Great Quotes: Thrones, Dominations (Sayers, Walsh)

"Justice is a terrible thing,but injustice is worse." - Lord Peter Wimsey (ch. 8,134) 
#justice

Great Quotes:Northanger Abbey (Austen)

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love." (Chapter 4)
#friendship

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” (Henry Tilney, Chapter 14)
#books

“I read it (history) a little as a duty, but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all – it is very tiresome” (Catherine Morland, chapter 14)
#women

“Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.” (Chapter 14)
#women

“Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half.” Henry Tilney (chapter 14)

#women

“And to marry for money I think the wickedest thing in existence.”  (Catherine Morland, chapter 15)
#marriage

“Then we are on very unequal terms, for I understand you perfectly well.”

“Me? Yes; I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.”

“Bravo! An excellent satire on modern language.” (Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland, Chapter 16)

“To be always firm must be to be often obstinate. When properly to relax is the trial of judgment.” (Henry Tilney, Chapter 16)

“Modesty, and all that, is very well in its way, but really a little common honesty is sometimes quite as becoming. I have no idea of being so overstrained! It is fishing for compliments.” (Isabella Thorpe, Chapter 18)

"You have both of you something, to be sure, but it is not a trifle that will support a family nowadays; and after all that romancers may say, there is no doing without money.” (Isabella Thorpe, Chapter 18)

“No man is offended by another man’s admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.” (Henry Tilney, Chapter 19)

“But now you love a hyacinth. So much the better. You have gained a new source of enjoyment, and it is well to have as many holds upon happiness as possible.” (Henry Tilney, Chapter 22)
#happiness

Austen defends novels and reading: 
“And what are you reading, Miss – ?” 
“Oh! It is only a novel!” replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. 
“It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.” (Chapter 5)
#books

Quotes: Jane Austen's take on her NA characters

Catherine – “her heart was affectionate; her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind – her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and, when in good looks, pretty – and her mind about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is. “ (Chapter 2)

Mrs Allen – “Mrs Allen was one of that numerous class of females, whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any men in the world who could like them well enough to marry them. She had neither beauty, genius, accomplishment, nor manner. The air of a gentlewoman, a great deal of quiet, inactive good temper, and a trifling turn of mind were all that could account for her being the choice of a sensible, intelligent man like Mr. Allen.”   “Dress was her passion. She had a most harmless delight in being fine; and our heroine’s entree into life could not take place till after three or four days had been spent in learning what was mostly worn, and her chaperone was provided with a dress of the newest fashion.” (Chapter 2)

Henry Tilney – “The master of the ceremonies introduced to her a very gentlemanlike young man as a partner; his name was Tilney. He seemed to be about four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it. His address was good, and Catherine felt herself in high luck.” (Chapter 3)

Mrs. Allen and Mrs Thorpe – “they proceeded to make inquiries and give intelligence as to their families, sisters, and cousins, talking both together, far more ready to give than to receive information, and each hearing very little of what the other said.”   “(Mrs. Allen) was never satisfied with the day unless she spent the chief of it by the side of Mrs. Thorpe, in what they called conversation, but in which there was scarcely ever any exchange of opinion, and not often any resemblance of subject, for Mrs. Thorpe talked chiefly of her children, and Mrs. Allen of her gowns.” (Chapter 5)

Miss Tilney – “Miss Tilney had a good figure, a pretty face, and a very agreeable countenance; and her air, though it had not all the decided pretension, the resolute stylishness of Miss Thorpe’s, had more real elegance. Her manners showed good sense and good breeding; they were neither shy nor affectedly open; and she seemed capable of being young, attractive, and at a ball without wanting to fix the attention of every man near her, and without exaggerated feelings of ecstatic delight or inconceivable vexation on every little trifling occurrence.” (Chapter 8)

John Thorpe – “Catherine listened with astonishment; she knew not how to reconcile two such very different accounts of the same thing; for she had not been brought up to understand the propensities of a rattle, nor to know to how many idle assertions and impudent falsehoods the excess of vanity will lead…(her family) were not in the habit therefore of telling lies to increase their importance, or of asserting at one moment what they would contradict the next.   “By (John Thorpe) him the whole matter seemed entirely forgotten; and all the rest of his conversation, or rather talk, began and ended with himself and his own concerns. He told her of horses which he had bought for a trifle and sold for incredible sums; of racing matches, in which his judgment had infallibly foretold the winner; of shooting parties, in which he had killed more birds (though without having one good shot) than all his companions together; and described to her some famous day’s sport, with the fox-hounds, in which his foresight and skill in directing the dogs had repaired the mistakes of the most experienced huntsman, and in which the boldness of his riding, though it had never endangered his own life for a moment, had been constantly leading others into difficulties, which he calmly concluded had broken the necks of many.” (Chapter 9)

Book Thoughts: Important Letters in Northanger Abbey

Toward the end of Northanger Abbey Catherine receives two letters.  The first is from her brother.  James Moreland has more than one motivation in writing to his sister, Catherine, about his engagement with Isabella Thorpe.  His stated motive is that it is his duty to tell Catherine that he and Isabella are no longer engaged.  His implicit motives are to ensure Catherine does not blame him for this outcome and to gain relief for his wounded feelings by confiding in a loving sister.  His letter shows that not only was he a poor judge of character when he chose to become engaged to the gold-digging Isabella, he was also a poor judge of character in continuing the engagement.  Although he had reason to suspect Isabella not be in love with him he persisted in believing her lies to him…”I am ashamed to admit how long I bore with it”.  Moreland’s letter indicates he will continue to be a poor judge of character as he speaks of her brother John: his “honest heart would feel so much”.  He also indulges in dramatizing his self-pity by using phrases such as “never to see [Bath] again” and “She has made me miserable for ever!” and again in “I can never again expect to know such another woman”.  On a more positive note, his letter also shows affection for his sister and his desire for her to give her heart wisely and avoid the heartache he is feeling.

Catherine's second letter is from Isabella Thorpe.  The covertly stated motive in her letter to Catherine is to get James back.  She reveals a shallow character that is willing to lie as a means to achieve an end as she does not tell Catherine the engagement has been broken but indicates instead that she is afraid “a misunderstanding” has occurred.  This indicates she does not discern reality but is living in a fictionalized world of her creation.  Her vanity is shown in her talk of fashion and the fact that she is wearing purple, since it’s James’ favorite color, even though she looks awful in purple.  Like James, she uses absolute phrases such as “I particularly abhor” and “greatest coxcomb” and “amazingly disagreeable” to dramatize her disappointment over Frederick Tilney.  As always, she speaks of herself as she wants to be thought of, not as she really is, when she uses phrases such as, “I knew the fickle sex too well”.

Book Thoughts: Northanger Abbey: A Parody of a Gothic Novel

On the way to Northanger Abbey, Henry Tilney satirizes Catherine’s expectations by telling her a story in the Gothic tradition of what she finds at the Abbey.  Generally speaking, the plot details of a Gothic novel include mysterious circumstances, stormy weather, wind, darkness, nightly noises and a lack of sleep for the heroine, and these details are matched with Catherine’s arrival at the Abbey.  As she is first removing her coat in her room prior to dinner, she notices a chest in the corner.  Since her imagination is filled with mysterious circumstances, she wraps the chest in mystery and determines to open it.  She struggles, but with a burst of adrenalin opens the chest and finds…a blanket!  Eleanor enters Catherine’s room at this moment and remarks that the chest is a handy storage space.  Catherine feels shame for having given way to her imagination and resolves not to do so again.

However, by the time Catherine goes to bed the night has become stormy and windy.  She resolves to not give in to her imagination, so she does not build up her fire.  By candlelight she examines an ebony cabinet (like one Henry described in his story that afternoon).  She gives in to her imaginative ideas and decides to search the cabinet.  After struggling with locks she is thrilled to discover a roll of paper. However, her candle goes out and she is left in darkness. She lies in bed in the dark, hearing the door lock seem to move, perceiving the bed curtains to move on their own, and hearing moans in the hall which prevents her sleeping until about 3 in the morning.  When she wakes in daylight she eagerly reads through the roll of paper to discover…a washing bill!  Once again she feels humbled and remorseful and wants to act more sensibly.

The Gothic influence continues to act on Catherine, despite her resolution to not give way to her imagination, in her impressions of General Tilney.  The General is generally polite to Catherine but it seems Eleanor is afraid of making him impatient and he sometimes acts and speaks abruptly. She notices the General avoids his late wife’s favorite walks, her pictures, and her room.  Catherine decides he must be a cruel man who did not love his wife, and perhaps he caused or hastened her death.  She realizes her surmises are bold but continues to think this way.   After General Tilney twice prevents her from going into his wife’s room she determines to probe its secrets.  She sneaks to the room when everyone else is occupied, thinking she will find a dark, dungeon-room and some kind of journal telling of the General’s cruelty.  What she finds is…a normal bedroom!  Realizing the enormity of her erroneous thinking, she slips away, only to be found by Henry Tilney who perceives what she has been thinking.  He admonishes her gently and reasonably.  Catherine again feels remorse, shame,misery, and that her “eyes have been opened to her own folly”.  

Her fiction reading is not in line with her reality and she decides that Gothic novels must not be a comparison for English people, although she might be able to draw comparisons in other countries.  It is interesting to note that she continues to believe the General is not “perfectly amiable” and further events in the story prove her to be correct this time.

Book Thoughts: Male Characters is Northanger Abbey

Henry Tilney is characterized by his perception, his good temper, his use of wit and word-usage, and a somewhat cynical viewpoint.   His perception is shown through his ability to quickly discern the difference between Catherine’s actual good qualities and Isabella’s often talked-of good qualities.  Because he is both intelligent and perceptive he is able to see both meanings in a conversation between his sister, Eleanor, and Catherine when Eleanor puts a definite, although mistaken, political meaning to Catherine’s comment about a book.  In the same conversation he shows he is well-read and speaks easily on several subjects.  He also likes to instruct and while Catherine cannot participate in a conversation about drawing, Austen breaks into the narrative to tell us that there is nothing men like so well as a woman who knows nothing.  That way the man can instruct her.  :)  Also, in chapter 22 Tilney tells Catherine that a “teachablenss of disposition in a young lady is a great thing”. His good-temper is shown in his affectionate treatment of his sister and in his gentle admonition to Catherine when she imagines his father, General Tilney, was abusive to his late wife.  An example of his fascination with word-usage can be found on page 194 when Catherine comments that Isabella had promised faithfully to write to her and Tilney wittily talks about the puzzlement of a faithful promise.  Tilney is classified as a gentleman, as exemplified by his ability to dance, and while dancing to converse to the interest of his partner, by his being well-read, and by the fact that he does not brag about himself.  Although Tilney is shown in a good light overall, Austen may be satirizing a man’s susceptibility  to being looked-up to by a woman (his initial attraction to Catherine) and his tendency to try to form Catherine’s (and Eleanor’s) ideas and opinions with his instruction.

I first characterized Catherine’s brother, James Moreland, as being rather like Catherine, good-tempered and affectionate and showing a caring attitude toward his sister.  This is shown in his treatment of his sister and her value of his character.  As the story progresses, however, James is shown repeatedly to be a poor judge of character.  First, his best friend is John Thorpe.  James realized John talks a lot without always making sense, but he does not ever seem to realize that John lies, is greedy, and uses people.  Even toward the end of the story he refers to John in a letter as having “a good, honest heart”.  He also chooses to become engaged to Isabella, not seeing her for the self-centered, grasping person she is, even when she makes it obvious she wants a man with more money.  When he and Isabella part ways he dramatizes the pain of the break-up in a letter to his sister in which he uses phrases like “miserable for ever!"  I believe Austen is satirizing young men who believe they know more than they really do and think of themselves more than others under a guise of affectionate, mild-manners.

John Thorpe shines in his role as a royal bore.  Austen does not give him any good qualities, although he has a very high opinion of himself.  He is characterized by bragging, swearing in front of a lady (Catherine), lying, talking all the time without saying anything worth listening to, not being well-read, and an aggressive attitude.  His lack of reading is humorously shown in an early conversation with Catherine when he tells her he would never read Udolpho because he would only read a novel by Mrs. Radcliffe.  When he takes Catherine for a drive he brags constantly about his horses, shows a lack of respect for her by swearing numerous times in front of her, and bores her with his constant talk that one minute takes one opinion and the next minute swerves to another.  He speaks disrespectfully both about his family and to his family, as when he says he did not come to Bath to take his sister for a drive.  He lies twice to General Tilney, first stating that Catherine’s family is rich (a form of bragging since he wants to marry Catherine) and the second time by stating that Catherine’s family is poor.  In John Thorpe’s character Austen is satirizing men who think they are amazing just because they are male, even though they do not possess intelligence, sense, or amiability.

Book Thoughts: Female Stereotypes in Northanger Abbey

 I deeply enjoy Austen’s characterization in her novels.  Of the three women -  Mrs. Thorpe, Mrs. Allen, and Isabella Thorpe - we know the least about Mrs. Thorpe.  However, we know enough to see that Austen is poking fun at the stereotypical gossip of her day (and ours too, for that matter).  Close behind her main love of gossip are her pride in her children (and herself) and her concern with fashion.  We can see Austen’s use of satire as she converses with Mrs. Allen and with her daughter, Isabella.  Large portions of her conversation deals with the current gossip in Bath. When she talks with Mrs. Allen she also often talks of her children, and particularly of Isabella.  This shows a lack of consideration for feelings other than her own since Mrs. Allen does not have children and so Mrs. Thorpe has a kind of one-upmanship in this area.  In chapter four we are told that both Mrs. Allen and Mrs.Thorpe talk to each without hearing a great deal of what the other one says. She believes Isabella is the most beautiful girl around and encourages her to value wealth in a suitor.  She and Mrs. Allen frequently discuss items of fashion, another of Mrs. Thorpe’s interests, although she doesn’t have as much money to spend on clothes as Mrs. Allen. 

While we read more often of Mrs. Allen she does not make a huge impression on the reader.  I think of her as a vague character.  She does not ever express strong emotion; and she is the most animated when she is talking about clothes.  Mrs. Allen’s character is stereotypically fashion-oriented.  She is a kind person, in a vague sort of way, but nearly the only subject she shows animation about is related to fashion and shopping.  We see Austen’s use of satire several times through the character of Mrs. Allen.  One example is in chapter 3 when Mrs. Allen is talking to Henry Tilney of how easy it is to shop in Bath – an item of extreme importance to her.  She states, “One can step outdoors and get a thing in five minutes.”  To her, this is one of the main attractions of Bath and she continues to talk of fabric and fashion to Henry at the dance, even though this seems an odd subject to pursue with a young man she has just met.  However, it does not seem odd to Mrs. Allen because her world revolves around fashion, and like Mrs. Thorpe, tends to only focus on what she is interested in herself.  When Mrs. Thorpe talks to her about the Thorpe children Mrs. Allen responds by talking about clothes.  Again, in chapter 12 we see her ability to focus only on clothes.  Catherine is apologizing to Henry Tilney over missing their appointed walk and appeals to Mrs. Allen with much emotion to corroborate her statement.  Mrs. Allen’s reply is, “My dear, you tumble my gown."

Isabella Thorpe’s character is stereotypical of a totally self-absorbed, shallow person out to get all she can…a gold-digger.  In her many conversations with Catherine she does not give any original opinions, but rather re-states what others have said.  For instance, when they are talking about books in chapter 6, although Isabella can rattle off a list of titles she has written down, she cannot tell Catherine anything about them except that Miss Andrews has read them.  In a nice moment of satire, Austen has Isabella play with enjoyment the game Commerce, a game with stakes (representing her love of money) and with bartering (representing her flirting with several men).  Isabella displays her shallowness in her treatment of Catherine in chapter 13 when Isabella, James and John plan to drive to Clifton and Catherine declines to go with them because of a previous engagement.  Although Catherine is firm in her inclination to do what she perceives is right, Isabella treats her with coldness for not doing whatever Isabella wants.  We also see shallowness of character in her treatment of John Thorpe when she discovers he has less money than she thought.  She immediately begins flirting with the elder brother of Henry Tilney and eventually sends James Thorpe away.  Her conversation focuses mainly on herself and the local gossip.  Isabella’s character satirizes the young women of that time who are only interested in marrying for money and security and do not love anyone other than themselves.