The Annotated Northanger Abbey
Page 46
18. Unlike the quiet development of the couple’s love that is described above, this situation does bear affinity with many novels, in which parental hostility to the characters’ romance plays an important role.
19. That is, he asked her to marry him before mentioning the matter of his father’s firm opposition. Had he told her of it beforehand, her conscience would have dictated rejecting him, since marrying against a parent’s wishes was considered wrong and she has every reason to suspect General Tilney’s disapproval.
20. The “better pride” could be pride in one’s own good judgment, which would make one reluctant to own, or acknowledge, being deceived. It also could be pride in one’s own good character, which would make one reluctant to acknowledge the mercenary calculations that moved the General.
21. accidentally: by chance, fortuitously.
22. For this encounter, see this page.
23. regularly: proportionally.
24. Mr. Morland’s preferment is his clerical position, and its amount the income he gains from it.
25. His private fortune is the property or assets he possesses, independent of his clerical position. He had promised to bestow some of that on his son in the settlements for James’s proposed marriage to Isabella (this page).
26. sinking: eliminating, deducting.
27. peculiar: particular.
28. intelligence: information.
29. views on: expectations of.
30. Many commentators have, with some reason, criticized Jane Austen’s depiction of General Tilney’s conduct here as implausible. In particular, as a man of wide experience who is far from unintelligent, he could presumably have perceived, even in an initial acquaintance, some of John Thorpe’s obvious faults, including his unrestrained and hyperbolic language and his extreme boastfulness. More important, considering the importance he places on securing profitable marriages for his children, he would surely not have gone to such great lengths to court Catherine (who never acts like someone of great wealth or social rank), and have given such strong encouragement to Henry, without making some inquiries of his own into her situation.
31. We now understand why he showed such solicitude for the Allens soon after his conversation with John Thorpe (see this page).
32. connection: connection or link through marriage.
33. rhodomontade: rodomontade, i.e., vainglorious bragging.
34. substance: wealth.
35. credit: good name and public standing.
36. liberal: financially generous.
37. necessitous: needy, poor.
38. forward: presumptuous, pushy.
39. General Tilney’s extreme rudeness in ejecting Catherine has also been criticized for its implausibility, including by some reviewers of the time who noted its sharp departure from norms of gentlemanly behavior; Maria Edgeworth, whose novel Belinda was earlier praised in this novel’s narrative, was one who considered it unnatural. Jane Austen has given the character a motive for his anger at Catherine, and has shown the nasty aspects of his nature; the objection would be that, as much as he might wish to inflict such punishment on her, doing so represents such a transgression of expected behavior that knowledge of it would certainly spread and harm his reputation among others of his rank, something he values tremendously.
40. Meaning just as the author’s short summary here saves the readers the trouble of reading a fuller, more complex account, the latter’s imagining for themselves the specific division of these occurrences saves the author the trouble of having to recount them in detail.
41. Thus some justification is provided for Catherine’s Gothic surmises. At the same time, this episode means that the novel provides, like the novels it satirizes, a case of genuine villainy. The crucial difference is that General Tilney’s villainy (as well as John Thorpe’s contributory version) is the villainy of normal life, committed for ordinary motives by men who are accepted members of society. This makes it less shocking and deadly than the villainy of Gothic novels, but in some respects more dangerous, because it is much more common and much harder to detect, especially by someone as inexperienced as Catherine. One of Jane Austen’s main goals—and achievements—as a novelist is to show the virtues and vices of ordinary life, and to demonstrate that the consequences of either, and the struggles between them, can have as great a moral significance as the more extreme consequences and conflicts that other novelists present.
42. narrow-minded counsel: mercenary advice or opinions.
43. Henry’s current situation places him on a footing of greater equality with Catherine than has been the case heretofore. He still holds the advantage when it comes to wit and wisdom, to age and experience, and to social position and wealth. But he is the inferior one when it comes to the matter of his family’s moral quality.
44. Thus the argument at Northanger gives Henry a chance to play a truly heroic role, and to show that he has courage and strength of character, in addition to the softer qualities he has already displayed.
45. This passage indicates, given the current meaning of “afternoon,” that Henry spent most of the day that he departed Woodston engaged in his mental efforts, then left at about five p.m. He would have spent the night somewhere on the road, and arrived in Fullerton the next day.
An older man.
[From Elisabeth McClellan, Historic Dress in America, 1800–1870 (Philadelphia, 1910), p. 365]
[List of Illustrations]
VOLUME II, CHAPTER XVI
1. start: propose.
2. By “housekeeper” Mrs. Morland means the mistress of a house, the person who manages all the affairs of the household, not the servant also called by that name.
3. alliance: marriage, match. The term, often used in Austen’s novels, reflects the degree that marriage was seen as an alliance of families, often for their mutual social or economic benefit.
4. parading: ostentatious, showy.
5. Marriage settlements would have been made between the fathers, or other guardians, of General Tilney and his wife when they married. Such settlements would specify the exact monetary contribution of each family, as well as, among other things, what the children would eventually inherit. Thus General Tilney can do nothing to block Henry from receiving his stipulated fortune, which will probably descend to him after his father’s death.
6. “Plantations,” which can refer to a collection of anything planted, mean here the shrubs at Woodston mentioned earlier (this page), designed eventually to form a shrubbery.
7. It was improper for unrelated and unmarried young people of opposite sexes to correspond with each other, unless officially engaged. Here, where the two have a tentative engagement of sorts, Mr. and Mrs. Morland are willing to pretend ignorance of it.
8. event: outcome.
9. Readers, knowing most novels have happy endings, could assume from the small number of pages left that such an ending is imminent.
10. This personal statement is rare in Austen’s works. Like her jocular personal address to her readers in the previous paragraph, it may be an attempt to distract from the inartistic resolution of the novel’s plot that she is providing in these same paragraphs, meaning the sudden interjection of a development for which absolutely no foundation has been provided previously, involving an important action by a character who has never before been mentioned. In her later works, Jane Austen finds more felicitous ways to resolve the main conflicts of a story.
11. addressing: courting.
12. Eleanor’s husband is probably the younger son of a titled family, who unexpectedly inherited the title and the family fortune after his elder brother died without an heir. Prior to that, despite his coming from a noble family, the more limited fortune and prospects of a typical younger son would have rendered him a far less desirable husband. This would have made him reluctant to propose to Eleanor, a reluctance that could have been increased by awareness of her father’s obsession with money. Eleanor’s knowing a nobleman’s son is further proof of the
Tilneys’ frequent association with people of high rank, for it is probable the two had met at gatherings including their respective families.
13. The wife of a peer, or titled lord, would be called “Your Ladyship.” The next paragraph reveals that he is a viscount, the fourth-highest rank of the peerage (the fifth and last is baron).
14. The author indicates her awareness of the awkwardness of her final plot twist.
15. This trivial detail, in addition to providing a superficial solution of the author’s violation of “the rules of composition,” also gives her another opportunity to parody other novelists (including Ann Radcliffe) who make a point of providing full explanations at the end for every strange and mysterious occurrence over the course of a novel.
16. Most landed estates operated under an entail, which dictated that the bulk of the property would pass to the eldest son of the current holder, or to the next closest male relative, regardless of the wishes of that holder. In Pride and Prejudice an entail leads to the heroine’s family estate being destined for a distant cousin of hers, due to the family’s lack of a son. In this case, however, Mr. Allen has no such restriction, and since he also has no children to claim his property, he could indeed choose to leave some or all of it to Catherine or other members of the Morland family—especially if there is no one else with a strong tie of blood or friendship with the Allens.
17. One feature of this conclusion is that it says nothing about the future fate of many other characters, including John and Isabella Thorpe, Captain Tilney, and James Morland. In all her later novels Austen does furnish information about the fates of supporting characters.
18. altogether: on the whole.
19. The possible recommendation of parental tyranny lies in the suggestion that General Tilney’s opposition had actually assisted Henry and Catherine in the end. These closing words represent a final parody of novelistic conventions, for concluding with an explicit moral message was standard practice, one expected by readers and commentators.
A lord, or peer.
[From William Pyne, Costume of Great Britain (London, 1804; 1989 reprint), Plate XXXVII]
[List of Illustrations]
Chronology
The author provides no calendar dates in Northanger Abbey, but she does give the month on a few occasions, and she furnishes ample information on days of the week and intervals between them. This allows for a fairly precise chronology of the sequence of events.
VOLUME I
Early January
James Morland spends last week of Christmas vacation with the Thorpes
Late January/Early February
Catherine travels to Bath with the Allens
Ten weeks later (see entries below) Catherine receives a letter dated “April” (here). Almost three weeks later it is still February (here).
Monday
Catherine’s first ball
This happens “after three or four days had been spent in learning what was mostly worn.” Monday is specified here.
Friday (Week Two)
Introduction to Henry Tilney
Day is specified here; Catherine also says she has been in Bath “about a week.”
Saturday
Henry leaves Bath
Catherine searches for Henry at the Pump Room (here)
She and Mrs. Allen meet the Thorpes (here)
Sunday
Catherine and Isabella meet on the Crescent
Rest of Week
Catherine searches in vain for Henry
Monday (Week Three)
Conversation between Catherine and Isabella on Gothic novels
It occurs “eight or nine days” after their first meeting. See next two entries for why Monday.
Arrival of John Thorpe and James Morland This happens immediately after the above. (here)
Dance at the Upper Rooms the same evening Catherine sees Henry and Eleanor Tilney Later specified as Monday (on this page). (here)
Tuesday
Catherine goes on carriage ride with John Thorpe
Attendance at the theater in the evening (here)
Wednesday
Catherine sees Eleanor Tilney at the Pump Room
Thursday (Week Four)
Catherine attends the Upper Rooms, dances with Henry
Friday
Catherine breaks engagement with the Tilneys
Saturday
Catherine attempts to call on the Tilneys
Encounter with the Tilneys at theater in evening (here)
Sunday
Catherine refuses to break second engagement
Monday
Catherine walks with the Tilneys
Thorpes and James go to Clifton (here)
Tuesday
Isabella tells Catherine of engagement to James
Wednesday
Letter stating the Morlands’ consent arrives
John Thorpe talks to Catherine before leaving (here)
Catherine dines at the Tilneys’ (here)
They agreed on Monday that she would come “the day after the next” (here).
Thursday (Week Five)
Catherine sees the Tilneys at the dance
It must be the next day, since no dances would occur on Wednesdays.
Later in Week
Arrival of letter from James giving specific details of marriage settlement
The exact day is not given.
Week Six
The Allens decide to stay two additional weeks
“The Allens had now entered on the sixth week of their stay in Bath.”
Catherine invited to Northanger Abbey (here)
Catherine meets Isabella at the Pump Room (here)
VOLUME II
Later in Week
Catherine speaks to Henry about the flirtation between Isabella and Captain Tilney
“A few days passed away” first, during which Catherine observed Isabella (here). The next event, the trip to Northanger Abbey, is “to take place within a few days.”
Friday (Week Seven)
The trip from Bath to Northanger Abbey
The day can be determined by two days later being a Sunday (see below), and the week by the statement, when Catherine was invited by the Tilneys, that they were going to leave “by the end of another week” (here).
Saturday
Catherine discovers her folly about the cabinet
Henry departs from Northanger (here)
Sunday
Attendance at church
Monday
Catherine sees Mrs. Tilney’s room
Henry returns, confronts Catherine about her suspicions relating to his mother (here)
Wednesday or Thursday (Week Nine)
Arrival of letter from James
It came on the tenth day after Catherine first was disappointed by not receiving a letter from Isabella, which would have been the Sunday or Monday after arriving in Northanger—hence Wednesday or Thursday. Also, “A day or two passed away” between the news from James and the following event (here).
Saturday
General Tilney proposes a visit to Woodston
Henry leaves Northanger for Woodston (here)
Henry says, when leaving, “to-morrow is Sunday.”
Wednesday
Visit to Woodston
Thursday (Week Ten)
Arrival of letter from Isabella
It is “the next morning,” and the letter is dated April.
Monday–?
Departure of General Tilney for London
It occurs “soon after” the above event, but not too soon, since his return on Saturday (see next entry), before which he was gone at least several days, was completely unexpected.
Saturday (Week Eleven)
Departure of Henry for Woodston
Return of General Tilney (here)
Sunday
Catherine’s journey home Identified as Sunday (here).
Monday
Henry returns to Northanger, quarrels with his fa
ther over Catherine
When he left, it was for two days (here), and the argument occurs two days before his arrival in Fullerton.
Tuesday
Henry leaves for Fullerton
Wednesday
Henry arrives at Fullerton, proposes to Catherine
Summer
Marriage of Eleanor
Winter
Marriage of Catherine and Henry
It occurs “within a twelvemonth from the first day of their meeting.”
Bibliography
EDITIONS OF NORTHANGER ABBEY
Benedict, Barbara, and Deirdre Le Faye, eds., The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey (Cambridge, 2006)
Chapman, R. W., ed., The Novels of Jane Austen, Vol. V: Northanger Abbey and Persuasion (Oxford, 1933)
Fraiman, Susan, ed., Northanger Abbey: A Norton Critical Edition (New York, 2004)
WORKS BY JANE AUSTEN
The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen (Cambridge, 2005–2009)
Jane Austen’s Letters, ed. Deirdre Le Faye (Oxford, 1995)
The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen, 6 Vols., ed. R. W. Chapman (Oxford, 1988)
WORKS RELATING TO JANE AUSTEN
Biographical
Austen, Caroline, Reminiscences of Caroline Austen (Guildford, Surrey, 1986)
Austen-Leigh, J. E., A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections (Oxford, 2002; originally published 1871)
Austen-Leigh, William, and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh, Jane Austen: A Family Record, revised and enlarged by Deirdre Le Faye (Boston, 1989)
Harman, Claire, Jane’s Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World (Edinburgh, 2009)
Honan, Park, Jane Austen: Her Life (New York, 1989)
Jenkins, Elizabeth, Jane Austen (New York, 1949)
Laski, Marghanita, Jane Austen and Her World (New York, 1969)
Le Faye, Deirdre, Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels (New York, 2002)
Mitten, G. E., Jane Austen and Her Times (Philadelphia, 2003; originally published 1905)
Ross, Josephine, Jane Austen: A Companion (New Brunswick, NJ, 2003)
Tucker, George Holbert, Jane Austen the Woman (New York, 1994)