Themes

Northanger Abbey has vastly different themes than the other novels we have read. I definitely do not think all Austen novels deal with the same issues, but Northanger Abbey is certainly the most different. First of all, this novel deals with aspects of the Gothic--Catherine reads gothic novels, wants to explore castles and dark passages, and is sure that there is some kind of plot going on beneath the surface. This creates a different kind of suspense from any other Austen novel, that of terror and mystery beyond the plotline of romance. The romance is still there, however, and one of the things I love about this novel is the way Austen explores what exactly people actually do on their vacations to resort towns. None of the other novels, except maybe Persuasion slightly, actually detail what happens in these towns and how the vacationers amuse themselves. This vacation is exciting for Catherine as she has never been out of town on her own (or rather, with friends) before. Austen takes us into "the rooms" where Catherine searches for eligible bachelors and gets caught up in flirtation and the suspense of the "chase." I thought this aspect of the novel was great because it really illustrated how a young girl at the time would feel when finally given the chance to act like a young woman and search for love. This is unique to this particular Austen novel. Catherine's naivete is not necessarily unique, but I think that she is much more naive than any other Austen girl and this leads to the suspenseful gothic happenings at Northanger Abbey. The gothic suspense is of course only experienced in this Austen novel, none others, so that makes this novel a really fun escape from the "norm."