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Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen

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Jul 10, 2007 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-reading-challenge, humorous, romantic-suspense, historical-fiction, classics, library-audio, audio, romance

I read Northanger Abbey when I was in college, around the same time as I read the rest of Austen's works, and I'll admit that at the time I was disappointed. I had no context. I didn't read any notes on it. I didn't know what to expect, so naturally I expected another Pride and Prejudice. This is not Pride and Prejudice.
But this time, rereading it many years later, with a better sense of historical context and the tone and purpose of this novel, I found myself delighted with Northanger Abbey. I' I read Northanger Abbey when I was in college, around the same time as I read the rest of Austen's works, and I'll admit that at the time I was disappointed. I had no context. I didn't read any notes on it. I didn't know what to expect, so naturally I expected another Pride and Prejudice. This is not Pride and Prejudice.
But this time, rereading it many years later, with a better sense of historical context and the tone and purpose of this novel, I found myself delighted with Northanger Abbey. I'm sure it helped to have it read by a delightful British audiobook narrator. But mostly I think it's that this time I went into reading it aware of what I would be getting, with some expectation of enjoying it for itself, and succeeded beyond my expectations.
In fact, reading this, I found myself wishing I could have shared a cup of tea with Jane Austen. Her sly humor, poking fun at love and romance and the male ego and societal expectations of women--always with such genteel subtlety--endeared me completely. This was a woman who was all too aware of societal roles. She may not have bucked them like the Brontes. But she knew, and she made her little comments were they could. And they were brilliant.
Also, her main protagonists were generally likable. Catherine is probably the first, and possibly the only ever, rather stupid heroine I've ever liked. No, she's not as bright as Lizzie Bennett. But she's kind and genuine, and there's an awful lot to say for that. And Henry...Henry is one of my new favorite Austen heroines. He's funny and charming and frankly has got to have a lot of patience and charm to have survived his childhood intact. He's thoughtful of his sister, and not inclined to judge on shallow externals. He gives Catherine a chance despite her lack of fortune and cleverness and great beauty, because he appreciates her good heart, even when she's been foolish. He brings out the best in Catherine, teaches her things without her even realizing it or minding it. I could see them having a long and happy marriage, simply because they are both kind, he's clever enough for both of them, and she has only had good examples of marriage after which to pattern herself.
The book only ever dragged a little for me, and that was only when Catherine was in the midst of her being foolish in a Gothic way, and that dragged more because it was excruciatingly awkward, and obviously going to go so very wrong. I loved how Jane Austen poked fun at the Gothic and romantic tropes of the day, all while not making us actually disdainful of Catherine, despite her foibles.
I don't reread books often, but I could see myself rereading Northanger Abbey along with my other Austen favorites (namely Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice). It's that charming and witty and insightful. ...more

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