Book Review: Northanger Abbey

I really love Jane Austen. Everyone says that her work is "timeless" because it really is. The introduction to Northanger Abbey said that is believed that this book was written when Austen was young, and I would believe that because there was a certain immaturity to the work. I personally felt like there wasn't much of a plot in this book. The heroine, Catherine, goes to Bath with friends and meets two families, the Thorpes and the Tilneys. Her experience with the Thorpes supposedly shows her naivete and is a warning to girls about too much innocence. I guess I can believe that because the Thorpes were shallow and transparent, and Catherine's friendship was exploited but she never seemed to notice it.

Mr. Tilney is the hero of the book but I thought he was a rather boring character, myself. He himself wasn't boring as he was outgoing, liked to tease, and really could be a little too sarcastic at times. But there didn't seem to be any depth to him or to Catherine for that matter. I couldn't understand why he'd be attracted to a dolt like Catherine, but I suppose her frequent description of "good humoured" would be the reason why. It was hardly satisfying, however, at the end of the book when Austen commented that Mr. Tilney first became interested in Catherine because he found out that she had feelings for him. I have to admit that I've done the same in the past, but that's not something you want to read about in a romantic novel. She was quite simply flat.

Austen's writing pushes this book along. There is heavy narration, and at times I actually laughed out loud from her clever quips and comments. This is one of my favorites:

Mrs. Allen was one of that numerous class of females, whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any men in the world who could like them well enough to marry them.

We all know women like that!

Lindsey's Grade: B