Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Northanger Abbey with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, which follows the young, naïve Catherine Morland as she leaves behind her sheltered life and discovers polite society in Bath. In this novel, perceptive social observation and incisive wit are combined with a satire of the Gothic novel, as Catherine’s overactive imagination, stimulated by her extensive reading of these popular books, shapes her view of the world and leads her to jump to incorrect conclusions. Although Northanger Abbey was published posthumously in 1817, it is the first novel that Austen completed (it was ready for publication as early as 1803). Along with Austen’s other celebrated novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion), it has captivated generations of readers and is still widely read and studied today.

Find out everything you need to know about Northanger Abbey in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Oct 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9782808012423

Book preview

ENGLISH NOVELIST

Born in Steventon in 1775.

Died in Winchester in 1817.

Notable works:

Sense and Sensibility (1811), novel

Pride and Prejudice (1813), novel

Mansfield Park (1814), novel

Jane Austen was born in Hampshire in 1775, the daughter of an Anglican rector. Although the Austens had a modest income, Jane and her siblings were encouraged to read widely. She wrote her first spoof novella, Love and Freindship (1790) – misspelling deliberate – when she was just 14. Jane apparently read excerpts of the work aloud to her family, developing a writing style characterised by social observation and wit.

In 1801, Jane moved from Hampshire to Bath with her parents and sister Cassandra. Their life in the city was cut short, however, when her father died in 1805. Jane, her mother and Cassandra finally settled in the village of Chawton, where Jane wrote her most famous novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey (1818) and Persuasion (1818). In 1816, at the age of 41, she became ill and died the following year, possibly of Addison’s disease. She continued to