If you’re new to this Substack, one of the things I’m offering subscribers in 2023 is A Year with Jane. We’re reading through Austen’s six novels this year and Northanger Abbey is our read for October. This is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
On this read through, I'm struck by the nead to be judicious about what media you submerse yourself in. Just as Catherine is lead a stray by her gothic novels, at different points in my life I've become a worse person because of what I was consuming.
At one point, I was watching too much reality TV. Even though I knew everyone was ridiculous and over dramatic, I started behaving that way. What really drove it home for me was one evening where I picked a fight with my family, stormed off, opened my laptop, and saw that the show paused in the middle of a fight. I was instantly ashamed of myself and realized I had been influenced without even knowing it.
There was another time when I was reading too much news commentary and social media discussion. I got so anxious and it felt like all the problems of the world where on my shoulders. When I took a step back, not only did I feel so much better but also my perceptions of other people where way more kind. I saw them as people again, not categories.
All that to say, just as Catherine needs to read less Gothic novels, we can all benefit from accessing our media diet- am I "eating junk" or hearty meals?
I love Catherine and Henry as a couple. Often times, we need to be loved and admired before we are capable of loving in return. It’s as true in the spiritual order as it is in the natural order. I think they deserve each other because can offer one another something they each lack. Henry can steady Catherine and provide her with some grounding in the real world, Catherine can save Henry from being over cynical and jaded.
The way I understand what Jane Austen means by gratitude in a relationship, it’s not so foreign as it might sound to a first-time, modern reader. It’s very natural (and pretty common) that a person might have their romantic interest in someone piqued or even initially raised by hearing that they are interested in you. And Catherine is so artlessly sweet and good that I understand Henry’s attraction to her (especially pushed as he is by his father). They will be obeying Mr Bennet’s maxim for his own daughter that Catherine can esteem her husband as her superior, which his age and situation indisputably (I think) make him. This is not to denigrate Catherine at all—it makes some sense given the legal and social realities in which they live, and it is good to grow up with the one you will spend your life with. I love the last chapter in which JA wraps up their story, that “To begin perfect happiness at the respective ages of twenty-six and eighteen is to do pretty well,” and I only wish I could see more of Eleanor’s happy-ending story!
I thought the ending was very satisfying. I thought it was a little unlikely for that many things to come together the way they did, but very satisfying how it all turned out for everybody. If Austen intended to have Henry fall in love with Catherine out of gratitude for her preference for him, she missed the mark. I see a genuine mutual attraction and similar temperaments. Henry is obviously more mature than Catherine, but Catherine will get there in her time. Yes, they are worthy of each other. I think Henry standing up to his father and Catherine having true remorse for her murder accusations proved each ready to venture off into Marriage :)
I enjoyed this reread more than I did reading it the first time. Understanding the style had a lot to do with that, so thanks!
I hated John Thorpe and Isabella reading this - I couldn’t stand them! They were so true to life that it made reading difficult.
I think that Henry’s attachment to Catherine was genuine and the ending does say it would about a year later that they married, so Catherine had more time to mature. She matured a great deal in the 3 months that the story covered, so I’m sure she grew even more in that year!
Although the novel was very entertaining and made me laugh out loud several times, I have to admit that I didn’t find the ending as satisfying as her other novels that I’ve read. While many of her other heroines seem mature and poised enough to marry and run their own household, to me Catherine doesn’t seem quite ready for that yet (I say this as someone to whom “running a household” does not come naturally- ha!), something that the narrator is pretty blatant about in the ending. And while I think that Henry and Catherine would likely have a happy marriage in terms of them both having good-natured personalities, I didn’t find their relationship as compelling as I had hoped. General Tilney is also NOT someone I would ever want as a father-in-law. Several of Austen’s novels end with matches in which some of the family members are disgruntled, but none of them have quite the same red flags as General Tilney raises with his ~villainous~ behavior.
Catherine is stepping into an easier situation than the other heroines if that gives you comfort. She doesn't have the great houses of Downwell, Heartfield, or Pemberly. Neither is she trying to stretch a small budget like Eleanor. Henry has a neat, well taken care of, comfortable country parsonage.
I like it a lot and have always found it easier to appreciate not as "a Jane Austen novel" but as one of those ""postmodern"" exercises novelists have always loved doing about the novel as a literary form, what makes a novel good or bad, the relationship between the novel and real life, and the effect novels have on their readers.
I do love the exploration of novels in this one! Austen is brutal to people who think novels are bad, but also brutal to bad readers of novels (Isabella).
I was honestly glad to see the end of this one. I wish there had been a little more about how Catherine and Henry grew as a couple during the time between becoming engaged and finally marrying, and possibly some redemption of the awful General. I'm glad you pointed out how black & white the characters were, Haley, because I noticed that also. The characters didn't seem to develop much, except for Catherine growing a bit in her discernment. I would have liked a bit more backstory as to why Henry and Eleanor were so withdrawn from their father, but I'm probably expecting too much from a first novel 🙃
The ending wasn’t as satisfying as Austen’s other novels, but the book as a whole isn’t as satisfying. At least the hero and heroine ended up together. 🥰
I was just thinking that most of my mental image of Henry and his relationship with Catherine is shaped by the ITV adaptation. JJ Feild as Henry is positively charming and his attachment seems genuine. I remember that the novel’s ending grated on me a bit at my last reread a couple of years ago. I’ve yet to finish it this year and see if it feels any different.
I really love this novel, despite the plentiful secondhand embarrassment. I had never thought about Catherine’s missteps stemming from her immaturity, but that is so true. Her mother is such a gem and very true to life when she is glad she didn’t know about Catherine’s journey, but is proud that she rose to the occasion. The ending was a little bit forced with Eleanor’s marriage, but it wasn’t a shocker because the real tension was resolved when Henry came to explain the General’s behaviour.
On this read through, I'm struck by the nead to be judicious about what media you submerse yourself in. Just as Catherine is lead a stray by her gothic novels, at different points in my life I've become a worse person because of what I was consuming.
At one point, I was watching too much reality TV. Even though I knew everyone was ridiculous and over dramatic, I started behaving that way. What really drove it home for me was one evening where I picked a fight with my family, stormed off, opened my laptop, and saw that the show paused in the middle of a fight. I was instantly ashamed of myself and realized I had been influenced without even knowing it.
There was another time when I was reading too much news commentary and social media discussion. I got so anxious and it felt like all the problems of the world where on my shoulders. When I took a step back, not only did I feel so much better but also my perceptions of other people where way more kind. I saw them as people again, not categories.
All that to say, just as Catherine needs to read less Gothic novels, we can all benefit from accessing our media diet- am I "eating junk" or hearty meals?
I love Catherine and Henry as a couple. Often times, we need to be loved and admired before we are capable of loving in return. It’s as true in the spiritual order as it is in the natural order. I think they deserve each other because can offer one another something they each lack. Henry can steady Catherine and provide her with some grounding in the real world, Catherine can save Henry from being over cynical and jaded.
The way I understand what Jane Austen means by gratitude in a relationship, it’s not so foreign as it might sound to a first-time, modern reader. It’s very natural (and pretty common) that a person might have their romantic interest in someone piqued or even initially raised by hearing that they are interested in you. And Catherine is so artlessly sweet and good that I understand Henry’s attraction to her (especially pushed as he is by his father). They will be obeying Mr Bennet’s maxim for his own daughter that Catherine can esteem her husband as her superior, which his age and situation indisputably (I think) make him. This is not to denigrate Catherine at all—it makes some sense given the legal and social realities in which they live, and it is good to grow up with the one you will spend your life with. I love the last chapter in which JA wraps up their story, that “To begin perfect happiness at the respective ages of twenty-six and eighteen is to do pretty well,” and I only wish I could see more of Eleanor’s happy-ending story!
I thought the ending was very satisfying. I thought it was a little unlikely for that many things to come together the way they did, but very satisfying how it all turned out for everybody. If Austen intended to have Henry fall in love with Catherine out of gratitude for her preference for him, she missed the mark. I see a genuine mutual attraction and similar temperaments. Henry is obviously more mature than Catherine, but Catherine will get there in her time. Yes, they are worthy of each other. I think Henry standing up to his father and Catherine having true remorse for her murder accusations proved each ready to venture off into Marriage :)
I enjoyed this reread more than I did reading it the first time. Understanding the style had a lot to do with that, so thanks!
I hated John Thorpe and Isabella reading this - I couldn’t stand them! They were so true to life that it made reading difficult.
I think that Henry’s attachment to Catherine was genuine and the ending does say it would about a year later that they married, so Catherine had more time to mature. She matured a great deal in the 3 months that the story covered, so I’m sure she grew even more in that year!
Although the novel was very entertaining and made me laugh out loud several times, I have to admit that I didn’t find the ending as satisfying as her other novels that I’ve read. While many of her other heroines seem mature and poised enough to marry and run their own household, to me Catherine doesn’t seem quite ready for that yet (I say this as someone to whom “running a household” does not come naturally- ha!), something that the narrator is pretty blatant about in the ending. And while I think that Henry and Catherine would likely have a happy marriage in terms of them both having good-natured personalities, I didn’t find their relationship as compelling as I had hoped. General Tilney is also NOT someone I would ever want as a father-in-law. Several of Austen’s novels end with matches in which some of the family members are disgruntled, but none of them have quite the same red flags as General Tilney raises with his ~villainous~ behavior.
Catherine is stepping into an easier situation than the other heroines if that gives you comfort. She doesn't have the great houses of Downwell, Heartfield, or Pemberly. Neither is she trying to stretch a small budget like Eleanor. Henry has a neat, well taken care of, comfortable country parsonage.
I like it a lot and have always found it easier to appreciate not as "a Jane Austen novel" but as one of those ""postmodern"" exercises novelists have always loved doing about the novel as a literary form, what makes a novel good or bad, the relationship between the novel and real life, and the effect novels have on their readers.
I do love the exploration of novels in this one! Austen is brutal to people who think novels are bad, but also brutal to bad readers of novels (Isabella).
I was honestly glad to see the end of this one. I wish there had been a little more about how Catherine and Henry grew as a couple during the time between becoming engaged and finally marrying, and possibly some redemption of the awful General. I'm glad you pointed out how black & white the characters were, Haley, because I noticed that also. The characters didn't seem to develop much, except for Catherine growing a bit in her discernment. I would have liked a bit more backstory as to why Henry and Eleanor were so withdrawn from their father, but I'm probably expecting too much from a first novel 🙃
The ending wasn’t as satisfying as Austen’s other novels, but the book as a whole isn’t as satisfying. At least the hero and heroine ended up together. 🥰
I was just thinking that most of my mental image of Henry and his relationship with Catherine is shaped by the ITV adaptation. JJ Feild as Henry is positively charming and his attachment seems genuine. I remember that the novel’s ending grated on me a bit at my last reread a couple of years ago. I’ve yet to finish it this year and see if it feels any different.
I thought he was charming as Henry, too!
I really love this novel, despite the plentiful secondhand embarrassment. I had never thought about Catherine’s missteps stemming from her immaturity, but that is so true. Her mother is such a gem and very true to life when she is glad she didn’t know about Catherine’s journey, but is proud that she rose to the occasion. The ending was a little bit forced with Eleanor’s marriage, but it wasn’t a shocker because the real tension was resolved when Henry came to explain the General’s behaviour.