Catherine Morlands Coming of Age in Jane Austens Northanger Abbey Ess

Catherine Morlands Coming of Age in Jane Austens Northanger Abbey Jane Austens intelligence and sophisticated diction do her a revolutionary author, and her mastery surpasses most modern authors. By challenging conventional stereotypes in her legends, she gives the open-minded referee a new perspective by means of the message she conveys. Her kickoff novel, Northanger Abbey, focuses on reading. However, she parallels typical novel reading with the reading of people. Catherine Morlands coming of age hinges on her energy to become a better reader of both novels and people.Austen first introduces Catherine as an unlikely heroine No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine (13). This is the introductory line of Austens first book, giving the reader the responsibility to realize this is a novel by stating Catherines heroism. This is important for the reader to understand because Catherine, who loves to read fiction, consid ers herself to be a heroine in a medieval novel. Therefore, this sets the tone of the story as the reader recognizes the metaphorical gap between the ideal fictional heroine and the flawed Catherine Morland.The modern reader must be aware that, at this point in literary history, the novel was looked d testify upon as an inferior form of literature, particularly because of the grim and sensational content of gothic novels. Therefore, Austen finds it necessary to argue the vital importance of the novelOh it is only when a novel replies the young lady while she lays down her book with momentary shame--It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda or, in short, only some work in which the thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delinea... ...The strength displayed by Catherine shows her ability to make her own judgments, which parallels her becoming a woman.With Catherine Morland and Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen has set a new benchmark for what a heroine and novel can be. Thro ugh Catherine, Austen shows the danger of becoming immersed in reading and its ability to hinder the judgment between fact and fiction. Reading is a dominant theme throughout the novel, as in both the reading of the gothic novel and the reading of a persons character. When these two notions clash, the reader is forced to decide which activity holds more importance. Austen ingeniously gives the reader an interactive role as a of import character in her story by making one realize Catherines reading ability is directly proportional to her coming of age.Work CitedAusten, Jane. Northanger Abbey. New York Penguin Books, 1995.