LOOKING FOR JANE AUSTEN AND NORTHANGER

ABBEY

A webquest created by Mrs.Chong

Done by: Ananya Chakraborty

Literature, Year 11 Band 5

JANE AUSTEN

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if

we would attend to it, than any other

person can be.”

CONTENTS

Her Life in Numbers

Family Life

Austen as a Person

Austen’s England

Writing

Personal reflection

A portrait of Jane Austen

HER LIFE IN NUMBERS

Born on December 16th 1775 in Steventon to

Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Austen

Born 7th oldest among 8 children, 2nd of two girls

Wrote 6 world-renowned novels, 1 left unfinished

Died on July 18, 1817 in Winchester where she is

buried in the Winchester Cathedral

FAMILY LIFE

Close-knit family

Closest to her older brother Henry, who was also her literary agent

Family was supportive of her writing

Environment of learning, creativity and dialogue

Learned mostly from her father, her brothers and her own reading

AUSTEN AS A PERSON

Romantic, intelligent and braveDidn’t agree with society’s idea of the

role of womenWas in love with Irish barrister Tom

Lefroy who supposedly inspired Mr.Darcy’s character.

Never married

AUSTEN’S ENGLAND

Known as Georgian era

Ruled by King George I, II, III and IV

of England

Lasted from 1714-1830

IMPORTANT EVENTS1776: The Thirteen Colonies in North America declare their

independence from the British Crown and British Parliament.

1781: The British Army in America under Lord Cornwallis

surrenders to George Washington after its defeat in Virginia

1811: Prince George IV begins his 9-year period as the regent

1815: Napoleon I of France defeated at the Battle of Waterloo

AUSTEN’S WORLD

CLOTHING FOR WOMEN

Women wore thin gauzy outer dresses with an empire

silhouette (high waisted)

Gowns were usually made of muslin

Younger women wore soft shades of colour such as periwinkle

or pink and older women wore dark shades such as crimson or

deep blue

Divided into two categories: Morning dresses and evening

attire

Worn inside the

house

High-necked and

long-sleeved

Generally plain and

undecorated

Worn to balls or to

dinners

Low neck-line and

short-sleeves

Extravagantly

decorated with lace,

netting and ribbons

CLOTHING FOR WOMEN

Morning Dresses Evening Attire

CLOTHING FOR MEN

Linen shirts with attached collars

Cut and tailored tail-coats worn over waist-

coats were common

Long breeches and trousers

Hessian boots with heart-shaped tops and

tassels were the general footwear

MEAL TIMES

The working class took breakfast at 8 am

whereas those of high society generally had t at

10 am

The next meal, dinner, was eaten

approximately 8 hours after breakfast

Snacks were eaten between the two meals

but there were no other meals

EDUCATION

Boys started school at the age of 8.

Girls were allowed to go to school but could not

further their education.

Many families had their daughters taught at home

by governesses.

SOCIETY

Women were expected to marry and maintain the

home including the achievements of the children

Men were expected to work and earn a living in

order to support the family

BEHAVIOR AND MANNERS

FOR MEN

Wear gloves on the street, in church & other formal occasions, except when

eating or drinking

Stand up when a lady enters a room (or your presence in a large room) and

when she stands

Assist a lady with her chair when she sits down or standsOpen doors for a lady

Help a lady with her coat, cloak, shawl, etc.

Offer to bring a lady refreshments if they are available

Offer your arm to escort a lady (with whom you are acquainted) into or out of a

building or a room at all social events, and whenever walking on uneven ground

FOR WOMEN

Never refer to another adult by his or her first name in public

Never grab your hoops or lift your skirts higher than is absolutely necessary to go

up stairs

Never lift your skirts up onto a chair or stool, etc.

Never sit with your legs crossed except at the ankles if necessary for comfort or

habit

Never lift your skirts up onto the seat of your chair when sitting down . Wait for,

or if necessary, ask for assistance when sitting down at a table or on a small light

chair.

Never speak in a loud, coarse voice

Never refuse a gentleman’s assistance

JANE AUSTEN’S WORK

Novels about love and marriage as well as the

heartaches experienced by women

Wrote from experience

Strong, witty female protagonists

Almost always a male character who is initially

perceived to be good but eventually turns out to be

bad eg: Mr.Wickham from Pride and Prejudice

THE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN

Pride and Prejudice

Emma

Northanger Abbey

Sense and Sensibility

PERSONAL REFLECTION

If I were to choose one novel to read I would choose

Pride and Prejudice because it is said to be the story

of Jane Austen’s love only with the happy ending that

she wanted. In my opinion, this would give it an

extremely personal touch and the character of the

woman protagonist would reflect what kind of

woman Austen was or rather wanted herself to be

therefore giving the reader a rare insight into the

author’s mind.

NORTHANGER ABBEY

“The Abbey in itself was no more to her now

than any other house. The painful remembrance

of the folly it had helped to nourish and perfect,

was the only emotion which could spring from a

consideration of the building.”

ABOUT THE NOVEL

Light-hearted, coming-of-age romantic comedy.

Written in the later 1790’s but published in 1817

Set in the early 19th century

The plot covers 4 distinct places : Fullerton,

Woodston, Bath and Northanger Abbey

Main themes : Gothic novels, youth, coming-of-age,

love.

MAINCHARACTERS

CATHERINE MORLAND

She is the protagonist of the novel. She enjoys reading gothic novels and had a habit of blurring lines between reality and fantasy that got her stuck in several inconvenient situations through the entire novel. Austen described her as having a heart that was “affectionate, a "disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation". Catherine was said to be “plain” as a youth but later became “almost pretty” at the age of 15. Her family was moderately wealthy.

HENRY TILNEY

He is Catherine's romantic interest throughout the novel, and comes to return her feelings through the course of the novel. He is a clergyman in his mid-20s, as well as the younger son of the wealthy Tilney family. He is sarcastic, intuitive, and clever. He also has a compassionate nature (he is a good brother to Eleanor), which could be one of the reasons he liked Catherine’s naïve authenticity.

ELEANOR TILNEY

She is Henry's younger sister. Eleanor is shy and quiet but she is very close to her brother. She enjoys reading but her introverted nature prevents her from having many friends. Like her brothers, Eleanor is often oppressed by her father and her reserve and respect for him prevent her from acting out against him.

ISABELLA THORPE

She is Catherine's best friend and the sister of John Thorpe who is a friend of Catherine’s brother, James. Isabella is attractive and energetic. She enjoys gossiping and is often concerned with superficial things. She enjoys flirting. Ultimately, Isabella's nature causes her to lose both James and her other boyfriend, Frederick Tilney (oldest son of the Tilney family)

OTHER CHARACTERS

James Morland : Catherine’s brother, briefly engaged to

Isabella Thorpe

John Thorpe : Friend of James Morland. Tries to woo

Catherine but his arrogant nature puts her off.

General Tilney : Head of the Tilney family, owns Northanger

Abbey. Tyrannical and bullies his children.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen : Slightly wealthier neighbors of the

Morland family. They invited Catherine to go to Bath with them.

PLOT

Catherine Morland goes to Bath for the season as the guest of Mr. and Mrs.

Allen, and there she meets General Tilney, his son Henry Tilney and his

daughter Eleanor Tilney. Catherine is invited to the Tilney's home, the

Northanger Abbey, where her imagination goes wild and she imagines

various secrets hidden by the General in his house. Henry proves her theories

wrong and while Catherine is still trying to cope with the humiliation, the

General demands that she leaves. She returns home and is followed by Henry

who explains that the General, misguidedly thinking she was penniless, had

been anxious to keep her away from his son. Relieved by the truth, the

General finally gives his blessing to Henry's marriage to Catherine.

WHY A GOTHIC PARODY?

Gothic is the term given to novels that have elements of terror

(psychological as well as physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts,

haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death,

decay, “doubles,” madness (especially mad women), secrets, hereditary

curses, and persecuted maidens. A parody is an imitation of the style of

a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for

comic effect. Northanger Abbey is known as a gothic parody because it

mocks the form and conventions of a gothic novel. This can be seen

when Catharine goes to investigate a suspicious- looking cupboard but

all she finds inside are old bills.

The end