Northanger Abbey Literary Devices

Explanation and Analysis—Friendship:

Northanger Abbey explores the joys (and sorrows) of friendship. The first major friendship in the novel is between two families: the Allens and the Morlands. This connection leads to the Allens inviting Catherine on a trip to Bath. The story also explores friendship between individuals like Catherine and Isabella. In Volume 1, Chapter 4, they meet in the Pump-room (one of the central meeting points in Bath):

[Catherine] was soon invited to accept an arm of the eldest Miss Thorpe, and take a turn with her about the room. Catherine was delighted with this extension of her Bath acquaintance, and almost forgot Mr. Tilney while she talked to Miss Thorpe. Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love[...]. Miss Thorpe, however, being four years older than Miss Morland, and at least four years better informed, had a very decided advantage in discussing such points; she could compare the balls of Bath with those of Tunbridge[...].

Here, Catherine and Isabella Thorpe "take a turn" about the drawing-room. Isabella is much more experienced and cultured, but she manages to make Catherine feel comfortable. Friendship is metaphorically presented as the "finest balm" for Catherine's disappointment at Henry's absence. This metaphor shows that friendship can evolve in a context of sorrow and helps distract one from heartbreak or unrequited love much like medicine or "balm" can be invented to cure pain or illness.

However, later in the story, the reader discovers that Isabella is merely a conniving social climber who makes nice to Catherine in hopes of marrying her brother James. So friendship indeed turns out to be a "balm," but rather than one offered to Catherine out of the kindness of Isabella's heart, it is one developed to prevent Isabella's romantic disappointment and help her achieve the marriage of her dreams.

Austen was known for her skillful social dramas, and Northanger Abbey exemplifies her ability to portray relationships. The recurring motif of friendship places continuous emphasis on interpersonal relations.

Explanation and Analysis—Foolishness and Folly:

For all its highfalutin prose, Northanger Abbey demonstrates humans' capacity for foolishness. The protagonist Catherine is gullible, overwrought, and inexperienced. In Volume 1, Chapter 8 the narrator describes her naive (yet true) assumption that Mr. Tilney, a highly desirable man, is not married:

But guided only by what was simple and probable, it had never entered her head that Mr. Tilney could be married; he had not behaved, he had not talked, like the married men to whom she had been used; he had never mentioned a wife, and he had acknowledged a sister.

Catherine is indeed guided by what is "simple and probable" and easy for her to grasp. She makes assumptions based on her limited experience and reading. By contrast, Isabella believes herself to be clever and conniving. But people (like the Tilneys) see right through her. Older characters display foolishness, too; General Tilney has such a high opinion of himself and his own estate that he acts stupidly around other people.

While this motif reminds us of the foolishness of making a big deal out of small things (like Catherine), as well as the stupidity of trying to appear one way while acting in another (like Isabella), it does so with hilarity and gentle fondness. How Austen managed to make such fun of her characters without fully deriding them remains a principal hallmark of her genius.

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Explanation and Analysis—Love and Marriage:

Love and marriage are the principal sources of conflict in Northanger Abbey. Much of the plot involves the potential marriages of Catherine, Isabella, Henry, and other characters. For example, Isabella devises a plan to marry Catherine's brother, James. When she discovers he is less rich than she assumed, she begins to pursue the wealthier Captain Tilney. But in Volume 2, Chapter 11, the Tilney siblings predict the failure of her new plan:

From this time, the subject was frequently canvassed by the three young people; and Catherine found, with some surprize, that her two young friends were perfectly agreed in considering Isabella’s want of consequence and fortune as likely to throw great difficulties in the way of her marrying their brother.

The phrase "want of consequence and fortune" is a subtle way to say that Isabella lacks social importance and money. She desires to marry to gain these things, but the Tilneys believe the initial absence of these qualities will prevent her from success. By contrast, Catherine falls in love with Henry Tilney and desires to (and eventually does!) marry him. Austen uses these two storylines to show that the happiest matches are not made due to money but rather love. Marriage is a social and legal contract with financial implications, but this story implies that love is the most important element in a relationship.

The motif of marriage appears in all of Austen's novels; it shows the pressure society put on women to find husbands at a very young age. Its frequent recurrence allows for many examples of the failures of marriage for social climbers like Isabella and the successes of marriage for those who marry (albeit naively) for love.

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Explanation and Analysis—Carriages:

Carriages are a symbol of status in Northanger Abbey. Characters who own carriages have plentiful funds to spend on travel and leisure, while those who rent them can afford to travel only occasionally. In Volume 1, Chapter 11, James Morland has to rent a carriage because he can't afford to buy one. Thorpe has little sympathy for him:

“If your brother had not got such a d––– beast to drive,” said he soon afterwards, “we might have done it very well. My horse would have trotted to Clifton within the hour, if left to himself, and I have almost broke my arm with pulling him in to that cursed broken-winded jade’s pace. Morland is a fool for not keeping a horse and gig of his own.”

Here, Thorpe asserts his superiority by comparing his own carriage to that of James. Words like "cursed" and "broken-winded" comprise a string of insults intended to criticize not only James's carriage, but also his economic plight. By contrast, the (much wealthier) Tilney family has a few carriages of their own. After the carriage incident, Isabella realizes that James is not as rich as she originally assumed and decides to pursue Captain Tilney. The recurring motif of carriages underscores the novel's theme of the importance of class and status.

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Explanation and Analysis—The Written Word:

In Northanger Abbey, the motif of the written word reinforces the novel's interest in the relationship between fiction and reality. It also symbolizes intelligence, as journals, literature, and letters represent sources of knowledge. In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Henry declares:

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and most of them with great pleasure."

Here, Henry expresses his appreciation for novels and his disapproval of anyone who dislikes them. The ability to enjoy reading (as a form of entertainment or erudition) indicates his intelligence.

However, books are not always reliable sources of information. Catherine often lets fiction dictate her reality. For instance, in Volume 2, Chapter 7, Catherine finds a roll of papers that she believes to be a manuscript. However, it is a mere laundry bill:

Impatient to get rid of those hateful evidences of her folly, those detestable papers then scattered over the bed, she rose directly, and folding them up as nearly as possible in the same shape as before, returned them to the same spot within the cabinet.

In a Gothic or sentimental novel, the heroine might find a significant manuscript in the drawer of a dresser in some old castle. Catherine imagines herself in this position. However, she soon finds that the papers are not at all significant and gets flustered at the thought of revealing her flights of fancy to Henry Tilney. The written word often misleads Catherine, who has not yet developed the capacity to appreciate novels as works of pure fiction.

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Explanation and Analysis—The Role of Women:

The perceived role of women as the "weaker sex" appears frequently in Northanger Abbey. In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Henry Tilney makes an unfavorable observation about women:

I have no patience with such of my sex as disdain to let themselves sometimes down to the comprehension of yours. Perhaps the abilities of women are neither sound nor acute—neither vigorous nor keen. Perhaps they may want observation, discernment, judgment, fire, genius, and wit.

In order to show his comparative intelligence, Henry employs ostentatious diction. The word "perhaps" is suggestive; Henry does not directly accuse women of stupidity, but he does imply it in a circuitous (yet entirely obvious) way. Catherine, despite her general ignorance, manages to make a pretty sound retort:

Catherine looked grave. “And now, Henry,” said Miss Tilney, “that you have made us understand each other, you may as well make Miss Morland understand yourself—unless you mean to have her think you intolerably rude to your sister, and a great brute in your opinion of women in general. Miss Morland is not used to your odd ways.”

Here, Austen allows her protagonist to have a brief moment of verbal glory amidst her many mistakes and foibles. Despite her naivety, Catherine's positive qualities (sympathy, emotive capacity, and innocence) outweigh what might be perceived as stupidity. She has brief moments of clarity amongst childish imaginings. The role of women also plays a prominent part in discussions of love, marriage, and families as most women are expected to find husbands and play subservient roles to men.

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Explanation and Analysis—Elements of the Gothic:

Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Austen's Gothic satire due to its inclusion of many Gothic elements. The second half of the story is set in a "castle" (Northanger Abbey). In Volume 2, Chapter 5, the narrator describes the discrepancy between Catherine's expectations and the reality of the abbey:

The windows, to which she looked with peculiar dependence, from having heard the General talk of his preserving them in their Gothic form with reverential care, were yet less what her fancy had portrayed. To be sure, the pointed arch was preserved—the form of them was Gothic—they might be even casements—but every pane was so large, so clear [...]

Northanger does not exactly match Catherine's expectations, but she nonetheless lets her imagination get the best of her during the visit. There remains a sense—to Catherine, at least—of mystery, adventure, and suspense throughout the novel, despite the slight disappointments of reality (in contrast to her beloved Gothic fiction). Here, Austen uses Gothic elements to show how Catherine's imagination makes her expect so much more from life than is truly possible.

By appropriating elements of the Gothic, Austen also communicates a poignant message about self-knowledge and personal happiness. Gaining knowledge about oneself and the world is not an easy task; the path to such knowledge often resembles the dark, winding corridors of a Gothic castle. In keeping with this motif of finding one's way, Catherine eventually learns about love and friendship, ultimately finding her way to happiness through her marriage to Henry Tilney.

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Explanation and Analysis—Wealth:

Northanger Abbey is full of characters who prioritize wealth. For example, Mrs. Allen loves clothing and shopping and judges Mrs. Thorpe for her shabby clothes. Isabella desires a rich man and forsakes James in favor of Frederick. Most hilariously, the General is obsessed with remodeling his estate, compares his land to that of Mr. Allen, and wants his children to marry rich people. In Volume 2, Chapter 6, he takes great pleasure in Catherine's admiration of the abbey:

“No, indeed,” was Catherine’s honest assurance; “Mr. Allen’s dining-parlour was not more than half as large:” and she had never seen so large a room as this in her life.

The General’s good-humour increased.—Why, as he had such rooms, he thought it would be simple not to make use of them; but, upon his honour, he believed there might be more comfort in rooms of only half their size. Mr. Allen’s house, he was sure, must be exactly of the true size for rational happiness.

The General's condescending comment about "rational happiness" does little to conceal his disdain for Mr. Allen. A large house is a symbol of wealth and status, and the grandeur of Northanger Abbey makes the General feels superior to others. The motif of wealth appears here and in many other places in the novel to remind readers of the superficiality of focusing all of one's energy on the accumulation of money and property.

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Explanation and Analysis—The Written Word:

In Northanger Abbey, the motif of the written word reinforces the novel's interest in the relationship between fiction and reality. It also symbolizes intelligence, as journals, literature, and letters represent sources of knowledge. In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Henry declares:

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and most of them with great pleasure."

Here, Henry expresses his appreciation for novels and his disapproval of anyone who dislikes them. The ability to enjoy reading (as a form of entertainment or erudition) indicates his intelligence.

However, books are not always reliable sources of information. Catherine often lets fiction dictate her reality. For instance, in Volume 2, Chapter 7, Catherine finds a roll of papers that she believes to be a manuscript. However, it is a mere laundry bill:

Impatient to get rid of those hateful evidences of her folly, those detestable papers then scattered over the bed, she rose directly, and folding them up as nearly as possible in the same shape as before, returned them to the same spot within the cabinet.

In a Gothic or sentimental novel, the heroine might find a significant manuscript in the drawer of a dresser in some old castle. Catherine imagines herself in this position. However, she soon finds that the papers are not at all significant and gets flustered at the thought of revealing her flights of fancy to Henry Tilney. The written word often misleads Catherine, who has not yet developed the capacity to appreciate novels as works of pure fiction.

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Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey: Motifs 8 key examples