The Long Publishing Journey of Northanger Abbey
3 questions to answer:
- Some say the climax of the novel occurs when General Tilney sends Catherine away. However, some say the climax occurs when Catherine sneaks into the late Mrs. Tilney’s room and discovers nothing, and then gets caught and scolded by Henry. What do you think is the climax of the novel? Why?
- Catherine’s suspicions of Gothic evils turn out to be wrong –or do they? Is there actual evil in the novel? If there is real evil, what is its nature, where does it lie, and what, if anything, is its connection with Catherine’s Gothic illusions?
- One way of looking at Northanger Abbey is to see it as a novel of education. If Northanger Abbey is a novel of education, what, in fact, does Catherine learn, and what is the significance of the way she learns it?
