“She had nothing to do but to forgive herself and be happier than ever.”
Catherine recovering from her faults
Northanger Abbey, volume 2, chapter 10
I love this quote.
Category Archives: Northanger Abbey
Forgiving oneself
Comments Off on Forgiving oneself
Filed under Catherine Morland, Forgiveness, Grace, Happiness, Northanger Abbey
Conceal it well, girls
“Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing any thing, should conceal it as well as she can.”
This is the narrator’s voice, in the chapter where Henry, Eleanor and Catherine hike to the top of Beechen Cliff, and Catherine feels completely ignorant about Henry’s ideas of what makes a beautiful landscape
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 14
Comments Off on Conceal it well, girls
Filed under a Woman's mind, Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Pride
A necessity
“How are the civilities and compliments of every day to be related as they ought to be, unless noted down every evening in a journal? How are your various dresses to be remembered, and the particular state of your complexion, and curl of your hair to be described in all their diversities, without having constant recourse to a journal?”
Henry teasing Catherine the first time they meet in the Lower Rooms in Bath
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 3
I’m afraid that I am guilty as charged.
Comments Off on A necessity
Filed under Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Sarcasm, Writing
Becoming irresistible
“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
Horror!
“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…
“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
Comments Off on Wherever you are…
Filed under Catherine Morland, Contentment (or not), Mrs. Morland, Northanger Abbey
A time for everything
“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
Fretting over trifles
“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
The power of refusal
“Man has the advantage of choice, woman only the power of refusal.”
Henry Tilney, comparing dancing and marriage
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 10
Comments Off on The power of refusal
Filed under Balls, Henry Tilney, Marriage, Northanger Abbey
The joy of a good book
“‘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
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