Themes Of Northanger Abbey

Themes of Northanger Abbey

In Spacks essay, she discusses the fact that Northanger Abbey parodies the romantic Gothic novels of that time. She also argues about the generational conflict, and the characters use of imagination to promote their growth and maturity. She states that the growth takes place through "involvement and imagination"(303). I agree with Spacks by saying that there is plenty of imagination involved in this novel but in Catherine's case, I believe that her growth has more to do with her experiences. The involvement that Catherine has with General Tilney is crucial because she learns from him. She learns that good people could also have a bad side.

There is definitely an issue of personal experience to the perception of the world. Spacks states "Austin reveals significant separation from the important truths of experience" (304). Spacks also states that Mrs. Allen ignores the feelings of others because of her preoccupation to the muslin way of life. Her life is set up around a fantasy-based world. At the same time, General Tilney is in a dream world of his own. He is often unable to decipher the facts and the fiction of people's visions. Even the best-represented woman in the novel, Mrs. Morland, is in a fantasy world of her own. Her views on morality coincide not with her perception but with her assumptions.

Northanger Abbey is about Catherine's journey from childhood to womanhood, a journey that is influenced by the Gothic novels that she reads throughout the story. The novel's heroine Catherine shows the signs of evil within humans as she concocts stories about the so-called villain General Tilney. After being led through the abbey, Catherine begins to suspect something unnatural. "The General's evident desire of preventing such an examination was an additional stimulant. Something was certainly to be concealed"(128). She comes to the conclusion that he is hiding the body Mrs. Tilney. I believe this is when Catherine's character grows the most. She is no longer naпve; she sees the evil in other people along with the good. It is through her own perception of General Tilney and his actions that make her come to this realization. Although this is where I think her growth is best, she also becomes disenchanted at the same time.

As the story goes along, Catherine's character does mature but the maturity leads to a need for action. Catherine goes on to try and assure herself that Mr. Tilney would never put her in such a place and that she was not scared. This thirst for the story showed her need for excitement and evil of situations without any evil present at all. Catherine continues that the same day to try and relive the story Mr. Tilney has told her. She is engulfed by the darkness when she gets to the documents and finds out in the morning they are old linen documents. She feels ridiculous for her obsession with stories that she read in the novels. This shows that Catherine was trying to make some sort of sinister situation out of innocence. Catherine is convinced that General Tilney has killed his wife while his kids were away and does not love her or ever loved her. She mistakes his discipline over his children as cruelty and thinks that they are treated badly and unfairly.

Spacks article states that Northanger Abbey "expresses abundant hostility towards parents"(305). This could only support her arguments that General Tilney was a tyrant. It is easy for children to think that someone is evil if that person controls the discipline in their environment. We could only being seeing the sides of General Tilney that Austen wants us to see. The representation that we receive is his character as a tyrant to support the audience's belief that his is a tyrant. Although he embodied many bad qualities, he was still a father and only wanted the best for his children.

Catherine begins to act out her Gothic thoughts by exploring the situation of the death of Mrs. Tilney, only to be caught in the act by Henry. He has to bring her back to her senses and make her realize that society does not permit such things and made her realize that she has really offended him. Henry explains that his mother was not murdered but she died naturally. While in rage Henry states: "the seizure which ended her death was sudden" (134). It is only after this explanation that Catherine throws out her fantasy of General Tilney killing his wife.

General Tilney is viewed as a tyrannical character throughout the novel, but I believe that he had good reasoning for his actions.