jane austen Northanger Abbey it is widely considered to be a parody of the gothic genre of novels. Throughout her narrative, Austen is linked to several well-known gothic novels from the late 18th century by authors such as Ann Radcliffe. Typical gothic settings form the backbone of several scenes in Austen’s narrative, as well as many famous (and not-so-famous) works that are directly referenced throughout the text. This article explores some of the ways in which Austen parodies the Gothic genre, excerpts are from the 2003 edition of the Oxford World’s Classics text.
When the protagonist Catherine Morland and her friend, Isabella Thorpe, meet in the Bath’s Pump-rooms, in Chapter 6 of the first volume, their main topic of conversation is the Gothic novel, especially Ann Radcliffe’s celebrated work, Udolfo’s mysteries (1794). Several of the narrative events in this book inform a series of scenes in the second volume of Austen’s novel, particularly those recounting Catherine’s stay at the abbey of the same name. The reading list of “horrible novels” – often referred to as the ‘Northanger Canon’ – that Isabella has put together for Catherine indicates the vast amount of gothic literature that the naive protagonist is presumably about to absorb. Her subsequent behavior at Northanger Abbey openly portrays the influence of gothic novels on an impressionable teenager.
Gothic heroines are usually depicted as attractive and sensitive young women. They also tend to have sudden attacks of improvised verse, like Emily St Aubert, the heroine of Udolfo’s mysteries. However, Austen depicts Catherine as a burlesque of the stereotypical gothic heroine. The opening chapter of the book describes her physical appearance in the most unflattering terms: “She had a slim, clumsy figure, colorless sallow skin, straight dark hair, and strong features” (1, 1, p.5). . Catherine is also shown to have no particular skills in writing, drawing, or music: “What a strange and inexplicable character!” (1, 1, p.6). However, this ‘inexplicable character’ effectively undermines the reader’s expectations by comically subverting the concept of ‘literary heroine’.
Northanger Abbey itself is presented in terms contrary to the expectations of Catherine’s fevered imagination. It is not a question of a ruined building located in a remote and mountainous region, but of a low building decorated with furniture that “had all the profusion and elegance of modern taste” (2, 5, p. 118), approached “from the along a flat and flat road of fine gravel” (2, 5, p. 117).
Catherine’s exploits within the Abbey are considered a parody of the dangerous adventures that regularly befall the hapless heroines of traditional Gothic novels. With her imagination fired by the spooky content of the books on Isabella’s reading list, the inexperienced teen develops all kinds of wild fantasies regarding her new surroundings. The mysterious chest she finds in her bedroom and the manuscript she discovers in her closet are subtle references to the Gothic motifs that appear in novels by Radcliffe and others. However, these motives are satirized, because it turns out that the chest contained only a folded cotton bedspread, and the manuscript was nothing more than a linen inventory.
Undeterred by these setbacks, however, our heroine begins to get the unlikely idea that the late Mistress of the Abbey was actually murdered by her husband, General Tilney, the owner of Northanger Abbey. In an over reference to Udolfo’s mysteries, Catherine supposes that if she were to explore the family vault and open the coffin of the late Mrs. Tilney, what would be the probability that “a wax figure would be presented” (2, 9, p. 140). In Radcliffe’s novel, a curious black veil conceals a recumbent figure, which Emily St Aubert initially believes to be the body of the long-dead Mistress of the Castle.
The character of General Tilney is considered by many critics to be a mild version of the typical gothic villain. When Catherine reflects that she had “the air and attitude of a Montoni” (2, 8, p.137), she is referring to Count Montoni, the main villain of Udolfo’s mysteries. Although older schools of criticism regard the general as an amusing parody of the stereotypical gothic villain, more recent scholarship has seen him as a representation of the threat of the patriarchy. This assessment sees Austen using General Tilney as a means to highlight the dangers an inherently patriarchal society poses to young women like Catherine Morland. Although the general is not portrayed as an overt villain, bent on imprisoning, raping and murdering, he is still shown to have an excessive interest in the heroine’s reach of wealth, similar to Count Montoni.
Northanger Abbey It is a literary text that is related to much of the literature of its time, particularly the Gothic novel. The works of Ann Radcliffe and others are effectively incorporated and parodied through the adventures of Catherine Morland.