What is to learn from this book?

[Sophie, Your Lovely Moderator]

It is great and love the last line
'I leave it to be settled, by whomsoever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny, or reward filial disobedience.'
I'm for filial disobedience !!!

[Marren]

Soph that line had me thinking as well. The book taught me that fathers can be a pain in the ass. Being naive and unchecked is a dangerous quality to have when you are among deceitful people. Parents need to teach their children about wolves and sharks. In addition, there are still good blokes out there, oh Henry Tilney and really good friendship.

[Sarah]

What a difference there is between General Tilney and Mr Bennett...

[Sophie, Your Lovely Moderator]

Sarah Louise wrote: "What a difference there is between General Tilney and Mr Bennett..."

what a difference!!

and I agree Marren!!

[Rebecca]

I think one thing that Catherine taught me in this book is that people can go to great lengths to do what they believe is right, even if their friends don't want them to. I thought that scene when Catherine ran away from her friends to follow the Tilneys and apologize to them was the sweetest thing in the world.

[Marren]

She is a sweet girl with a kind soul. I am glad she had friends in her corner.

[Rebecca]

I'm glad she had friends too. I guess that is another thing the book teaches us - the friends worth having are the ones who will stick with you even when you've done something silly and shameful... Like suspecting their dad of murder... :D That was very silly. But Catherine truly does have a good soul, yes.

[Marren]

Cheers to friends ;)

[Rebecca]

Cheers. :)

[Sophie, Your Lovely Moderator]

Becca wrote: "I think one thing that Catherine taught me in this book is that people can go to great lengths to do what they believe is right, even if their friends don't want them to. I thought that scene when ..."

I agree. That was such the right thing to do. She realy is a sweet girl at heart, just reads a little too many gothic novels! 'Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.'

[Marcy]

Long time since anyone commented here....I just read NA for the second time, and got so much more out of it. I realize that re-reading Austen is essential; her books reveal more with every read. NA in particular is multi-layered. The version I have is the Barnes & Noble Collector's Library, those small books which I just adore; anyhow, in it there's an Afterword that talks about the meaning of the book as well as its history. Austen was satirizing the most popular genre fiction of her day (Udolpho; Gothic horror) and making a distinction between that and literary fiction. She was also showing us a naive young girl who as someone says above, grows during the course of the novel. Two quotes in this Afterword are particularly apt:

"She (Catherine) is a girl in search of a life of meaning and excitement. Naturally, she is led astray by that very impulse."

and

"The implication is that friends, like books, are to be both enjoyed and understd for what they are. A keen but uncritical mind is a more dangerous thing than no mind at all, perhaps."

Austen is just brilliant!

[Sophie, Your Lovely Moderator]

I loved NA. It is brilliant and very clever. It doesn't get enough love or credit in my opinion!

[Abigail]

I like that in Northanger Abbey, JA shows that the perils of real life can be just as lurid as those in fantastic stories like gothic novels.

[Sophie, Your Lovely Moderator]

Yes exactly!

[Karlyne]

Abigail wrote: "I like that in Northanger Abbey, JA shows that the perils of real life can be just as lurid as those in fantastic stories like gothic novels."

The hum-drum is all in how you take it, isn't it? I'm thinking that Isabella's life turned out pretty lurid..