Looking for Jane Austen and Northanger Abbey

1. Looking for Jane Austen and Northanger Abbey A webquest created by Mrs.Chong Done by: Ananya Chakraborty Literature, Year 11 Band 5

2. “We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” Jane Austen

3. Contents Her Life in Numbers Family Life Austen as a Person Austen’s England Writing Personal reflection A portrait of Jane Austen

4. Her life in numbers • Born on December 16th1775 in Steventon to Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Austen • Born 7th oldest among 8children, 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

5. 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

6. Austen as a person • Romantic, intelligent and brave • Didn’t agree with society’s idea of the role of women • Was in love with Irish barrister Tom Lefroy who supposedly inspired Mr.Darcy’s character. • Never married

7. Austen’s England • Known as Georgian era • Ruled by King George I, II, III and IV of England • Lasted from 1714-1830

8. Important Events • 1776: 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

9. Austen’s world

10. 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

11. Clothing for women Evening Attire Morning Dresses • 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. Behavior and manners

17. 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 standsOpendoors 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. The works of Jane Austen • Pride and Prejudice • Emma • Northanger Abbey • Sense and Sensibility

21. 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.

22. “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.” Northanger Abbey

23. 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.

24. MainCharacters

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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)

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. The end