Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"

Paper Summary:

The paper first explains that, in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey", various narrative strategies build a system of trust, which stimulates the reader into seeing things from the narrator's perspective. Next, the author analyzes the first line of the novel, which sets the stage for the narrator's use of trust. This motif of trust, the paper concludes also reveals Austen's concerns about the materialism of Victorian society and her satire of the Gothic form of literature.

From the Paper:

"As the novel progresses, the reader's reliance on the narrator becomes lessened. The plot, not the narrator, becomes the major source for much of the character development. Therefore, the reader begins to understand the characters mainly through their interactions with one another. Through observing her interactions with other people, the reader sees Isabella as being ruthless and selfish when it comes to getting her way. Isabella uses Catherine, deceives James, and woos Frederic so she can climb the socio-economic ladder."

More papers on Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey":

• Book Review # 71225 : "Cultural Criticism of Northanger Abbey"
• Book Review # 52283 : "Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"
• Book Review # 65245 : "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen"

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