Northanger Abbey- I picked Northanger Abbey because I am more familiar wth Austen's other books and had never really heard about Northanger Abbey. Also, the heroine's name is Catherine (my name is spelled Catharine) and that made me happy. As a child, Catherine is described as sort of a tomboy, more interested in playing outside in the dirt than tending to flowers and her studies. When she grows to the ripe old age of 17, Catherine travels to Bath with friendly neighbors, the Allens, where she makes new friends, goes to balls and plays, and finds a love interest, Mr.Tilney. Catherine is naieve and doesn't see anything but the best in others. Her first friend, Isabella, is obviously just using Catherine and is way more interested in flirting and trying to "marry up". Catherine's brother, James, comes to visit in bath so they spend some time with Isabella and Isabella's brother, John (who is a tool and wants to marry Catherine.) Catherine would rather be spending time with Mr.Tilney (I like him) and his sister Eleanor, who she had befriended. Finally, Catherine ditches her Isabella and John when she starts to realize they aren't the best company and is invited to accompany the Tilney's to their home in Northanger Abbey. Catherine and half the other characters in the book are interested in reading Gothic novels which were apparently popular at the time (they especially like the Mysteries of Udolpho) so she's pretty excited to be going to stay in an Abbey. Mr.Tilney is several years older than Catherine and while she amuses him with her observations and good naturedness, Catherine enjoys learning from him. I don't think I've included any spoilers so far, you know from the title of the book that she will end up at Northanger Abbey! So without telling you too much about the end, something bad happens then all loose ends are tied up and she lives happily ever after.
Observations:
- I really like the long sentences! Some are as long as a paragraph.
- The language used was very interesting to me. I read most of the book in a day but felt I had to concentrate on the vocabulary since several words are used differently than today.
- The book was Austen's first written and last published. I have not read her other books yet but I kind of felt like it was written early. She seemed a bit unsure of herself as an author.
- I watched the Jane Austen Book Club on Lifetime after reading the book and I liked some of their opinions of the book and characters. Mr.Tilney was described as "such a flirt" and another character observed that it was a novel about novels.
- Austen is all about propriety (seriously, when you look it up in the dictionary, it should say "see: Jane Austen's novels") but I didn't feel her female characters were limited or subdued.
SPOILER ALERT! I apparently love this book too much to not write about what happens. You could read the first section safely and If you just want general observations about the book, scroll down.
1. Jane's childhood: Jane is an orphan who lives with her aunt and three cousins. The aunt never wanted Jane but was made to promise her husband on his deathbed that she would raise Jane as her own. Jane is allowed to live with them but is treated like a second-class citizen in the house. Jane is treated awfully and her aunt ignores the constant abuse inflicted by her son. Jane is eventually sent to Lowood school, a school for orphans. At first the conditions are awful, until after an illness broke out and many of the girls died. After the illness brings the school into the public eye, conditions improve. Jane does well in her classes and teaches for a couple years until at age 18, she wants a new situation. Jane advertises looking for a governess position and is offered a job at Thornfield.
2. Thornfield: Jane is governess to a little French girl, Adele, who is the ward of Mr.Rochester. Mr.Rochester is almost 20 years older than Jane, kind of rough around the edges, and has lived a bit of a wild life. Jane amuses Mr.Rochester and it is obvious to the reader though not to Jane, that he is falling in love with her. He asks her to join him in the evenings and they talk. Jane is very frank and give answers/observations that are unusual because they are so honest. I'm always amazed at how the rich seem to have lived at the time. They would go to a party and stay for a couple weeks socializing, playing games, and when visiting Thornfield, insulting anyone seen to be in a lower class. Mr.Rochester tells Jane to join the party in the evenings but she tries to stay out of the way. Some of the party-goers think nothing of insulting governesses and saying Jane looks stupid, etc. right in front of her. Mr.Rochester seems to be courting Miss Ingram. She is always by his side at the party and it is rumored they will marry. Jane is jealous, of course, but tries not to think of it since she is just poor, plain Jane and her "master" can certainly not think of her the way she thinks of him. Jane leaves for a while, to go visit her dying aunt who has requested her presence (she lied in a letter to a man who said he was Jane's uncle and wanted to leave her his money). Jane is gone for a month and finally returns to Thornfield. They converse in the garden and he speaks about his upcoming wedding. Jane thinks he is talking about Miss Ingram and finally he explains that he always intended to marry Jane and only pretended to court Miss Ingram (gold digger) to make Jane jealous and realize that she is in love with him too. I was so happy when it looked like there would be a happy ending. Plans are made for a quiet wedding and Mr.Rochester tries to spoil Jane with gifts which makes her very uncomfortable. THEN I realized that there was still a lot left in the book and I knew something bad was going to happen.
3. Something crazy happens and the wedding can not take place. Jane somehow finds the strength to leave her love because she feels it is the right thing to do given the situation. She pays someone for a ride and when she gets out of the carriage, realizes she has left her money. Jane is totally broke, hungry, exhausted, and without a friend in a strange place. She tries to find work, tries to trade her gloves for her food, and wanders, destitute. Jane eventually comes across a cottage, asks for food and is turned away by the housekeeper. She can go no further and lays down on the doorstep to die. A new character shows up, lets her in. She eats, sleeps for days, regains her strength and stays with the family (two sisters and their brother) for a month. Jane adopts an alias, gets a position as a teacher for peasant girls and is moderately happy though she still thinks of Mr.Rochester. Then, hey! Good news! It turns out that Jane's uncle has indeed left her quite a bit of money and a lawyer has been searching for her for quite a while. She admits her true identity and it turns out that the family she had stayed with are her cousins. She shares the money with them because she's awesome. The brother of the family is going to be a missionary and though he does not love Jane, he wants to marry her because she would be a good missionary's wife. She refuses to marry him because she knows what it's like to be loved! She decides to go see if Mr.Rochester is ok and finds out that he was injured in a fire. He is left blind and without one of his hands. He is so happy she has returned (he feared she was dead), the obstacle has been removed, and they marry and live happily ever after.
Observations
I think Jane is a good role model. She does what she thinks is right, is independent and her own person. When not satisfied with her place in life, she does something about it. She put herself in danger to do the right thing.
When Jane's student, Adele, speaks, it is mostly in French. This was a bit frustrating since I don't speak French but you could get the gist of the conversation based on Jane's answers being in English.
When mentioning towns, the author would frequently write "---shire" or "S----" instead of writing the whole word. I'm all about imagination but that bugged me for some reason.
This book was described as an unusual love story and I think that's fitting.
Did I mention how much I LOVED this book? You should totally read it.
Compare/Contrast
- I could tell that it was written later than Northanger Abbey because though longer, it was easier for me to read.
- Both books had female lead characters. Both characters were good people, but I liked Jane's strength.
- Bronte spent more time in the conclusion than Austen. The end of Northanger Abbey was very sudden. The conclusion of Jane Eyre had more details and told more of the characters' future.
- I want to read more books by both authors. Northanger Abbey was ok, not my favorite book but I do want to read the others (Pride and Prejudice, etc.)
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