The most prominent allusions in Northanger Abbey are the recurring references to The Mysteries of Udolpho. This archetypical Gothic novel was published in 1794 by Ann Radcliffe. Many references to Udolpho comprise instances of satire, as Catherine imagines her own world to resemble that of Radcliffe's fictional one. In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Henry Tilney describes his first time reading the novel:
I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe’s works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again;—I remember finishing it in two days—my hair standing on end the whole time.
Here, Henry lauds the work for its entertainment value, but he takes it for what it is: a hair-raising book. Whereas Henry appreciates Udolpho strictly as a work of fiction, Catherine allows it to influence her reality. She remarks in Volume 1, Chapter 11:
[...] now I shall give it up entirely. Oh! that we had such weather here as they had at Udolpho, or at least in Tuscany and the South of France!—the night that poor St Aubin died!—such beautiful weather!
St. Aubin, or St. Aubert, was the father of Emily (the heroine of Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho). Catherine takes the book very seriously and turns every experience into a dramatic adventure. Austen uses her character to satirize the overwrought heroines in sentimental and Gothic novels. Catherine's frequent overreactions make her resemble the classic sentimental heroine, and her interactions at Northanger Abbey reveal her expectation that reality will match that of a Gothic heroine.
The most prominent allusions in Northanger Abbey are the recurring references to The Mysteries of Udolpho. This archetypical Gothic novel was published in 1794 by Ann Radcliffe. Many references to Udolpho comprise instances of satire, as Catherine imagines her own world to resemble that of Radcliffe's fictional one. In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Henry Tilney describes his first time reading the novel:
I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe’s works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again;—I remember finishing it in two days—my hair standing on end the whole time.
Here, Henry lauds the work for its entertainment value, but he takes it for what it is: a hair-raising book. Whereas Henry appreciates Udolpho strictly as a work of fiction, Catherine allows it to influence her reality. She remarks in Volume 1, Chapter 11:
[...] now I shall give it up entirely. Oh! that we had such weather here as they had at Udolpho, or at least in Tuscany and the South of France!—the night that poor St Aubin died!—such beautiful weather!
St. Aubin, or St. Aubert, was the father of Emily (the heroine of Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho). Catherine takes the book very seriously and turns every experience into a dramatic adventure. Austen uses her character to satirize the overwrought heroines in sentimental and Gothic novels. Catherine's frequent overreactions make her resemble the classic sentimental heroine, and her interactions at Northanger Abbey reveal her expectation that reality will match that of a Gothic heroine.
Northanger Abbey is a satire of sappy romances and classic Gothic novels. One prominent element of sentimental literature is an emotional, overwrought heroine; Catherine is easily impressed by normal experiences like visiting the abbey. In Volume 2, Chapter 7, she has a dramatic reaction to seeing it for the first time:
She was struck however, beyond her expectation, by the grandeur of the Abbey, as she saw it for the first time from the lawn. The whole building enclosed a large court; and two sides of the quadrangle, rich in Gothic ornaments, stood forward for admiration.
The abbey's "large court" and "Gothic ornaments" impress Catherine, who has rarely traveled outside her hometown. Indeed, she has such an emotional reaction to seeing it that her response seems unreasonably dramatic. However, if one considers her lack of experience, one can admit that this trip is a big deal in the context of her life.
Other elements of the Gothic novel include mystery and suspense, which often appear exclusively out of Catherine's wild imagination. In Volume 2, Chapter 6, Catherine explores her room in the abbey:
So, placing the candle with great caution on a chair, she seized the key with a very tremulous hand and tried to turn it; but it resisted her utmost strength. Alarmed, but not discouraged, she tried it another way; a bolt flew, and she believed herself successful; but how strangely mysterious!—the door was still immoveable. She paused a moment in breathless wonder.
Again, the narrator uses overwrought diction. Words like "alarmed," "breathless," and "tremulous" indicate Catherine's heightened state of emotion. But Catherine merely perceives the presence of mystery and suspense because she has read so many Gothic novels, the most important of which is The Mysteries of Udolpho. She so readily expects fiction to become reality that she makes herself believe in things that are not real.
Northanger Abbey is a satire of sappy romances and classic Gothic novels. One prominent element of sentimental literature is an emotional, overwrought heroine; Catherine is easily impressed by normal experiences like visiting the abbey. In Volume 2, Chapter 7, she has a dramatic reaction to seeing it for the first time:
She was struck however, beyond her expectation, by the grandeur of the Abbey, as she saw it for the first time from the lawn. The whole building enclosed a large court; and two sides of the quadrangle, rich in Gothic ornaments, stood forward for admiration.
The abbey's "large court" and "Gothic ornaments" impress Catherine, who has rarely traveled outside her hometown. Indeed, she has such an emotional reaction to seeing it that her response seems unreasonably dramatic. However, if one considers her lack of experience, one can admit that this trip is a big deal in the context of her life.
Other elements of the Gothic novel include mystery and suspense, which often appear exclusively out of Catherine's wild imagination. In Volume 2, Chapter 6, Catherine explores her room in the abbey:
So, placing the candle with great caution on a chair, she seized the key with a very tremulous hand and tried to turn it; but it resisted her utmost strength. Alarmed, but not discouraged, she tried it another way; a bolt flew, and she believed herself successful; but how strangely mysterious!—the door was still immoveable. She paused a moment in breathless wonder.
Again, the narrator uses overwrought diction. Words like "alarmed," "breathless," and "tremulous" indicate Catherine's heightened state of emotion. But Catherine merely perceives the presence of mystery and suspense because she has read so many Gothic novels, the most important of which is The Mysteries of Udolpho. She so readily expects fiction to become reality that she makes herself believe in things that are not real.
