Northanger Abbey’s primary trajectory is the development of the main female character. Even though Catherine Morland is not a typical female Bildungsroman, her realisations in who she is and who she is becoming are very evident throughout the novel. George Willis defines the Bildungsroman as “a novel which traces the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character towards maturity.” In this novel, the main developments of Catherine being traced are the social, psychological, emotional and intellectual, in addition to her growth as a fully functional lady of society. The first chapter focuses on the Catherine's practicality, her intelligent, but not brilliant mind and her lack of experience in the world. Austen introduces Catherine as a realistic character, while contrasting that realism to her role as the heroine of a novel.
Jane Austen presents Catherine Morland at the beginning of the novel, this opens the novel to a very interesting and yet peculiar start to the Northanger Abbey, “No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her to be born an heroine”. This opening sentence leaves the reader expecting her to become a heroine as her life progresses. The author’s careful diction characterises Catherine, “No one who had ever seen,” as though her outward appearance cannot righteously represent her true inner nature. The description of Catherine’s appearance typifies this. When Austen describes Catherine in the opening of the novel, she suggests that she is an unlikely gothic heroine. Catherine isn’t described as a stereotypical child, nevertheless, she had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features, “so much for her person and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind”. Austen presents Catherine to be as boring and plain, while at the same time encouraging the idea of her strong and