Reading the Classics: Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

This is the mystery Austen novel, in that some Austen scholars, like Arthur Axelrad, have surmised that this novel was a very early one that Austen later began to rewrite, possibly not long before she became ill. The first half of the novel is startlingly different from the second half. The scenes in Bath are brilliantly funny, interleaved with meta-commentary on literature and novels; the second half is basically a spewing of narrative aimed toward one joke, the mystery laundry list, which spoofs the Gothiks popular at the time.

You can almost find the spot where she left off; it’s not long after Catherine Moreland is in company with the Tilneys as they progress toward Northanger for their visit. There’s a funny line about highwaymen, then the narrative shifts into a sort of pleasant but bland tone reminiscent of her juvenilia. The ending picks up when Catherine goes home; before then, the country-house scene is comparatively dull. I wonder if Austen would have brought more people in to liven things up? She showed she knows how to write a country-house scene and keep it interesting in both Mansfield Park and in the earlier chapters of S&S

It’s that first half that is so wonderful, and incidentally, gives a fairly accurate picture of actual slang used by young people in society, even if on the edge of the haute monde. One sees clearly that women and men preferred different idioms. The plea in favor of novels was another tongue-in-cheek but memorable touch.