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Northanger Abbey

by

Jane Austen

Jane Austen's satire on early 19th century Gothic romances. A young woman who has read too many novels is invited to visit a wealthy family residing in a former medieval abbey.

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Mini Review:
One of Austen's earlier works, Northanger Abbey was written in 1798 but not published until 1816. A sly satire on Gothic romances of the late 18th century, it is nonetheless an enjoyable story at face value. Catherine Morland, a young woman whose imagination is fueled by the consumption of too many novels, is invited to visit a wealthy family living in a former medieval abbey.

Northanger Abbey has plenty to offer the Austen fan, including her wit ("I don't speak well enough to be unintelligble.") and her observations on human nature ("No man is offended by another man's admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment."), and is only slightly marred by a deus-ex-machina conclusion.