Catherine Movarna In Northanger Abbey

Catherine Morland is the main character of Jane Austen’s book Northanger Abbey. Catherine is a protagonist, an un-heroic heroine, and the comedic figure of the story. Catherine is not like your typical heroine in a lot of ways. She isn’t smart, wealthy, beautiful, or tragic. Which was what Jane Austen used to break away from gothic novels. Catherine Morland is an un-heroic heroine. She is unfortunate but a very nice and sweet girl whom can be ridiculous at times. She isn’t very experienced and is young and naïve mistaking fiction for reality. She replaces things she’s read about in novels with experiences she hasn’t had in real life. For example at Northanger Abbey she makes several mistakes even an accusation all because she imagines it to be like all …show more content…
Everyone she meets she likes to relate to characters from the books she’s read. For example at Isabella’s engagement to James: “This charming sentiment, recommended as much by sense as novelty, gave Catherine a most pleasing remembrance of all the heroines of her acquaintance; and she thought her friend never looked more lovely than in uttering the grand idea.” (Chapter 15 page 120) She is once more confusing fiction with reality in this statement, with the words “acquaintance” and “remembers”. Acquainted with the heroines from the literary and remembering them as if they were real people. Isabella being the connection with the heroine in her stories, because she is very complex, like most of the heroines in gothic novels. This disconnection between the real and not real causes her a lot of problems. She has trouble choosing the right groups to spend time with. The Thorpes being a primary example being as she can’t see how much they were deceiving and manipulating her. Like when John tries to propose to her she doesn’t even realize it. She struggles with coherent communication skills and has trouble understanding