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Catherine Morland is the heroine of Jane Austen's 1817 novel Northanger Abbey. A modest, kind-hearted ingénue, she is led by her reading of Gothic literature to misinterpret much of the social world she encounters.
- Richard Morland, Mrs Morland
- Northanger Abbey/Woodston Parsonage
- Female
- James Morland (brother), Sarah "Sally" Morland (sister), George Morland (brother), Harriet Morland (sister), 2 elder brothers, 3 younger siblings
- Chapter XIII
- Chapter XIV
- Chapter XV
- Chapter XVI
- Analysis
Catherine has been at Northanger Abbey for a month. She expresses concern at overstaying her welcome, but Eleanor assures her there is no problem, and Catherine is quite pleased to stay. General Tilney has to go on a business trip for several days, leaving Catherine, Eleanor and Henry to do as they please. Henry must go to Woodston for a few days. ...
On the way home, Catherine tries to figure out what offence she could have caused the General. He could not have found out that she briefly suspected him of murder, so she has no idea what she did to offend him, especially after he was so nice to her. She returns to Fullerton where she is welcomed by her family. She explains what has happened, and ...
Two days later, Catherine is still sulking. Suddenly, Henry arrives in Fullerton. Henry tells Mrs. Morland that the reason for his arrival is to make sure that Catherine made it home all right. Henry suggests that he pay a visit to the Allens, and Catherine joins him. On the walk to the Allens' house, he proposes to her, and she accepts. He explain...
Henry asks the Morlands for Catherine's hand in marriage. They are surprised, but they quickly give their consent to the marriage. However, in order to be proper, they refuse to allow the marriage until the General has given his own consent. Henry and Catherine also want the General's consent, but they fear that it will be some time before he will ...
General Tilney and Catherine clash frequently over the course of the novel. Catherine almost always finds the General grumpy and disagreeable, even if he is not a killer. She also dislikes the way he treats his children. It is possible to argue that the climax of the novel occurs when the General sends Catherine away. There is a sense of finality a...
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Does Catherine Morland marry Henry Tilney?
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When General Tilney kicks Catherine out of the abbey, she leaves easily, acting inwardly rather than outwardly. Waldo S. Glock argues that this is a display of her genuineness instead of sentimentality. Catherine's internal display of sadness showcases how she is not a typical Gothic heroine.
- Jane Austen
- United Kingdom
- 1817
- 1818 (published on December 20, 1817, although the title page is dated 1818)
Shortly after Captain Tilney arrives in Bath, Catherine is invited by Eleanor Tilney and her father, General Tilney, to visit them at Northanger Abbey, their old country home....
With more than usual eagerness did Catherine hasten to the pump-room the next day, secure within herself of seeing Mr. Tilney there before the morning were over, and ready to meet him with a smile; but no smile was demanded—Mr. Tilney did not appear. Every creature in Bath, except himself, was to be seen in the room at different periods of ...
The adventures that befall Catherine at Northanger, always ending in bathos, are a burlesque on the Gothic novel tradition. Gothic novels were usually set in castles or abbeys in mountainous regions like Italy or the South of France, and involve the heroine discovering dark deeds.
Still desiring to solve a gothic mystery, Catherine seeks to unravel the obscure circumstances of Mrs. Tilney’s death, believing that General Tilney, like a true gothic villain, murdered his...
