Learning How To Write a Novel
Catherine Morland is the embodiment of every Nerd Girl fantasy. She practically lives out one of those gothic novels that fill an imagination with horrors of Highway Men, haunted mansions, and secret desires.
Northanger Abbey is the first novel that Jane Austen wrote but one of the last couple books she published. Many scholars believe that this had to be her first because of the amateur storytelling, and the use of referencing novels within a novel. But I think that is what makes this novel unique. Jane is just figuring out how to bring a story together and we get to watch it come together.
Introduce the Heroine
Catherine Morland is a simple young girl, brought up by truly in love parents with no real means. She is the fourth of ten children, and no connections to make her exceptional…
“No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be a heroine.”
Austen wanted the readers to be able to relate to the young lady. She made sure that her reader could almost insert them self into the story. If you are reading Jane Austen—in today’s cultural— you are either reading it for school or just truly love the classics… NERD! (Sorry, I had to say it just once… I mean we were all thinking it. :) )
Catherine seemed to be a wild child, playing baseball and cricket until she discovered the imaginative beauty of novels. Soon enough she would wondering through halls creaking with each step and feeling the hot breath of the highway man holding her captive in her dreams.
In order for a “non- exceptional” heroine’s story to begin something extraordinary needs to happen and that is where the Allen’s come into the story. A rich man and wife with no children of their own, asked permission to whisk Catherine away to the society of Bath. Once permission was granted Catherine found herself trying to make acquaintances among strangers.
All the traits of a budding Heroine.
2. Enter the Hero
Catherine is suited with a beautiful new muslin gown and she and Mrs. Allen are marooned in the Lower Rooms with no one they know and very few ways to make acquaintances. A literal brush of fate brings the handsome clergyman, Henry Tilney, into the story.
This handsome young man knows the ins and outs of polite society, and does his best to make sure that they are respected… even if he is not particularly fond of them. Mr. Tilney is playful and kind…
“And such an understanding of Muslin.”
(Quick aside: Can we just appreciate J.J. Fields smile? It is truly melt worthy.)
Henry is the second son and a loving brother to his sister, Eleanor. But he was fascinated with Miss Morland, from almost the first moment he met Catherine.
All the makings of a great Hero, but like every day romances, it can never be that smooth.
3. The Second admirer
Turns out Catherine caught the eye of some one else at this evening. The second admirer is Mr. John Thorpe, a school mate and friend of Catherine’s older brother, James. John is a smooth talking and very brash young man. He has very little to recommend him, but he makes himself known nonetheless.
On a couple of occasions he exploited Catherine’s limited knowledge of polite society and cornered her into situations she did not feel comfortable in. He blatantly lied to her in order to convince her to go on an outing with him, and when she begged to be returned he refused.
John comes to the understanding that Catherine is the heir to Mr. and Mrs. Allen estate and fortune, and tries very hard to endear himself to Catherine. She is completely unaware of his misapprehensions, and is not impressed with his manners or his attentions to her. John, thinking that he was making a reputable connection, exaggerated his “understanding” of Miss Morland’s “inheritance” to General Tilney, Henry and Eleanor’s father.
Now we’ve established the cringy triangle…
4. The Looming Shadow of a True Antagonist
General Tilney is not famed for his kindness of spirit or politeness of manner. He is not acclaimed by almost anyone to be a man worth knowing, not even among his children. He has a reputation of being a very harsh man, greedy and unyielding. John was really stretching when he thought that he would have a chance to impress the General. After his talk with Thorpe and seeing that his children were very impressed with Miss Morland, he took a particular interest in her as well. Catherine was invited to join the family in Northanger Abbey, and not looking to deeply into the invitation it was accepted.
Henry and Eleanor were a little weary about the invitation but they were mostly just happy to be able to stay in Catherine’s company.
But there was a more sinister plan in the works.
5. Two major misunderstandings
Catherine has been reading gothic novels for awhile now, and her own imagination is very active, but she has also been sheltered by love and innocence most of her life. The horrors she reads in books seem to be too outrageous for the world she knows and understands. But her major misunderstanding is that an overactive imagination, mixed with the realizations of a corrupt world make for a startling reality check.
Catherine crosses a line at Northanger, suggesting and thinking horrible things of the history of the Abbey and its inhabitance and Henry confronts her about them. See how her wondering mind had injured the man that she was falling in love with, Catherine took the scolding from Henry with a repentant spirit, and reproached herself for the awful thoughts.
I do think it is important to point out that Henry encourage some of this thought at the beginning.
The second misunderstanding is assuming that sources you’ve just met are completely truthful. General Tilney took Thorpe at his word. General Tilney, seeing that Catherine was at least pretty enough to turn his head and apparently rich enough to overlook the connection, decided that he would pursue Catherine for himself.
It didn’t take long for him to find out that Thorpe had not only exaggerated but completely misinformed him. He immediately deemed Catherine unworthy of their attentions and threw her out of the house. Eleanor appalled at her father’s actions covertly helps Catherine get home, but Catherine is left in complete ignorance of the true reason she is being sent away in the middle of the night.
We have reached the climax of our Heroine’s story… and we know how this all ends…
6. The Hero arrives for his Heroine
Catherine makes it home and but is altered. She sees the dangers of reading too much, and has taken a step toward maturing out of that phase. She answers the mulititude of questions that her siblings berate her with, and she smiles as she recalls the Lower Rooms of Bath, the theaters, and the woodland walks. But as expected her heart and mind turns to Mr. Henry Tilney as she focuses on each memory.
A couple weeks pass and our Heroine is quite resigned to only ever dreaming about seeing her Hero again. But the gentle sound of horse hoofs coming up the drive and siblings rushing to see who it could be… well this is what novels were made for.
Now we come upon our happily ever after, and in true Austen fashion… the Heroine gets her Hero.
Jane ties everything up in a nice bow. Each getting exactly what they want or deserve. She talks to the reader as if conveying her truths to them and closes with a challenge to the reader.
“... professing myself moreover convinced that the general’s unjust interference, so far from being really injurous to their felicity, was perhaps rather conducive to it, by improving their knowledge of each other and adding strength to their attachment, I leave it to be settled, by whomever is may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental Tyranny, or reward filial disobedience.”
(Last side note: Jane’s grammar and over use of comma may be a sign of her lack of writing experience or just a cultural thing… either way I don’t like it.)
Jane Austen is coming into her own as a writer. Her first published novel will be Sense & Senseibility and she will forever be known as the author that set the standard of the Tall, Dark and Handsome type when she penned the elusive Mr. Darcy. But seeing her cut her teeth with the playful and out-going Mr. Tilney is fun to read.
Until Next Time,
Peace Out Lovers
