Northanger Abbey "Fools"
18th Century Abbey
Mrs. Allen (click on name to link to era page)
Isabella Thorpe: At the beginning of her relationship with Catherine, Isabella seems to be a doting best friend. However, readers are almost instantaneously introduced to her true colors. Not only is she a gossip concerned with only superficial things, but she is a flirt who will quickly ruin her reputation. She has poor manners and in turn morals which eventually cause her to lose both of her love interests. When she becomes aware of the “modest sum” of money that Jame’s father will be able to give them over the next two years, it isn’t good enough for her. In the blink of an eye she begins flirting with Captain Tilney, even in the presence of her fiancé. Humor sets in when Tilney gives her a taste of her own medicine and leaves her lonely. (What goes around comes around!) Basically, Isabella can be compared to a present day “Gold Digger.” Think Mean Girls circa 1800.
John Thorpe: Isabella’s conniving brother who is just as much of a smooth talker as his sister. He sends off a conceited and arrogant demeanor which is backed up by his speech (which is usually in the form of yelling and swearing). As Catherine is sitting in the carriage with him, she compliments him on the horse’s graceful departure to which he responds, “assuring her that it was entirely owing to the peculiarly judicious manner in which he had then held the reins, and the singular discernment and dexterity with which he had directed his whip.” (41) Someone seems full of themselves. Throughout the progression of the novel he is always putting his two cents in where it isn’t necessary. It is through his pointless ramblings that Austen indulges readers in the irony of his character. His superficiality gives in to boasting and exaggeration. In the end, he doesn’t “get the girl” (Catherine Morland), but that’s okay because she was not wealthy enough for him anyway.
General Tilney: Henry Tilney’s father who is only concerned with material possessions. He takes pride in his home, which is also the title of the novel, Northanger Abbey. General Tilney is so preoccupied with earning money to turn around and spend it that he is viewed by Catherine as an inhumane person. Something doesn’t feel right about him which causes her mind to go crazy (but that will be discussed in the next character analysis). After conversing with John Thorpe regarding Catherine’s status, he falls into believing that Mr. Allen is her Godfather and she will be inheriting his estate, which is completely untruthful. However, upon hearing this he more than welcomes her into their home and treat her as one of their own. Until he receives news of Catherine’s true identity. It is then that readers see the horror embodied in General Tilney. He sends Catherine away, alone, to travel just under one hundred miles by herself. Eventually he comes to terms with his son’s marital choice, but he doesn’t agree with it. His character is established to be the closest thing to an antagonist that the novel develops.
Catherine Morland: Maybe not so much of a “fool” as naïve. She makes several questionable decisions based on nothing more than her lack of experience in the real world. Through trial and error, as well as observation, she is learning from her mistakes and those of others around her. More than anything, Northanger Abbey is a Bildungsroman depicting the journey of Catherine from adolescence to adult hood. Readers embark on this adventure with her, experiencing social wrongs together. Catherine’s naivety leads her to make a handful of seemingly bad choices such as riding in the carriage with a person of the opposite sex un-chaperoned. This was a huge no-no of the time. Females were supposed to uphold the values of morality no matter what. However, without the proper training and role model, she wasn’t to know any better. The icing on the cake for Catherine was when the Tilney’s see her even though she was supposed to have plans with them which John cancelled. Ultimately she begins to understand aspects of life. Although her fast paced mind at Northanger Abbey has her living a Gothic novel, afraid of what lies ahead, and envisioning the worst possible scenarios, she isn’t too far off in her judgment and suspicions of General Tilney.
Isabella Thorpe: At the beginning of her relationship with Catherine, Isabella seems to be a doting best friend. However, readers are almost instantaneously introduced to her true colors. Not only is she a gossip concerned with only superficial things, but she is a flirt who will quickly ruin her reputation. She has poor manners and in turn morals which eventually cause her to lose both of her love interests. When she becomes aware of the “modest sum” of money that Jame’s father will be able to give them over the next two years, it isn’t good enough for her. In the blink of an eye she begins flirting with Captain Tilney, even in the presence of her fiancé. Humor sets in when Tilney gives her a taste of her own medicine and leaves her lonely. (What goes around comes around!) Basically, Isabella can be compared to a present day “Gold Digger.” Think Mean Girls circa 1800.
John Thorpe: Isabella’s conniving brother who is just as much of a smooth talker as his sister. He sends off a conceited and arrogant demeanor which is backed up by his speech (which is usually in the form of yelling and swearing). As Catherine is sitting in the carriage with him, she compliments him on the horse’s graceful departure to which he responds, “assuring her that it was entirely owing to the peculiarly judicious manner in which he had then held the reins, and the singular discernment and dexterity with which he had directed his whip.” (41) Someone seems full of themselves. Throughout the progression of the novel he is always putting his two cents in where it isn’t necessary. It is through his pointless ramblings that Austen indulges readers in the irony of his character. His superficiality gives in to boasting and exaggeration. In the end, he doesn’t “get the girl” (Catherine Morland), but that’s okay because she was not wealthy enough for him anyway.
General Tilney: Henry Tilney’s father who is only concerned with material possessions. He takes pride in his home, which is also the title of the novel, Northanger Abbey. General Tilney is so preoccupied with earning money to turn around and spend it that he is viewed by Catherine as an inhumane person. Something doesn’t feel right about him which causes her mind to go crazy (but that will be discussed in the next character analysis). After conversing with John Thorpe regarding Catherine’s status, he falls into believing that Mr. Allen is her Godfather and she will be inheriting his estate, which is completely untruthful. However, upon hearing this he more than welcomes her into their home and treat her as one of their own. Until he receives news of Catherine’s true identity. It is then that readers see the horror embodied in General Tilney. He sends Catherine away, alone, to travel just under one hundred miles by herself. Eventually he comes to terms with his son’s marital choice, but he doesn’t agree with it. His character is established to be the closest thing to an antagonist that the novel develops.
Catherine Morland: Maybe not so much of a “fool” as naïve. She makes several questionable decisions based on nothing more than her lack of experience in the real world. Through trial and error, as well as observation, she is learning from her mistakes and those of others around her. More than anything, Northanger Abbey is a Bildungsroman depicting the journey of Catherine from adolescence to adult hood. Readers embark on this adventure with her, experiencing social wrongs together. Catherine’s naivety leads her to make a handful of seemingly bad choices such as riding in the carriage with a person of the opposite sex un-chaperoned. This was a huge no-no of the time. Females were supposed to uphold the values of morality no matter what. However, without the proper training and role model, she wasn’t to know any better. The icing on the cake for Catherine was when the Tilney’s see her even though she was supposed to have plans with them which John cancelled. Ultimately she begins to understand aspects of life. Although her fast paced mind at Northanger Abbey has her living a Gothic novel, afraid of what lies ahead, and envisioning the worst possible scenarios, she isn’t too far off in her judgment and suspicions of General Tilney.