![]() This section of the novel is said to testify to the “delusions created when girls internalize the ridiculous expectations and standards of gothic fiction” (Gilbert and Gubar 290). In Volume II, Austen completely maximizes her usage of the gothic novel by adding some of the most common themes found in any gothic. ![]() Gilbert and Gubar state that “Austin rewrites the gothic not because she disagrees with her sister novelists about the confinement of women, but because she believes woman have been imprisoned more effectively by miseducation than by walls” (285). For this century, Austen’s characters describe the perfect die-hard gothic novel fans. In conversation, Catherine brings up Radcliffe multiple times. Many times they are described as explaining their excitement for the latest book that they found and how marvelous it has been so far. She keeps with the same theme of the gothic novel and the time period by having her two main female characters, Catherine and Isabella, be fans of this genre. Austen clearly takes a strike at the gothic novel by beginning her own in this way, as it almost completely opposes a true gothic story. In volume I, Austen starts her novel by explaining the plain life of Catherine Moreland, and how although she was not raised with abusive parents, heavy secrets, or ravenous villains, she was still a heroine (5). Austen uses this genre in an almost mocking way to criticize the treatment of the novel and the women that are surrounding the novel. Gilbert and Gubar write, in their short essay “Shut Up in Prose”, that “The novel is a status-deprived genre, Austin implies, because it is closely associated with a status-deprived gender” (281). Men were right, women were wrong, and novels would never be read by men because they were far better than that.ĭuring the late eighteenth, early nineteenth century, as novels were looked down upon, the most popular genre that was read by women was the gothic novel. By showing the woman’s knowledge on the subject of the novel in regards to intelligence levels, Austen points out the subordinate role that women played during this time. In this conversation, Catherine mentions the novel but immediately replies with “Because they are not clever enough for you – gentlemen read better books” (72). Austen uses this conversation to show how women also are affected by the novels degrading lifestyle. This type of reaction occurs again later in the novel when Catherine is talking to another male character, Henry Tilney. Austen then mocks John by the lack of knowledge on the actual novel that Catherine is referring to by showing him to truly know nothing about what he is talking about, and therefore proving his point to be invalid. While it may appear that John is just a busy character, he continues on to explain that ‘”novels are all so full of nonsense and stuff… they are the stupidest things in creation” (31). John replies dramatically stating, “Oh, Lord! not I I never read novels I have something else to do” (31). To make conversation, she asks John if he has read Udolpho. The critique of novels is first viewed when Catherine is conversing with John Thorpe. Austen even includes conversations with Catherine and her fellow friends about novels to show how society truly views this form of literature. In Northanger Abbey, Austin uses her heroine Catherine to explain her own opinions about the degrading of authors like she, who finds novels to be much more than what men seem to believe them to be. ![]() Austen realizes the hatred that goes with the novel and she does not want to feel as if her work is less than any man simply because it is classified as a novel. ![]() She continues on to state, “From pride, ignorance, or fashion, our foes are almost as many as our readers” (22). Austen writes, “I will not adopt that ungenerous and impolitic custom so common with novel writers,” to begin to explain the negative connotation that goes with being an author of a novel (22). Only women were seen reading novels while men spent their time on other forms of literature such as poetry or historical readings. When Austin wrote Northanger, novels were seen as the lowest form of literature. ![]()
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