Jane Austen 
Northanger Abbey 

Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen’s novels to be completed for publication, in 1803, but it wasn’t until after her death in 1817 that it was published, along with her other novel Persuasion. The novel is a satire of the Gothic novels popular at the time of its first writing in 1798-99. This ‘coming of age, ‘ story revolves around the main character, Catherine, a young and naïve ‘heroine, ‘ who entertains us on her journey of self-knowledge as she gains a better understanding of the world and those around her. Because of her experiences, reality sets in and she discovers that she is not like other women who crave for wealth or social acceptance, but instead she is a true heroine in that she is an ordinary young woman who wishes to have nothing but happiness and a genuine sense of morality.

A propos de l’auteur

Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen’s plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism.