fact mere conformists devoted to the fashionable ways of the world, pursuing vulgar self-interest or greed, while thinking themselves smart for doing so.
A few years back, adaptations of Austen for the screen were all the rage. "Northanger Abbey" had earlier been the subject of an inferior TV adaptation, set in the proper time period but too heavy on the Gothic "horror" element and largely witless. So far as I know it has never been made into a film. Given the continuing fondness of the young for horror novels (Stephen King's, say) and now scary movies, I'd argue "Northanger Abbey" is a natural for an updated version (like "Clueless" was of "Emma") set perhaps among the young who leave home for the first time to attend college. They too might initially expect life to resemble to some degree what they've encountered in their romances, "horror" novels and slasher films, only to be wittily disabused, but then to discover in fact the real ways life always and everywhere is actually "horrid," that is, owing to the timeless prevalence of vanity, self-absorption, and greed.

The satire isn't as harsh, and the humor isn't as brilliant as you will find in Austen's major works, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this little book.

It's a charming and funny short novel that spoofs gothic fiction and romantic sentiment in a way that is surprisingly modern. Although the novel is full of subtle references to Jane Austen's favorite (and least favorite) books, you don't need to know anything about them to enjoy the story. Think of it as a teen comedy with moments of slapstick, lots of offbeat humor, and social embarassment galore, and you will be right in the spirit of Northanger Abbey. Some of the customs and vocabulary in the book are out of date, of course. But most of it will be easy to understand even without footnotes, (although it's nice to have them handy if you need them). Austen's wonderful talent for dialogue still makes this little novel a treat to read. I have re-read Northanger Abbey every year since I was a teenager myself, and I still smile all the way through it!

In NORTHANGER ABBEY, Jane Austen satirizes what for her and her late 18th century readers was the Gothic novel. Even before Ann Radcliffe published the enormously popular MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO in 1794, the novel of sentiment was all the rage. In such stories the heroine was likely to cry, swoon, and moan at the drop of a hat. Radcliffe in her book added the other Gothic ingredients of fear, ghosts, haunted houses, and other paranormal phenomena. Austen looked down on writers who had their heroines engage in such unseemly behavior even though she was later to treat seriously the same trait of sensibility in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.

The heroine of NORTHANGER ABBEY is Catherine Morland, who seems unlike what will later prove to be a typical Austen protagonist. Catherine at the start of the book is much more closely allied to the "sense" half of the push-pull sense and sensibility dichotomy of all her works. She is the daughter of a prosperous clergyman who travels to a resort named Bath, where she meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney. There are the usual romantic plot complications of an Austen novel which normally allow the heroine to be attracted by her male counterpart and encounter suitable obstacles, all of which are neatly resolved after both parties undergo some serious soul searching which in turn leads to a higher level of moral vision. In this case, Austen has great fun with Catherine by first showing her as full of sense, then later shifting gears by morphing her into a standard "sensible" female of the Gothic genre, finally whirling Catherine back to a position of reason and logic. It takes half of the book before Austen gets to the Gothic satire for which it is well-known. When Catherine arrives at Northanger Abbey, she inexplicably is affected by the conventional Gothic trappings of the place. Where the earlier Catherine would see an occurrence that might have seemed spooky to other more stereotyped Gothic heroines but not so to her, the newer Catherine now could see that same eerie event and be filled with unfounded terror. It is only now that Austen makes clear the target of her barbed satire. She was plainly disgusted with other writers who purposefully filled the empty heads of their heroines with Gothic terror, but when she did the same, it was excusable since satire, not stereotype, was her aim. Later, Catherine's grasp of sense returns as she is able to exonerate in her own mind General Tilney from the suspected charge of the murder of his wife. By the end of the novel, the reader has been introduced to the theme of sense versus sensibility or unstructured emotion versus stifling reason. In Catherine Morland, and later for nearly of all of Austen's female protagonists, Austen suggests that in having to choose between the two extremes, one might seek a middle ground so that each one can complement, rather than supplement the other. There are simply too many examples of extremes who end badly in Austen's works for one to ignore her implied advice.

This first book of Jane Austen's doesn't have the same subtlety as her later works, but it is light-hearted and good writing. It's amazing how skillful she was at writing dialogue, even at a younger age. I mention her youth because it pervades Northanger Abbey; the character are youthful in spirit, and I think that of all her novels, this one might be the most accessible to the modern day younger reader. It was certainly one of my favorites as a teenager (though the pleasure of rereading it hasn't diminished as I've aged). The simple and natural emotions of the main character, Catherine Morland, would seem more real to many of today's teenagers than the repressed spirits seen in so many novels of this period. Catherine is perhaps the least 'civilised' of Austen's leads, in that she does little to conform her behavior to the decorous standard of the day, but she has an exuberance and sweetness that breath life into every scene, and I think this carries the book. Northanger Abbey is a delightful read for all ages and Austen fans, even the most serious.

I was a little wary of reading this book since she was never able to get it published during her lifetime despite trying for many years. I assumed that if she couldn't get it published that it probably wasn't very good. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of this book. It is meant to be a satirical work mocking the Gothic romance popular during Jane Austin's lifetime. In such romances, there were fictional monsters and secret corridors and such, and in this book the main character, Catherine, keeps thinking that such things were going to pop up or had popped up, but they never really had. Towards the end, instead of some fantastic mythical monster, a real monster emerges as the culprit behing the pain Catherine experiences: pride in rank. The father of Henry Tilney, whom Catherine has fallen in love with, refuses to allow them to be married because Catherine is of a lower rank and has less money that his family does. Austin vilifies the wealth heriarchy of her day through both Henry's father and through her friend Isabella who tries to do anything that she can to marry someone wealthier than herself, leading Catherine to much pain.

This is nowhere near as good as some of Miss Austin's other works, but it is good nontheless, and a fun read. It's much better if you understand what Gothic romance novels were like, since this is a satire on those novels.

Overall grade: B+