As you may have guessed, I have recently finished Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. This book is so interesting, because it is so unlike any of her other full-length novels. Rather than being wholly about a woman's secret love for a man far too "out of her league", Northanger Abbey, although partially about love and it's trials, mainly involves the misguided advice of fiction novels. One continual reference throughout the book is Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, which is the book of choice for its heroine, Catherine Morland. Jane Austen continually mocks her own profession, and the ideas books can put into people's minds. Catherine Morland, being an incredibly naive girl of 17 when the book starts, formulates her own ideas of people and situations (often unfounded and incredibly romantic) based on many of the Gothic novels she has read.In terms of characters, they are carefully crafted to make the reader have an opinion of them, whether good or bad. Oh, the awful Thorpes, and the wonderful Eleanor and Henry Tilney, the foolish Mrs Allen, the materialistic General Tilney; one way or another, the reader must formulate an opinion of them throughout the book. There were many times when I felt like jumping into the book and giving Isabella Thorpe a good old kick up the you-know-what, and likewise to John Thorpe. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, but when John Thorpe deceives poor Catherine in order to get her to take a drive with him is sickening. When I was reading this, I was on the tube, and had to stop myself from screaming out loud, or at the very least, keep my mouth from falling wide open.
In any case, the book is incredibly good! Not my favourite, but amazing nonetheless! I'm going to be reading The Beautiful and The Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald next, so watch out for updates!
