Literature Analysis #2

Northanger Abbey by, Jane Austen

1. Catherine Morland is a seventeen year old girl with nine siblings and her parents. Her family friends, the Allens, invite her to accompany them to the luxurious city of Bath in which she graciously accepts. She soon becomes friends the Thorpes family and the Tilneys family. Catherine finds herself in situations of the utmost dilemma not wished upon anyone and yet she is able to deal with them. Throughout the story a tangled web is woven and love triangles are broken. The narrative fulfills the author's purpose, because the readers are able to feel what the author wants you to through tone and her syntax and diction.

2. The theme of this novel is that communication can either tear apart or hold together anyone. Throughout the novel, you will find a lot of miscommunications that could have easily be fixed if those people would have talked to each other instead of assuming. For example, Catherine thought the Tilneys' dad had killed his wife, when she in fact died of natural causes.

3. The authors tone is quite teasing and playful. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously or harshly on purpose. “Whatever might have been felt before her arrival, her eager declarations immediately made every look and sentence as friendly as she could desire” (Page 95)

4. 

Mood~ “…and Catherine felt herself in high luck” (Page 19). This quote explains how Catherine thinks the rest of the ballroom sees her. She feels untouchable with Henry and that this mood is moving through the room as people see her with him.

Point of View~ “But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her” (Page 11).

Point of View~ “Catherine followed her orders and turned away” (Page 57).

Irony~ "imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms." Jane Austen doesn't really mean that, because she wrote intelligent novels.

 Setting~ Now, there was nothing so charming to her imagination as the unpretending comfort of a well-connected parsonage, something like Fullerton, but better; Fullerton had its faults, but Woodston probably had none.

 Conflict~ Catherine feels a conflict within herself, when she had previously engaged in different rides. “Dear Madam, then why did not you tell me so before? I am sure if I had known it to be improper, I would not have gone with Mr. Thorpe at all; but I always hoped you would tell me, if you thought I was doing wrong” (Page 97). Catherine is at war with her emotions, feeling that she has done wrong and disappointed Mr. and Mrs. Allen.

 Symbol~ " Morland is a fool for not keeping a horse and a gig of his own." John Thorpe is degrading him and stating how he is of a poor class. Horses signify wealth.

 Symbol~ "Henry drove so well, - so quietly - without making any disturbance, without parading to her, or swearing at them; so different from the only gentleman-coachman whom it was in her power to compare him with! " The way they drove symbolized masculinity.

 Hyperbole~ "We perfectly see into your heart." They don't mean it literally, its an exaggeration.

 Imagery~ "The night was stormy; the wind had been rising at intervals the whole afternoon; and by the time the party broke up, it blew and rained violently." (Page 170) Austen described the setting, so you as a reader could picture the scene.

 CHARACTERIZATION

Characterization is a huge literary device in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. She uses this device to help the reader imagine the character in their mind as they move through the story.

A direct characterization of Catherine Morland is, “She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features” (Page 7).
An indirect characterization is, “That her heart was affectionate, her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind – her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl” (Page 12).

An indirect characterization, “He seemed to be about four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and , if not quite handsome, was very near it.” (Page 19)

A direct characterization is, "Her hair was cut and dressed by the best hand, her clothes put on with care, and both Mrs. Allen and her maid declared she looked quite as she should do." (Page. 10)
2. The narrator often uses syntax and diction to narrate the plot and to directly address the reader. When narrating the plot, the narrator's style is generally clear, witty, and relatively concise. For example, when describing John Thorpe's reunion with his sisters, the narrator's style is fairly concise and to the point, with a brief humorous clause tossed in for a laugh.

 3. The protagonist, Catherine Morland, is dynamic and round. Catherine changes and grows with the help of age into a great woman. She learns and becomes wise as the book progresses and becomes the person a reader roots for.

 4. After reading the book, I felt like I'd met a new person. I watched these characters lives unfold before my eyes and heard their stories as though I were with them the entire time, right by their side.