The Annotated Northanger Abbey

AN ANCHOR BOOKS ORIGINAL, SEPTEMBER 2013

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Anchor Books, a division of Random House LLC., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, both Penguin Random House Companies.

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-95026-0
Print ISBN: 978-0-307-39080-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Austen, Jane, 1775–1817.
The annotated Northanger Abbey / by Jane Austen ; annotated and edited, with an introduction, by David M. Shapard. — First Anchor Books edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-307-39080-6 (pbk.)
1. Austen, Jane, 1775–1817. Northanger Abbey.
2. Young women—England—Fiction.
3. Horror tales—Appreciation—Fiction.
4. Gentry—England—Fiction.
5. Marriage—Economic aspects—Fiction.
6. England—Social life and customs—19th century—Fiction.
7. Satire.8. Gothic fiction.9. Love stories.
I. Shapard, David M. II. Title.
III. Title: Northanger Abbey.
PR4034.N7 2013
823.7—dc23
2013004497

Book design by Rebecca Aidlin
Maps by Robert Bull

Cover design: Megan Wilson

www.anchorbooks.com

v3.1

“Tales of Wonder!”: a contemporary satire on horror novel reading.

[From Works of James Gillray (London, 1849), Figure 514]

[List of Illustrations]

Annotations to the Front Cover

1. The house in this painting, called Oriel Lodge, was built in the early nineteenth century in Gothic Revival style, as indicated by, among other things, the pointed arches and heavy stone walls that were features of medieval Gothic buildings. Gothic Revival style began in the late eighteenth century and became increasingly popular; it reflected the same fascination with the Middle Ages that spurred the tremendous popularity of Gothic horror novels, which were usually set in actual medieval buildings. Catherine, the heroine of Northanger Abbey, is a devoted reader of these novels, and her naïve belief that the horrors they depict are a normal part of life lead her into a series of embarrassing delusions when she visits Northanger Abbey.

2. Villas such as Oriel Lodge were usually built in or near towns and, while elegant and highly adorned, were not as large as grand country houses such as Northanger Abbey (in this case, the picture shows most of the house’s front). Catherine’s friend Isabella at one point fantasizes about living in a villa near Richmond, a highly affluent suburb of London. Oriel Lodge is in Cheltenham, a popular spa town of the time; much of the novel is set in the even more popular spa town of Bath. Cheltenham also happens to be in Gloucestershire, the same county in which the fictional Northanger Abbey lies.

3. The turrets and castellated roof seen on this house were basic elements of medieval castles, created for practical purposes of defense, though here, as in other Gothic Revival buildings, they are purely decorative. They are also prominent features of an imitation medieval structure of the eighteenth century, Blaise Castle, that figures in an important episode in the novel. The prospect of visiting Blaise Castle, which Catherine is told is a genuine medieval edifice, tempts her into committing a serious breach of etiquette.

4. The windows of the house are heavily latticed. This was standard in medieval buildings, since the poor quality of glass at that time precluded larger panes, and Gothic Revival structures often imitate this feature. When she arrives at Northanger Abbey, Catherine is disappointed to discover that its windows, while still Gothic in their external outline, have been modernized, and thus that “every pane was so large, so clear.”

Cover

Title Page

Annotations to the Front Cover

NORTHANGER ABBEY

Advertisement by the Authoress

VOLUME I

(Note: The following chapter headings are not found in the novel.
They are added here by the editor to assist the reader.)

I The History of Catherine Morland

II The First Ball at Bath

III Introduction to Henry Tilney

IV Introduction to the Thorpes

V The Friendship of Catherine and Isabella

VI The Discussion of Udolpho

VII The Arrival of John Thorpe and James

VIII Introduction to Eleanor Tilney

IX The Excursion with John Thorpe

X The Second Dance with Henry Tilney

XI The Broken Engagement with the Tilneys

XII Catherine’s Apology to the Tilneys

XIII Introduction to General Tilney

XIV The Walk with Henry and Eleanor

XV Isabella’s Engagement

VOLUME II

I Isabella’s Disappointment

II The Invitation to Northanger Abbey

III Isabella’s Flirtation with Captain Tilney

IV Henry on Isabella and Captain Tilney

V Catherine’s Journey to Northanger Abbey

VI Catherine’s Alarm About the Mysterious Paper

VII The Tour of the Gardens

VIII The Tour of the House

IX Catherine’s Folly Exposed

X Distressing News from James

XI The Visit to Henry’s House

XII Isabella’s Letter to Catherine

XIII The Expulsion from Northanger Abbey

XIV Catherine’s Return Home

XV Henry’s Visit to Catherine

Other Books by This Author

Illustrations

The Pleasures of a Horror Novel

A Woman with Curled Hair

A Lord

A Family with a Pianoforte

A Map of Bath

A Man with Gout

The Discomforts of Travel

Women with High Feathers

Two Women Dancing

Tea Things

A Ball in the Upper Rooms

A Bath Chair

The Pump Room

Dancing at the Lower Rooms

An Introduction by the Master of Ceremonies

A Concert at Bath

A Clothing Store

A Pin for a Headdress

Women in Caps

The Pump Room

A Woman with a Pelisse

Women in Contemporary Costume

The Bath Theatre

A Bookstore

Frances (Fanny) Burney

Milsom Street

A Gothic Revival House

A Woman Leaving a Bookshop

The Exterior of the Pump Room

The Archway

A Busy Street Scene

A Gig

A Turning in the Road

A Curricle

A Coach

Women with Large Muffs

A Tippet

A Woman with a Tippet

A Map of the Upper Rooms

The Vestibule of the Upper Rooms

The Ballroom of the Upper Rooms

The Exterior of the Upper Rooms

Bath Architecture

A Woman with Jewelry in Her Hair

A Jewel for the Head

Women in Evening Dress

A Letter by Jane Austen

A Woman at Needlework

A Horse

The Main London Synagogue

A Man with Gout

Drinking at Oxford

Horse Racing

An Accident While Fox Hunting

A Spotted Muslin Gown

Women with Bonnets

Avoiding a Dance Partner

A Woman at an Embroidery Frame

Women in Contemporary Fashion

A Woman in a White Gown

Watching a Performance from a Box

The Bath Theatre

A Bath Theatre Playbill

A Bath Chair

The Royal Crescent

Falling Down the Royal Crescent

A Crowded Outdoor Gathering

The View from Beechen Cliff

A Man in Formal Dress

Women in Evening Dress

A Clergyman

Drinking the Waters at Bath

Milton Abbey

An Older House in a Low Position

The Exterior of the Pump Room

Two Women

The Pump Room—Interior

A Young Woman

A Man in Daytime Dress

A Woman in Daytime Dress

An Army Officer

A Posting Inn

Breakfast

A Chaise with Postilions

A Chapel in the Moonlight

Ruined Arches

A Lodge

A Woman with a Bonnet

An Older Fireplace

A Rumford Stove

A Marble Chimneypiece

A Fancy Staircase

Older Windows

A Chest

A Woman in a Muslin Dress

A Woman with Her Lady’s Maid

A Japanned Chest of Drawers

A Bed

A Man with Powdered Hair

The London Wedgwood Shop

A Portrait Painter’s House

A Private Library

Billiards

Shooting Birds

A Partly Gothic House

A Maidservant Ironing

A Maidservant Washing

Pattens

A Carved Staircase

A Mother with a Child

The College of Physicians

A Shop with Bow Windows

A Woman with a Turban

A Mother with Children

An Older Man

A Marriage Ceremony

A Lord

Notes to the Reader

Literary interpretations: Comments on the techniques and themes of the novel, more than other types of entries, represent the personal views and interpretations of the editor. Such views have been carefully considered, but inevitably they will provoke disagreement among some readers. I can only hope that, even in those cases, the opinions expressed provide useful food for thought.

Differences of meaning: Many words in Jane Austen’s era, like many words now, had multiple meanings. The meaning of a word that is given at any particular place is intended to apply only to the way the word is used there; it does not represent a complete definition of the word in the language of the time.

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The Annotated Northanger Abbey Read Online

Annotations to the Front Cover

Contents

Illustrations

Notes to the Reader

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