Northanger Abbey

Characters

Catherine Morland in an illustration from an 1833 edition of the novel

Catherine Morland: The naive 17-year-old protagonist of the novel, Catherine lacks life experience and is determined to see the best in people. Her appearance is "pleasing, and when in good looks, pretty."[10] Her fondness for Gothic novels and an active imagination tend to skew her interpretation of real events. She has a sweet and good-natured personality. Catherine is observant but naïve, not seeing malicious underlying intentions in people's actions until the end of the novel. She shares with Henry Tilney a love of sarcastic humour. The novel follows Catherine as she grows and matures into a better understanding of people's natures after being exposed to the outside world at Bath and at Northanger Abbey.[11]

James Morland: Catherine's older brother, studying at Oxford University, who makes a surprise visit to Bath to see his sister and then his parents. He is humble, sweet, and fun-loving like his sister, but he is not a very good judge of character; he is both naïve and innocent when it comes to matters of the heart.[12]

Henry Tilney: A quirky 26-year-old well-read clergyman, brother of Eleanor and Frederick Tilney, and a member of the wealthy Tilney family. He is Catherine's love interest, comes to return her feelings in the course of the novel and marries her in the end. He is sarcastic, intuitive, fairly handsome, and clever in nature. He differs from Catherine in being attuned to the behaviour and underlying intentions of others and finds amusement in the folly of those around him.[13]

John Thorpe: Brother of Isabella Thorpe, John is an arrogant and boastful young man. A terrible conversationalist as he talks of nothing but of his horses and carriages; he is loud, dimwitted, overbearing, vengeful and rude, even to his own mother. John initially takes an interest in Catherine and grows increasingly possessive of her, but when he discovers that it is Henry Tilney whom she loves, he finds ways to manipulate the situation to suit his liking.[14]

Isabella and Catherine walking arm and arm in an illustration by H. M. Brock from a 1904 edition of the novel

Isabella Thorpe: Sister of John Thorpe, Isabella is a beautiful and charming 21-year-old woman who can be conniving and manipulative when it suits her purpose. She visits Bath in search of a wealthy husband. She befriends Catherine at Bath and takes an interest in Catherine's brother, James Morland. She eventually succeeds in getting a marriage offer from James which she accepts, but she later breaks off this engagement when she discovers that James will only receive a small portion of his inheritance and must wait two years before marrying.[15]

General Tilney: A stern and retired general, he is the despotic father of his three children: Captain Tilney (Frederick), Henry, and Eleanor.[16] Rigid, overbearing, tyrannical, and materialistic in nature, General Tilney spends most of his time taking care of his estate at Northanger Abbey.[16] Strict on punctuality and determined to "keep a tight ship" within his household, General Tilney is by nature inflexible and has absolute distaste for anyone or anything that disrupts his schedule or his sense of order.[16] Some may speculate as to whether or not his difficult personality is due to his losing his wife years earlier (the wife died when Eleanor was a child),[16] and being burdened with raising his children alone; however, it is certain that he is rude not only towards his children but also in his poor treatment of Catherine. Throughout the novel, General Tilney keeps his focus on the advancement and social acceptance of his family.[16] General Tilney is so concerned with his family's name and fortune that he tries to control who his children can and cannot marry, especially with regard to Henry's love for Catherine.[16] Upon further analysis, General Tilney's behaviour and attitude brings our attention to the social concerns that were common during Jane Austen's time period.[16]

Eleanor Tilney: She is the younger sister of Frederick and Henry Tilney, and the daughter of General Tilney.[7] Making her visit to the city of Bath at a later time, her friendship with Catherine Morland begins midway through the novel;[7] she is sweet, kind, and humble like her brother Henry,[7] and proves herself to be a much more loyal friend to Catherine than Isabella ever was.[7] Her role in Bath is not very significant as she spends the majority of her time acting as a chaperone for Catherine and Henry.[7] Other than her friendship with Catherine and their time spent together in Northanger Abbey, Eleanor plays no other significant role throughout the novel, except for her later marriage to a viscount allowing her father to grant Catherine and Henry permission to marry.[7]

Frederick Tilney: He is the older brother of Henry and Eleanor Tilney and the heir to the Northanger estate.[17] Frederick is an officer in the army.[17] He takes advantage of women with his handsome and fashionable looks, pursuing flirtations with pretty girls who are willing to offer him some encouragement though without any serious intent on his part.[17] This is evident from his interactions with Isabella Thorpe. Henry describes his brother's personality to Catherine as "a lively, and perhaps sometimes a thoughtless young man; he [Frederick] has had about a week's acquaintance with your friend [Isabella], and he has known her engagement almost as long as he has known her."[17] Known as "The Captain", Frederick represents Society's dual standards for behaviour for men and women.[17] He also adds to the mystique of the Tilney family: Like father, Like son.[17] Frederick's actions make Henry and Eleanor more sympathetic characters and his ruining of Isabella does the same for her character.[17] Regina Jeffers notes that many readers perceive Frederick as nothing but selfish, greedy, and conniving.[17]

Mr. Allen: Although his role is minimal in the story, he is a mostly considerate man with a rough exterior who puts up with his wife's frivolous nature.[18] He allows Catherine and his wife to accompany him in Bath, where he is being treated for gout.[19] He often takes on a paternal role serving as a guardian figure to Catherine,[18] especially when he takes an interest in her love affair with Henry Tilney, being noted as "taken pains to know who her partner was."[19] Mr. Allen approves of the pair as Tilney's reputation impresses him.[19]

Mrs. Allen: She is the wife of Mr. Allen and the neighbour of the Morlands.[20] She invites Catherine to join her and her husband to Bath.[20] Not able to think about much but clothes, Mrs. Allen does not strongly influence Catherine and her journey to maturity since she herself does not exert any intellectual ideas.[20] Beyond her attire and the clothes those around her wear, Mrs. Allen does not have much of an opinion.[20] She does not have many friends as evident from Mrs. Thorpe being the only person she recognizes in Bath.[20]


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