“Catherine, meanwhile, undisturbed by presentiments of such an evil . . . enjoyed her usual happiness with Henry Tilney, listening with sparkling eyes to every thing he said; and, in finding him irresistible, becoming so herself.”
Dancing at the Assembly Rooms in Bath
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 1
Filed under Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney, Love, Northanger Abbey
“Catherine, for a few moments, was motionless with horror. It was done completely; not a remnant of light in the wick could give hope to the rekindling breath. Darkness impenetrable and immovable penetrated the room. A violent gust of wind, rising with sudden fury, added fresh horror to the moment. . . . A cold sweat stood out on her forehead . . . To close her eyes in sleep that night, she felt must be entirely out of the question.”
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 6
The image is from Graphic Classics volume 14, which includes both Northanger Abbey and Udolpho. I wish I had one to curl up with for a little Halloween reading!
Filed under Catherine Morland, Fear, Northanger Abbey
“Wherever you are you should always be contented, but especially at
home, because there you must spend the most of your time.”
Mrs. Morland
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 15
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Filed under Catherine Morland, Contentment (or not), Mrs. Morland, Northanger Abbey
“My dear Catherine, I am afraid you are growing quite a fine lady. . . . Your head runs too much upon Bath; but there is a time for
everything — a time for balls and plays, and a time for work. You have had a long run of amusement, and now you must try to be useful.”
More sensible advice from Catherine’s mother
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 15
Today I am going to try to be useful. 😉
Filed under Balls, Bath, Catherine Morland, Contentment (or not), Mrs. Morland, Northanger Abbey
“You should never fret about trifles.”
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 15
Advice from Catherine’s sensible mother, after she returns home from Northanger Abbey and “could neither sit still nor employ herself for ten minutes together.”
Filed under Catherine Morland, Contentment (or not), Mrs. Morland, Northanger Abbey
“‘While I have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make me miserable.'”
Catherine, Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 6
I’ve just gotten Udolpho and can’t wait to delve into it, but I have to confess this is exactly how I feel about the Harry Potter books. Such joy!
Filed under Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey, Other books and writers, Reading
Ack! It is Monday, after a rainy, roof-leaking, tax-nightmare of a weekend, and I am running late. More from Northanger Abbey today. Reading it again, I’m reminded of Jane’s genius. It’s deceptively simple, but the characters are so perfectly drawn, and like Mags at AustenBlog (who runs Tilneys and Trap Doors) I am being won over by Henry Tilney’s gentle sarcasm.
” . . . if it be true, as a celebrated writer has maintained, that no young lady can be justified in falling in love before the gentleman’s love is declared, it must be very improper that a young lady should dream of a gentleman before the gentleman is known to have dreamt of her.”
Of the evening after Catherine first meets and dances with Henry, at the Lower Rooms in Bath
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 3
Filed under Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney, Love, Northanger Abbey
“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 1
I had read this quote attributed to Austen, but couldn’t find it anywhere. I was thrilled the other day, re-reading Northanger Abbey, to find that it’s said of Mrs. Allen’s inviting young Catherine Morland to Bath.
The new ITV adaptation, which has already aired in Britain, will run on Masterpiece Theatre here in the US this fall. It’s not gotten great reviews, but I’m hoping if nothing else it will introduce Austen fans to this great, fun little novel, which I’m afraid is sometimes overlooked in all the Darcy mania.
(I can’t get the page to load, but evidently there’s a preview here.)
Comments Off on Seeking adventure abroad
Filed under Adventure, Bath, Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey, Travel
“A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without color, dark lank hair, and strong features; — so much for her person; -and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boys’ plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. . . . What a strange, unaccountable character! — for with all these symptoms of profligacy at ten years old, she had neither a bad heart nor a bad temper; was seldom stubborn, scarcely ever quarrelsome, and very kind to the little ones, with few interruptions of tyranny; she was moreover noisy and wild, hated confinement and cleanliness, and loved nothing so well in the world as rolling down the green slope at the back of the house.”
a description of NA‘s heroine, Catherine Morland; biographers suspect that at least part of this was autobiographical for Jane, who grew up with six brothers and numerous boarders for the boys’ school her father ran in their home
Northanger Abbey, chapter 1
Filed under Catherine Morland, Character description, Children, Northanger Abbey
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith