Foreshadowing

Northanger Abbey

by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey: Foreshadowing 1 key example

Definition of Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Volume 2, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Henry's Hypothetical Tale:

On the way to Northanger Abbey, Henry tells Catherine a hypothetical tale about her first night in Bath. In Volume 2, Chapter 5, he spins a ridiculous tale that much resembles the story of Udolpho:

[...] you will proceed into this small vaulted room[...]. In one perhaps there may be a dagger, in another a few drops of blood, and in a third the remains of some instrument of torture; but there being nothing in all this out of the common way, and your lamp being nearly exhausted, you will return towards your own apartment[...], your eyes will be attracted towards a large, old-fashioned cabinet of ebony and gold[...]. Impelled by an irresistible presentiment, you will eagerly advance to it, unlock its folding doors, and search into every drawer[...].