Northanger Abbey - Claire Lamont, Marilyn Butler, Jane Austen
Reading start: 2015-03-05
Reading finish: 2015-12-31

This is a spoof on what used to be fantasy fiction in the 19thC; gothic, we'd call it now. It's very funny in places.

This is a spoof on what used to be fantasy fiction in the 19thC; gothic, we'd call it now. It's very funny in places.

Great! I'll start later this week! :)

Urgh! I didn't get any notifications about this discussion so didn't realise that we'd picked a book to start. I'll start it tonight! I'm looking forward to it :D

Not sure how the notifications are supposed to work!

I did start the book, but didn't get far before I got sick. I've been fighting a 102 degree fever for three days.

Ouch. Get better soon!

Pride & Prejudice is my absolute favorite, so, you're right to some degree!

Reply to post #9 (show post):
I'm struggling too...and for the same reason :/

Reply to post #9 (show post):
Oddly I felt the same way about Northanger - and I think for the same reason - you don't have the same kind of feeling at all for Catherine. I was so on board rooting for Elizabeth early on. Catherine was one of those characters (which I now recognize coming from miles away) that makes me want to grab her and give her a good shake into reality. I don't root for her, I tolerate her, and sympathize with everyone else dealing with her. But I forget if I felt differently by the end. It's kinda hard for me to tell because it was a "for class" read and sometimes for those you don't have time to think about how much you liked it because you're on a deadline. Also it made loads of sense in the context of that class, which was all about novels of that era and so we had a lot of background on the types of novels Austen is riffing on.

The one thing that we all have now (vs those 1980s class days of mine) - you can go online and read bits of some of those gothics. Or just peek at the wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysteries_of_Udolpho
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_of_Wolfenbach

More mentioned here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northanger_Abbey

I think the prof from that class just had us read selections from some of those, mainly because some of those gothics are really long. And I think that was the class we also had to read Bleak House for, so we were on a strict timetable.

I really need to reread this. Since I know my usual pace that'll mean I'll be reviewing this in what, 6 months from now, maybe? :)

I started ready Northanger Abbey a few days ago and I've got to say I'm loving it much more than Pride & Prejudice which was my first encounter with Jane Austen. I wish I had read Northanger first because maybe I would have had a better appreciation for P&P if I had?

I'm only up to chapter 13 so no spoilers please! lol

I will say the wit and humor of Catherine is great, however, I'm concerned about her naivete especially when it comes to her "friendship" with Isabella who I fear is definitely NOT a friend. And the boundaries, especially for that time period, that Isabella's brother, James (?) is crossing with Catherine is really annoying me. There is still so much intrigue and mystery considering where I'm up to in the book! If not for my having to work from 9-5 I'm sure I would have finished the book by now!

How wonderful that I should find this book club reading this book at the same time that I am!