Mrs. Anderson
AP Language and Composition Block 3
October 6, 2012
Literary Analysis of Northanger Abbey Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey, uses vivid diction and a distinct tone to portray each character in the novel. Austen begins the novel with a nonchalant tone and ends it with a more serious tone. She uses these tones of the novel, along with descriptive word choices to develop mental images of each character in the mind of her audience. In the opening paragraph of Northanger Abbey, Austen’s colorful diction is presented when Catherine’s physical appearance is illustrated as “a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without color, dark lank hair, and strong features” (1). Austen also uses diction to portray Catherine’s growth into a young woman. She states that the new, more mature Catherine’s “manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and, when in good looks, pretty—and her mind about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is” (5). This shows the reader that although Catherine looks older and acts older in some aspects, she is still young and naïve. Another character that Austen uses strong diction to depict their personality as well as physical appearance is Henry Tilney. Henry Tilney is the first person that Catherine meets while in Bath. “The master of the ceremonies” introduces Catherine and Henry to be partners in dancing. In the opening paragraphs of Chapter Two, Henry is described as a man who was “had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it” (11). This shows the audience Catherine’s first thoughts of Henry Tilney. Besides Henry, Catherine meets another person, Isabella, who quickly becomes one of her best friends. Isabella is beautiful, well educated, a guy-magnet, and is everything that Catherine ever wanted to be. The very first time Catherine and Isabella meet, they become best friends and remain friends throughout most of the novel. Catherine’s fondness of Isabella is revealed when Catherine “ran directly upstairs, and watched [Isabella’s] progress down the street from the drawing-room window; admired the graceful spirit of her walk [and] the fashionable air of her figure and dress” (19). Throughout the novel, Catherine’s attachment to Isabella grows weaker because she begins to see Isabella’s true personality. Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey, is filled with vivid diction and multiple tones which are all used to display the physical and mental growth of the main characters. From Catherine to Isabella and Henry as well as other characters in the novel, Austen exhibits every aspect of each of their physical characteristics and personality traits using powerful diction in every description.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. New York: Bantam Books, 1999. Print.
Cited: Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. New York: Bantam Books, 1999. Print.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Northanger Abbey follows the journey of a seventeen year old gothic book lover Catherine Morland and her adventures with her neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Allen and their adventures in Bath, England. Mr. and Mrs. Allen do not have children of their own and see Catherine as a surrogate daughter. When they invite Catherine to join them in Bath, a resort town for wealthier members of society, Catherine eagerly accepts. In Bath, She gets introduced to Henry Tilney, a young clergyman who charms her with his wit. Catherine does not see him again and assumes he has left Bath. Mrs. Allen runs into an old acquaintance of hers, Mrs. Thorpe and her three daughter’s one of whom, Isabella is around Catherine’s age. Catherine and Isabella become the best of friends…
- 456 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Regency England displays Emma’s naivety in which her pride and vanity causes her to meddle with other characters, blindsided by her own wrongdoings. The omniscient voice “The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself…” aligns the reader with Emma encouraging her own imaginative mind and vanity where her actions cause her to act in problematic ways other characters. The repetition of personal pronouns, “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry…I never have been in love…I do not think I ever shall.” explores Emma’s belief that her wealth allows her to be financially secure with reassurance that others will not treat her like Miss Bates for her decision to remain single. The use of narrator’s anthypophora in “Why she did not like Jane Fairfax...she saw in her the really accomplished young woman, which she wanted to be thought herself.” exhibits Emma’s jealousy as she sees Jane as a threat to her ego because she may carry more accomplishments than herself which leads to her initial dislike of Jane. The prominence of pride and vanity creates problems as a consequence as it blindsides one’s better judgement. One’s importance of materialistic items continues to be a main feature in the modern…
- 1033 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Many of the women within the story are at the mercy of the men in their lives. One of many examples would have to be the way Catherine is perceived by others when she is young. She is considered to be a “wild” girl, simply because she is allotted a bit more freedom than other women. She does not immediately conform to the social rules set to her gender, and therefore is seen as being wild and unruly. However, even after she changes into a more socially acceptable woman after spending time with the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange, she still must endure many hardships. She is not the only woman in the novel to do so, as Isabelle and Cathy must also have to face the many struggles that accompany their roles as women during their…
- 599 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Most would think that the heroine of a novel is strong and courageous. However, in the novel Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, this is not the case. The heroine in this novel is more like a damsel in distress, someone who is confused and entangled in many life problems. Eleanor Tilney’s characteristics of vulnerability and dependence classify her as the real gothic heroine. A heroine illustrated as powerless seems to be contradicting, but is used on purpose. Austen uses satire to portray Eleanor Tilney with the title of a heroine, but is actually weak and dependent to further satirize what it means to be a hero.…
- 843 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
This is a climactic moment between Henry and Catherine. By looking at Henry "more fully," she sees him clearly and shows herself to him as a more mature adult, rather than as a young youth.…
- 842 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Classical Literature, there are few works which can boast having a huge societal impact upon their publication, yet still cause a modern reader to sit at the edge of their seat turning the page in anticipation of what happens next. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of these evident pieces. In Pride and Prejudice, the life as a middle-class English woman in the 19th Century was portrayed so astutely that the world around her was forever altered. The novel is also not only readable, but stimulating, with each page alluring the reader to find out what happens next to the unforgettable characters. But how is Austen able to accomplish this? What is the quality that makes her work stand out from the rest? It is evident through textual analysis that Jane Austen uses distortion as a device to aid not only in her plot development, but also in order to express her views on societal issues within Pride and Prejudice. This distortion is most prominently seen in the amplified characters, exaggerated circumstances, and the misrepresented interactions.…
- 990 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“When the ladies returned to the drawing-room, there was little to be done but to hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did without any intermission till coffee came in, delivering her opinion on every subject in so decisive a manner, as proved that she was not used to have her judgement controverted.” Pg. 111 4. “I expected to find a more reasonable young woman.” Pg. 182 5.…
- 742 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Aunt Fay comments that in Austen’s day, novels were meant to be read aloud so they are aurally effective – “so wonderfully read aloud.” She argues that Austen’s sense of audience and the effect of her text is what makes her novels so valuable.…
- 605 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Catherine is the most important person Henry. The story starts in Italy during World War I. The protagonists are Lieutenant Henry Frederick, a volunteer ambulance driver for the Italians, and Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Henry loves Catherine so much that he deserts the war. Catherine is a safe place for Henry to retreat to when he is hurt. In the same way she is a roof to protect from the rain. Understanding, calm, and courageous in the face of death are the traits that describe Catherine.…
- 477 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Using detailed diction, Austen was able to acutely describe how Catherine looked and acted daily. After having being told how her mother would you would think catherine would have a sense of grace and professionalism but she is described as having a “thin awkward figure” and “sallow skin without color.” This is quite the difference compared to her parents. Along with this she could “never learn or understand anything before she was taught” She wasn’t the brightest person, her mother had a vision of her playing the piano. Within the first year she hated it, “The day which dismissed the music master was one of the happiest of Catherine’s life.” All of these little things Catherine does seem to contradict everything that we may have thought of her. This diction provided helps us better understand who and what Catherine is, it helps us get a better understanding of…
- 526 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Spacks essay, she discusses the fact that Northanger Abbey parodies the romantic Gothic novels of that time. She also argues about the generational conflict, and the characters use of imagination to promote their growth and maturity. She states that the growth takes place through "involvement and imagination"(303). I agree with Spacks by saying that there is plenty of imagination involved in this novel but in Catherine's case, I believe that her growth has more to do with her experiences. The involvement that Catherine has with General Tilney is crucial because she learns from him. She learns that good people could also have a bad side.…
- 1300 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
In addition to what has already been said of Catherine Morland’s personal and mental endowments, when about to be launched into all the difficulties and dangers of a six weeks’ residence in Bath, it may be stated, for the reader’s more certain information, lest the following pages should otherwise fail of giving any idea of what her character is meant to be; that her heart was affectionate, her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind—her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and when in good looks, pretty—and her…
- 1091 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Jane Austen’s famous work, Pride and Prejudice, is entwined with each character’s social, political, and personal vanity, especially Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet. Without these comedic elements this piece would never have come as far as it has.…
- 629 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Cited: Austen, Jane. The Complete Novels of Jane Austen Volume I. New York: Modern Library, 1992. Print.…
- 1810 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
Chapter II. Peculiarities of the lexical Stylistic devices (metaphor, metonymy, irony, simile, epithet) in the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen…
- 8198 Words
- 33 Pages
Powerful Essays