Every Jane Austen book I read becomes my new favourite.
“Jane Austen's first novel—published posthumously in 1818—tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen's fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satirical novel pokes fun at the gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.”
There is nothing I can say about this novel that hasn’t been better said by somebody else. All I know is I am happy I read a gothic romance at the beginning of this challenge so I could understand Austen’s wit and humour as she parodied gothics. The movie (a full version of which is on YouTube- you’re welcome) did a hilarious job of illustrating this facet of the book, and I found Austen’s narration in the novel hilarious as well. I never thought I could laugh out loud at a classic novel.
I have always loved the idea of Jane Austen as a person and as a character in her own right, but she felt real as I read this. She felt like a gal just having a great time writing a story to make her friends and family laugh. I have no great desire to dissect her work and guess at what she meant by each sentence, but her personality shone in this one. She seems like she was a cool person.
If you’re going to read only one Jane Austen novel, you don’t have to burden yourself with Pride and Prejudice just because it’s the most famous. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. But if you can’t handle over 400 pages of the language of Austen, I highly suggest Northanger Abbey or Persuasion, both resting just under 300. Northanger Abbey is funny and more action-packed with a younger cast of characters, while Persuasion is about a lost love and “the one that got away”. Both are lovely.
That’s all. 4 stars for Northanger Abbey, but who can rate this level of greatness? It’s all about personal preference.
Happy reading,
Holly
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