4/ northanger abbey by jane austen

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by howto_

by howto_

read: 08.01.18 - 13.01.18

book: Northanger Abbey

author: Jane Austen

blurb: Northanger Abbey tells the story of a young girl, Catherine Morland who leaves her sheltered, rural home to enter the busy, sophisticated world of Bath. Austen observes with insight and humour the interaction between Catherine and the various characters whom she meets there, and tracks her growing understanding of the world about her.

In this Austen also fixes her sharp, ironic gaze on other kinds of contemporary novel, especially the Gothic school made famous by Ann Radcliffe. Catherine's reading becomes intertwined with her social and romantic adventures, adding to the uncertainties and embarrassments she must undergo before finding happiness.

review: This was a book recommended by my English teacher for extra reading around my Women in Literature course at school, so I thought that it was a nice place to begin when it came to my Victorian/Regency classics this year.

If you have read my previous book log, you'll know that I have a slightly strained relationship with Austen. I hated studying 'Pride and Prejudice' (controversial opinion I know), but I have enjoyed reading her other works in my free time. I would say that Northanger Abbey is my second favourite of her works, and I did really enjoy reading this book over the week.

There is a much greater sense of Austen's voice in this novel which you don't get to see so much of in her other works; in this novel she directly writes to the reader in places and I thought this was really interesting as it gave a much deeper insight into her views on the issues of marriage and how women should behave in her opinion. The story line itself was more interesting than some of her other works in my opinion; I really liked the character of Catherine, and I could see a lot of myself in her.

The mocking of Gothic literature was done really cleverly and I think it added a really nice satirical touch to the whole novel. On the whole, I did really like this even though Austen still isn't really my cup of tea.

rating: 8/10