"Northanger Abbey" is a novel written by the British female writer Jane Austen. This novel is different from Austen's other novels.
In "Northanger Abbey", Catherine is not A smart woman, but a young woman who has grown up gradually in the process of life experience. Therefore, "Northanger Abbey" is a novel exploring the growth of women.
In British society at that time, social class often determined everyone's social status at that time, and Catherine, as a woman from an ordinary middle-class family, was once slandered by others, but Catherine's growth and awakening were also the whole processes.
At the center of this novel, by exploring the growth of women, it makes a comprehensive consideration of the belonging and evolution of feminism.
The image of the heroine Catherine in "Northanger Abbey" has particularity and universality.
Catherine's innocence is also a necessary process for many girls in the growth process. Therefore, Austin's thinking in "Northanger Abbey" is Also typical.
Introduction to the author and novel
Jane Austen is an English female novelist, born in a small town in Hampshire, England. She was self-taught and wrote six novels, most notably Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility.
As Austen's first mature work, Northanger Abbey was completed in the late eighteenth century. As early as the beginning of the nineteenth century, the novel attracted the attention of many readers and researchers.
Among them, many scholars pay special attention to the Gothic style in the novel. In their view, the author intentionally imitates and satirizes the Gothic style, and at the same time, the protagonist Catherine is also a woman full of Gothic fantasies.
Especially when she was invited to Northanger Abbey as a guest, due to many unrealistic fantasies, she had a lot of weird ideas, and these weird ideas and behaviors finally made her lose face in front of her beloved Henry. She didn't wake up until that moment.
In the end, she finally understood that the plots in those Gothic novels would never appear in British society at that time, or in real life.
The novel is full of criticisms of the Gothic style, but they overlooked one point: the Gothic style created this unique novel "Northanger Abbey".
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Introduction to Gothic Novels
Gothic novels flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but the authors and works of this style were attacked and ignored by the literary world.
A common formula in Gothic novels is that the story takes place in a faraway place, and the main character is usually trapped in a small space where ghosts and ghosts haunt.
Love stories in novels are usually accompanied by suspenseful plots and ups and downs. However, the love stories depicted in Gothic novels are definitely different from Romantic novels.
The difference between them is that Gothic novels usually describe mysterious adventure love stories.
The emotional difficulties encountered by the protagonists no longer come from the obstacles of society and family but from an object full of evil power.
Analysis of Gothic Elements in "Northanger Abbey"
(1) The location of the story
Gothic novels usually take place in Gothic castles or monasteries, emphasizing mysterious and terrifying rooms, staircases full of ghosts, dark and hidden passages, and so on.
The location of the story in the novel is brought out by the heroine Catherine's first impression of Northanger Abbey. Catherine is a naive and kind woman. In her eyes, the temple is full of mystery.
Those small windows, melancholic architectural style, colorful glass, and walls covered with cobwebs all inspire her. infinite fantasies.
(2) Rendering of a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere
Because the protagonist Catherine was deeply influenced by Gothic novels before visiting Northanger Abbey, even normal things and environments will have magical colors in her eyes.
First of all, on their way to Northanger Abbey, Catherine described their journey like this: "It was so quiet and smooth along the way, neither robbers nor blizzards attacked so that our heroes had no chance to play." Usually, when people travel, they hope that everything goes well, but from the above, we can see that Catherine is dissatisfied with their smooth sailing.
In fact, she hopes to encounter disasters such as robbers or snowstorms and be rescued by heroes in disasters. In her eyes, only the occurrence of disaster and salvation can inject a little vitality into her future life. But all her ideas come from the Gothic novels she has read, which are unrealistic.
(3) Description of supernatural phenomena
On the first day Catherine arrived at Northanger Abbey, the author described the weather like this: "The wind blew intermittently throughout the afternoon, but when people separated, it suddenly started to storm." Why such bad weather occurs What about on the first day the heroine arrives? Just a coincidence? Perhaps this hazy weather added a mystery to the otherwise normal Northanger Abbey.
When Catherine was in the room about to blow out the candles, "Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, and everything suddenly became terrifying. Catherine trembled all over.
Then, her keen ears heard the sound of distant footsteps, outside The door is closed." The sudden blowing of the candle by the wind seemed very strange to Catherine, and at the same time, the sudden wind, the distant sound of footsteps, and the sound of closing doors successfully created a Gothic atmosphere.
About the author: Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in the home of the rector of Steventon, Hampshire, England. She was the seventh of six brothers and two sisters in the family.
This is a lively harmonious family, the father is a graduate of Oxford University. Austin read a lot of books and learned to write with his father's encouragement since he was a child, and the family has a strong literary atmosphere. simple?
Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels written by Jane Austen. Austen was also influenced by Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote. Northanger Abbey was completed in 1803, the first of Austen's novels completed in full, but was published posthumously in 1817 with Persuasion. Wikipedia
- Originally published: December 1817
- Author: Jane Austen
- Characters: Henry Tilney, Catherine Morland, John Thorpe, Isabella Thorpe, James Morland
- Adaptations: Northanger Abbey (2007), Northanger Abbey (1987)
- Genres: Novel, Gothic fiction, Romance novel, Satire, Bildungsroman
Austen's six novels are as follows:
- Sense and Sensibility (1811),
- Pride and Prejudice (1813),
- Mansfield Park (1814),
- Emma (1816),
- Persuasion (1818),
- Northanger Abbey (1818).
Northanger Abbey Themes
- Sincerity and Hypocrisy
- Wealth and Respectability
- Experience and Innocence
- Loyalty and Love.
Excerpts from the original text
Catherine was deeply ashamed of her lack of knowledge, but this shame was unnecessary. A man who wishes to please others should always show his ignorance. It is impossible to satisfy the vanity of others by being self-sufficient, and sensible people will always avoid doing so. Especially a woman, if unfortunately, she knows everything, she should try to cover up her knowledge as much as possible.
A big pen from a sister writer who once wrote about a pretty young girl who took advantage of her stupid nature. On this issue, in addition to what she discussed, I would like to say a few more words for men in a fair way. Although most frivolous men think that a woman's delicacy can greatly increase their charm, there are also some men who are too sensible and knowledgeable, so they only hope to find a woman who doesn't understand anything. But Catherine was unaware of this advantage of her own, that a beautiful girl with a soft heart and a hollow mind could unless the circumstances are particularly unfavorable, attract the love of a wise young man. ---Quote from Chapter Fourteen
Book Summary: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
"Men should always remain ignorant if they wish to associate. To have a well-informed mind means not to satisfy the vanity of others, which a wise man would like to avoid. Especially a woman, if she has the misfortune to know something, You should try to hide it as much as possible."
British writer Jane Austen created the novel "Northanger Abbey" when she was about 22 years old. The translator of this book translated the title "Northanger" as "Northern Anger", which means to reflect the Gothic color of the novel.
This gothic novel with a romantic art style is set against the life of a British squire at the end of the 18th century. It is a story of meeting and knowing each other and falling in love in Beinu Manor. After experiencing some twists and turns, the lovers finally get married. Catherine's heart has grown through tempering.
The novel mainly reflects the rapid development of the capitalist economy at the end of the 18th century and the growing ranks of the urban middle class in England.
The level of social class and wealth determines people's concept of marriage and life, and also profoundly affects the transformation of people's outlook on life. For example, there are obvious money worship and an extreme individualistic outlook on life.
The famous British historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott, who was a contemporary of Jane Austen, once commented on her novels: she deals with "only the events, characters and emotions in daily life"; Big thing, yet you read each page and you can't wait to turn to the next page, wondering what's going to happen next—it's not really a big deal, but you keep reading greedily, page after page. A novelist who can do this is one of the most precious gifts in the novelist profession.
Jane Austen's novel embodies her sharp words and full sense of humor. Through the shaping of the main characters, the protagonist's public narration, and the author's intuitive narration voice, it expresses the author's own point of view and reflects social life. , while demonstrating the authority of the author himself.
In this novel, Jane Austen applied the trend of Gothic novels that were popular at that time, reading and discussing Gothic novels with heroes and heroines, and added the classic descriptions of Gothic novels in the development of the storyline of the novel. To expose the unrealistic and repulsive aspects of Gothic fiction through irony can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
When I watched the movie "Northanger Abbey" before, I just thought it was an ordinary British romantic love movie. After reading this novel carefully this time, I have completely different feelings from watching the movie at that time, and there may also be factors of feminist awakening in it.
Jane Austen wrote in a letter to a friend: "Single women often show a terrible tendency to poverty, which is a strong argument for the institution of marriage."
In this novel, the ordinary heroine Catherine Moran gathers the true, good, and beautiful emotions in human nature. She went from a simple and ignorant Fullerton country girl to the market, entered the social world, experienced the setbacks of friendship and love, and finally grew into a strong, mature, and dignified lady, who reaped ideal love and a marriage partner with similar tastes.
The second female, Isabella Thorpe, has a typical gothic color and has gathered many shortcomings in human nature, such as vanity, scheming, hypocrisy, etc., and finally paid a heavy price for her moral corruption. Lost friendship, love, marriage, come to nothing, very dramatic Gothic fate ending.
Henry, the male protagonist who loves to preach and is full of wisdom, courage, and justice, and John Thorpe, the second male protagonist who is arrogant, selfish, false, stubborn, and despicable, are also a pair of sharply contrasting characters.
Jane Austen severely punished the immoral behavior of the second female lead and the second male lead with the Christian moral weapon and deprived them of the power of love and marriage, which reflected Jane Austen's humanity and clear distinction between love and hate.
Another feature of this novel is that Jane Austen reveals a lot of her personal avant-garde ideas in the novel, such as discussions on whether girls should read serious history books, female literacy, writing, dressing, etc., "For most For men who are more frivolous, female stupidity can greatly enhance their own charm; for other men, they are too wise and know everything, so what they want from women is only ignorance."
In this era when a woman's vocation is no longer to marry or to marry because of love or not to marry, by reading this classic love comedy novel at the end of the 18th century, one can also gain their own alternative joy and joy.
As Maugham said, what makes a classic is not the approval of critics, nor the discourses of professors or research in schools, but the joy and harvest that generations of readers have gained in reading.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Quotes
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
"I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life reading it. I assure you, if it had not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it for all the world."
"If a rainy morning deprived them of other enjoyments, they were still resolute in meeting in defiance of wet and dirt, and shut themselves up, to read novels together."
"Wherever you are you should always be contented, but especially at home because there you must spend most of your time."
"A young woman in love always looks like Patience on a monument Smiling at Grief."
Book Review: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
In terms of reading interest (for me), "Northanger Abbey" is not as good as "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice", and there is no feeling of being unable to put it down.
However, this is related to the writing characteristics of the whole novel. The author has repeatedly used the "alienation" writing technique to allow readers to withdraw from the already slow-paced plot and rationally and cautiously read the content of the novel.
But this book has given me more enlightenment than other Austen works I have read. Authors such as Love, marriage, human nature, status, wealth, reading, writing, women, etc. have explained their personalities, revealing between-the-lines Austenian wit and sarcasm.
1. An atypical heroine
Catherine is an atypical heroine for reasons explained in the first chapter and throughout the book. When she was young, she was not outstanding in appearance, neither talented nor ladylike, and did not have the heroine setting in traditional novels.
However, in the following article, the heroine gradually becomes more beautiful as she grows older, and consciously cultivates her hobbies, so that she also becomes a charming character in social situations.
So since our heroine is lucky after all, why did the author spend a chapter on her ordinary childhood? Perhaps, it is precisely because of her inconspicuous childhood that Catherine did not have the habit of arrogance, so she appeared peaceful, approachable, gentle, and simple.
As for the mind, Catherine cannot be said to be intellectually deficient. It is just that she did not like to study when she was young, which also made her first step into the world seem very simple and unsophisticated.
However, it also made her have no objective understanding of Gothic novels and became obsessed with them. Generally speaking, the first chapter is an exploration of the character's personalities and sometimes promotes the following plots.
Catherine is a simple person, and her integrity has a lot to do with this simplicity. For example, her indignation towards Frederick was commented on by Henry: "You are distorted by the inherent principles of integrity, so you can hardly tolerate it."
Calm arguments with family favoritism can’t contain the desire for revenge.” Everyone has their own views of right and wrong, and the simpler a person is, the more orthodox and singular his views of right and wrong tend to be, so facing the pluralistic world’s survival rules, What they showed was more indignation at the injustice and the sense of wonder hidden in it.
So what are the characteristics of the protagonist in Austin's works? Emma, Elizabeth Bennet, and Eleanor are all smart, independent, and thoughtful women, which is not in line with Catherine. Integrity, sensitivity, kindness, beauty, cuteness, not being artificial, not showing off, and not being worldly are their common characteristics.
In addition, most of them are middle-class squire families with certain properties but not very rich. Of course, in addition to the heroine Austin, there is often a female number two that she admires, such as Elizabeth's sister Jane Bennett in "Pride and Prejudice", Jane Fairfax in "Emma", and "Pride and Prejudice". Elinor Tierney in Northanger Abbey, most of them are also very gentle and easy-going, rational, self-cultivated, and a bit introverted.
They don't give people a warm and friendly feeling when they come up, but as they get along It is only when we go deeper that we discover the beauty of their essence.
So how can the leading actor fall into Austin's eyes? Handsome, well-mannered, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and upright are a must.
At the same time, they all come from wealthy families, and their status is higher than that of the heroine, which also reflects Austin's view on marriage: property and love are indispensable for marriage.
And this also played a dominant role in the Northanger Abbey marriage. Admiral Tilney's attitude towards Catherine was always determined by an estimate of the family fortune.
The Tierney brothers and sisters also inferred that their elder brother Frederick would not marry Isabella mainly from the perspective that she did not have a dowry.
2. How did Henry fall in love with Catherine?
The author's explanation of the above issues is very interesting.
It is mentioned in Chapter Fourteen: "Although most frivolous men think that the stupidity of women can bring out the beauty of their appearance, some of them are extremely wise and knowledgeable, so they don't want women to be ignorant. There are other qualities, too.
Catherine, however, does not understand this advantage in herself, and that it is impossible for a good-looking, tender, affectionate girl who is at the same time ignorant to fail to attract a bright young man."
Ignorance also becomes I don't know if this is the author's helpless satire on human nature because of Catherine's attraction to Henry.
In Chapter 30, the author makes a more specific elaboration: "His love is out of gratitude, in other words, because he believes that she likes him, he seriously considers her."
This kind of mentality is indeed different. Compared with other love stories written by Austin, it is not the typical love routine, but the probability of this happening, in reality, is very high, especially for women, it is very possible to fall in love with a man out of gratitude. And this mentality is very similar to Barney's feelings for Valancy in "Dear Stranger".
3. Austin and the Feminists
The book involves a lot of discussion of the roles of men and women. And most of the opinions are from Henry Tierney.
For example, when it comes to literature: "Keeping a diary is a fun habit. Women generally have a fluent writing style, and the formation of this fluent writing style is mostly due to the good habit of keeping a diary.
Everyone admits that they can write It is a unique talent of women.” Regarding the relationship between marriage and dancing: “You have to admit that in both cases, men have the right to choose, and women have only the right to refuse; Both cases are a covenant between men and women for mutual benefit." Regarding talent: "Perhaps in terms of talent, women are neither healthy nor sharp, neither strong nor sharp.
They may also lack observation, insight power, judgment, enthusiasm, genius, and wisdom." "No one has a higher opinion of women's understanding than I do. I think that women are born with such high intelligence that they really don't need half of it."
Henry is probably a thorough masculinist, the author put these words in the mouths of knowledgeable and positive people, it should not belittle these remarks, but a statement of the author's general views of society at that time.
In Austin's era, men were superior to women and women were still the mainstream, and women always reflected their own value through marriage.
In "Northanger Abbey", women do embody a subordinate status. Henry played the role of Catherine's life mentor, and he was at an advantage in terms of thought and insight. Similarly, Knightley in "Emma" and Colonel Brandon in "Sense and Sensibility" is almost twice the age of Emma and Mariana, and they tolerate their naivety and are in a protective position.
It seems that only the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" reflects real equality, and the basis of this relationship is Elizabeth's wisdom and independence, as well as Mr. Darcy's respect for women and appreciation of women's smart minds.
4. What kind of book is valuable?
It is clear that one of the main thrusts of this book is a satire on Gothic fiction, and it shows the evil consequences of indulging in it. But I think the most interesting part of the book is the various embarrassments that happened when Catherine first entered Northanger Abbey.
For historical works, at first, Catherine believed that reading history is a kind of torture, or that "teaching" and "torture" are synonyms. But Henry retorted: "Boys and girls should be tortured. No one who is familiar with human nature in a civilized system will deny this."
The author also complained about the novel: "There seems to be an almost universal desire to Denigrate the power of the novelist, underestimate the labor of the novelist, and despise the product of his creations, which are nothing but spirit, wit, and taste. . . . Appropriate language conveys to the world the most thorough understanding of human nature, and the most appropriate portrayal of various manifestations of human nature, and conveys works brimming with the most vivid wit and humor."
The author believes that the significance of reading novels lies in the understanding of human nature. The writers give them to various characters in the novel through the abstraction of human nature, so that readers can find the correspondence in real life, and at the same time teach people to avoid the annoying behavior of characters in the novel.
In fact, Austen's books are very suitable for young women aged 15 to 25 to read. Many works directly describe the growth of the heroine herself: in "Pride and Prejudice", Elizabeth learned not to judge people with prejudice, "Love Emma learns not to be conceited and control other people's emotional life in "Ma", in "Sense and Sensibility" Marianna learns not to let emotions get carried away by falling in love with playboys, and in "Northanger Abbey" Catherine learns to recognize others' emotions.
You should not be addicted to Gothic novels with a hypocritical face... Readers can learn from them and understand the principles of marriage, love, and life.
5. Austin-style irony
Actually, I have seen a lot of words here, so I am too lazy to write anymore, because the whole article is full of irony, and I can't finish it. Except for Henry, Eleanor, Mr. Allen, and Catherine's parents, almost all other characters are the objects of satire.
One of the very humorous words is: "There are quite a few women in the world. When you know them, you will not have any other feelings, you will only be surprised.
There are men in this world who like them, and if they like them, they will come to marry them." "Sometimes I'm really afraid that, like Austin, he has a clearer view of human nature, or if he reads too much about Austin, will he be too mean to people. . .
I read "Pride and Prejudice" when I was 11 years old. It was probably the first time I finished reading the unabridged version of the world-famous novel. The happiness after reading it is still fresh in my memory.
Before "The Red and the Black", it has always been my favorite novel. If I read "Pride and Prejudice" completely as a romance novel, then "Emma" read at the age of 16 is completely a humorous drama. Didn't leave me much to think about. "Sense and Sensibility" was read on a trip just after the college entrance examination.
At that time, I didn't find it interesting. It was like an ordinary TV drama. At that time, I felt that I should not read Austen's novels again, because the content was similar.
However, I saw "Northanger Abbey" in the library this summer, and I couldn't help borrowing it. Austin is always full of charm to me.
The article with narrative and discussion may not be that the novel itself is much deeper than other works, but that I have some life experience and reading experience, and my perception is stronger.
Maybe in the future, I will finish reading "Persuasion" and "Mansfield Park", maybe at that time I don't have any utilitarian purpose, just an "Austen complex".
Analyzing the Growth of Catherine in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"
1. The relationship between Catherine's female growth and her life mentor in "Northanger Abbey"
The novel "Northanger Abbey" mainly revolves around the woman Catherine, who gradually grows up with the help of Henry, so that she gets rid of the naive idea of being too young, and finally becomes husband and wife with Mr. Henry.
In the novel "Northanger Abbey", Catherine not only has a life mentor like Henry but also has several different life mentors, namely Isabella, Bath City, Henry, and others.
In the process of receiving education, Catherine is actually a process of constantly moving toward society, a process of gradual socialization. This series of processes actually started when Catherine moved to the city of Bath.
In a bustling and fashionable city like Bath City, Catherine is actually a modern consumer city, and the heroine of the novel, Catherine, also begins her social communication activities in this city.
In the beginning, Catherine paid great attention to her appearance and Osaka, and she was very busy almost every day, but behind all this busyness, Catherine was actually wasting her youth and life, such as visiting some interesting places in Bath, or Is to go to the store and so on.
Catherine, a little girl from the countryside, gradually learns how to be a lady in social situations in the city, and also understands the fashion and trends of the whole society better.
In the first half of the novel "Northanger Abbey", Catherine's social communication became an important process of her growth, but in the process of social communication, Catherine was also inspired and influenced by various factors in society.
Isabella is also a woman Catherine met in the bustling city of Bath. It can be said that the social growth education Isabella brought to Catherine is different from the transaction brought by the city of Bath. From a general point of view, Isabella is actually a bad friend of Catherine, and Isabella always reads some Gothic novels with Catherine.
A false friend is not an obstacle to Catherine's growth, but a process of Catherine's gradual socialization. Social corruption is also a very valuable lesson for Catherine.
Under the guidance of Isabella, Catherine gradually became very interested in these playfulness, flirting, and clothing. Although Isabella likes reading very much, Isabella always reads very superficially and always likes to show off indiscriminately every day.
She doesn't know the connotation behind these books at all. Just as in the novel, Catherine wants to discuss the wonderful aspects of the novel "Udolph" with Isabella, but Isabella will always change the topic of discussion to a discussion about men or clothes.
Catherine met false friends, but she really read books. After Catherine grew through reading and social experience, she gradually discovered that Isabella was just a very superficial woman, not a truly educated woman at all. , Isabella just keeps copying other people's opinions.
Therefore, Catherine read books seriously because of false friends, and these also had a very positive influence on her. And Catherine finally resolutely bid farewell to her hypocritical friend Isabella, and Isabella finally became a victim of the patriarchal society.
The third mentor who had an impact on Catherine's life was Gothic novels. Literary works such as Gothic novels are actually due to the development of printing technology in Europe, so many women’s novels are published.
Reading Gothic novels not only gives Catherine spiritual sustenance but also enables Catherine to obtain some rare Social experiences. Catherine grows her personal spiritual world through reading and gradually becomes more pragmatic, and her literacy has also improved.
Catherine's most important life mentor is Catherine's husband Henry. Henry's influence on Catherine is very positive, leading Catherine to mature gradually. Catherine has gradually expanded from learning to appreciate painting to the appreciation of aesthetics.
Discovering the real beauty in the real world can gradually let Catherine let go of some unrealistic fantasies, and finally wake up completely from the dream, with a more sincere heart. Heart.
2. Catherine's Gothic disillusionment and growth in Northanger Abbey
In "Northanger Abbey", Mr. Henry, whom Catherine met in Bath, not only became Catherine's spouse in the end but also Mr. Henry had important enlightenment significance for Catherine to break the Gothic fantasy.
In the beginning, Catherine only saw the appearance of things, but she couldn't understand the true essence of things. And Henry gave Catherine very deep enlightenment, especially the hint at the national level, which is very valuable for Catherine's growth.
Henry was Catherine's first dance partner after she came to the city of Bath, and Henry was very soft-spoken, and even smirked for a while, such common hypocrisy in the process of social interaction in the city of Bath Henry's behavior is displayed in slightly exaggerated way.
Henry's purpose is to remind Catherine that in fact, there are many hypocrites in the city of Bath, and he wants Catherine to be alert enough to the hypocritical society.
After the first dance, every time Henry meets Catherine, he helps Catherine gradually dismantle the Gothic fantasy. Reminded by Henry's hints, Catherine didn't understand how to get rid of appearances and disguises at first, and couldn't see the essence of things clearly. Catherine is influenced by Gothic novels, and she is not deeply involved in the world, so Catherine is actually very blind.
For example, when encountering emotional disputes between Captain Tini and Isabella, she always thinks that Isa Bella is a tangled woman.
In fact, Catherine at that time had no way to clearly distinguish the truth of love. Henry saw such a gothic fantasy situation in Catherine, so he helped Catherine how to get out of the fog of this gothic fantasy. Henry helped Catherine analyze various things and showed these things in a subtle way.
He also hoped that Catherine would not be affected by these superficial phenomena, could truly get out of the confusion in her heart, and rationally analyze the truth of things.
Although Catherine has begun to realize that Isabella's ups and downs are an important source of Captain Tini's emotional swings, at that time Catherine still trusted Isabella too much, so she didn't see the truth of the whole thing.
In the first half of the novel "Northanger Abbey", Henry has been helping Catherine to get out of the confusion of life since the first meeting, but this kind of help is obviously still limited, and Catherine was I was still influenced by some Gothic novels, especially the blind trust in Isabella, a hypocritical friend, so I haven't really awakened yet.
In the second half of Northanger Abbey, Catherine is gradually awakening in her life in Northanger Abbey. Catherine originally thought that Northanger Abbey was a very classical place, and was even reintroduced into Gothic fantasies by a weird old box, but Catherine soon discovered that such Gothic fantasies are very Unrealistic, the old old box was just a white bed sheet, and no mysterious manuscript of the Gothic novel was found in any drawer.
Although fantasy dominated Catherine for a time, Catherine also found that Northanger Abbey did not have any Gothic elements. This process made Catherine gradually wake up rationally.
Catherine finally gave up the Gothic adventure and met Henry in Northanger Abbey. Henry also knew the real purpose of her coming out from her tone and understood that Catherine still retained a certain amount of Gothic fantasy. , there is also the use of Gothic values to understand the world.
Therefore, Henry no longer used hints to tell Catherine, but directly preached directly to Catherine. Catherine began to understand that all her doubts and fantasies were actually terrible, and some of the conclusions were fantasies.
The purpose of her education was not for adventure, let alone for mutual revenge and massacre, but for moral and moral integrity. Things that are allowed by law.
At this point, Catherine's ignorant Gothic fantasy has been completely shattered. Catherine also began to undergo rigorous reflection and self-blame. She began to understand that she should give up some unrealistic fantasies and devote herself to real life.
So when Isabella wrote again and asked Catherine to help her persuade James to get back together, Catherine was no longer superstitious about Isabella's rhetoric and replaced the gothic novels that she had been living in the past with a real Catherine.
In the fantasy, Catherine, a young girl, finally, under the inspiration of life experience and life mentor, let go of the ignorance of the past, and finally becomes a person who truly faces life.
Jane Austen's Book List
Jane Austen is a beloved author of classic literature, known for her wit, irony, and commentary on societal norms and expectations.
Here is a list of her most well-known books:
"Sense and Sensibility" (1811) - Good at banter, not abusive, Austen is kind after all. The reunion of gifted scholars and beauties, but anti-romance in their bones, the tragedy of Eliza's mother and daughter hovers in the background like ghosts and ghosts. On the road to happiness, emotions are not only guarded by reason but also guarded by family affection. It’s just that Mrs. Dashwood’s mother and daughter are so emotional, that every time Elinor confesses to Marianne, I’m afraid she will suddenly say, “Who do you think I am, I’m also a naughty one.” eat it. (reread in three months).
"Pride and Prejudice" (1813) - The ridiculous Mrs.Bennet is actually very loving. Although she is stupid and vulgar, she really loves her daughter; Lydia is a rebellious character, but her and her husband's "sin" is nothing in modern times, and I think it is quite personal. of. The story itself is very plain, but its strengths lie in 1. The character's mood changes and growth; 2. The artistry of daily life is explored and organized into a story; 3. The contrast between clowns and gentlemen and British humor; 4. Simple and clear language, no Regardless of description and lyricism, the language is restrained.
"Mansfield Park" (1814) - In a sense, it has created the standard of Cinderella-style otome novels/games (like the Count of Monte Cristo for the revenge-style), the selection of limbs and the targets of the strategy are clearly arranged, the prodigal son and the childhood sweetheart. What I find interesting is that it can show some of JA's views on things outside the countryside, seeing her tentacles slightly dipped into the lower society and then withdrawn in panic.
"Emma" (1815) - The aristocratic society described by Austen is too far away from me. I can only read it quietly as a bystander, without strong shock, and read it very leisurely. Every character is fully portrayed, Emma who has no worries about food and clothing, Mr. Woodhouse who is overprotective, Mr. Knightley who is very gentlemanly, and Miss Harriet who is lovely... I just feel that the ending is a little bit, a little bit strange and enjoyable.
"Northanger Abbey" (1817) - This book is written in a special way. What's interesting is that the whole book is complaining about Gothic novels and sentimental novels. Austin's satirical skills are still very strong. The male and female protagonists are the most unattractive book. The heroine is naive and ignorant, and the male protagonist is a perfect foil.
Reading Notes
Whether she thought of him so much, while she drank her warm wine and water, and prepared herself for bed, as to dream of him when there, cannot be ascertained; but I hope it was no more than in a slight slumber or a morning doze at most; for if it is true, as a celebrated writer has maintained, that no young lady can be justified in falling in love before the gentleman’s love is declared, it must be very improper that a young lady should dream of a gentleman before the gentleman is first known to have dreamt of her. --- Chapter 3
“I do not pretend to determine what your thoughts and designs in time past may have been. All that is best known to yourself. A little harmless flirtation or so will occur, and one is often drawn on to give more encouragement than one wishes to stand by. But you may be assured that I am the last person in the world to judge you severely. All those things should be allowed for in youth and high spirits. What one means one day, you know, one may not mean the next. Circumstances change, opinions alter.” --- Chapter 18
“My dearest Catherine,” continued the other without at all listening to her, “I would not for all the world be the means of hurrying you into an engagement before you knew what you were about. I do not think anything would justify me in wishing you to sacrifice all your happiness merely to oblige my brother because he is my brother, and who perhaps after all, you know, might be just as happy without you, for people seldom know what they would be at, young men especially, they are so amazingly changeable and inconstant. What I say is, why should a brother's happiness be dearer to me than a friend's? You know I carry my notions of friendship pretty high. But, above all things, my dear Catherine, do not be in a hurry. Take my word for it, that if you are in too great a hurry, you will certainly live to repent it. Tilney says there is nothing people are so often deceived in as the state of their own affections, and I believe he is very right. --- Chapter 18
Conclusion: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The novel "Northanger Abbey" is an important work of Austen. In this work, Austen captures the various difficulties that women may encounter in the process of growing up, including the emotional difficulties in life. evolution etc.
Catherine's growth is actually a process of constantly coming out of Gothic fantasy and gradually becoming a mature woman in the process. In the process of facing the evolution of their own lives, women often have no way to independently choose their own life direction.
Gothic fantasy is a kind of spiritual sustenance for Catherine in the face of the situation that she has no way to make independent choices in her life, but this kind of spiritual sustenance is actually serious harm to Catherine, especially when she faces real life.
In life, I often fall into a lot of fantasies and predicaments, and there is no way to really get out of the fantasies, which affects Catherine's normal life.
However, Austin gradually freed Catherine from the collisions and fantasies of life, so that Catherine could face her life more clearly and become a real person.
Illusion is actually a problem shared by all human beings, only a small number of people can stay away from this upside-down and changing illusion, but Catherine's growth has fully demonstrated that if one does not control one's own illusion, it is very likely that people will fall into Once in a predicament, there is no way out.
Catherine's growth also fully reveals that women cannot be immersed in fantasy, and must dare to face the reality in life, so as not to be misled by fantasy and finally immersed in blind traps. Therefore, Austin's "Northanger Abbey" has very profound ideological value.