Blog Summary: Northanger Abbey, Week of 10/4
As this is the first class discussion on Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, there are no “continuations” or blog posts expanding on topics covered in class. This week, the blogs consist mainly of first impressions.
Even still, certain themes or aspects of the novel were brought up in multiple posts: femininity and the gender gap, the naivete/innocence of youth, the novel’s satirical/comedic tone, similarities between the novel and modern society, contrast between characters, point of view, and the distaste for certain characters.
Femininity, gender gap:
Morgan Winslow: Morgan discusses the disparity between the womanly qualities of Catherine Morland and the expectations of an “ideal woman.” She believes that, based on Austen’s initial characterization of Catherine, she falls short of these expectations. However, Morgan suggests that this is the reason as to why she will be regarded as a heroine—her failure to adhere to the feminine stereotype is what will set her apart.
ReadingJusticeX: ReadingJusticeX relays his concerns about the main character, Catherine, and his inability to relate to her (as a male reader) due to her engagement in typical “chick flick”esque activities and interests.
In contrast to ReadingJusticeX’s feelings toward the feminine undertones in the novel, in her post, Jenny Jan expresses an excitement for the shift from the aspects of masculinity seen in True History of the Kelly Gang. She first provides support for this idea of femininity in the novel through references fashion, love, and womanly social interactions/friendships. As a young female herself, she feels as though she has been able to relate to certain instances in the novel.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think Austen had an intended audience? If so, who? (As the different genders seem to have different reactions to the novel…)
2. What gender stereotypes are presented in the novel and how does Austen challenge these stereotypes by labeling Catherine as a heroine?
Naivete/innocence of youth:
Myself (Jamie McGee): My blog consisted of a discussion about the similarities between the protagonists in Wieland, True History of the Kelly Gang, and Northanger Abbey, as they all begin the novel as immature and ignorant youth. I predicted that Catherine will follow the pattern seen in the first two books and that is true of all “coming-of-age” novels: she will experience some sort of event(s) that will foster a development, maturity, or transformation in her personality.
Paige T: In her post, Paige also discusses Catherine’s immaturity and how she has not yet developed to be her own individual. She adds to the argument by noting Catherine’s lack of awareness of the emotions/thoughts/motives/etc. of those around her. In conjunction with my predictions, Paige believes that as the plot moves forward we will see a development or change in Catherine’s character.
Discussion Questions:
1. How do you distinguish the difference between innocence and ignorance? Is there a difference?
2. Do you think Catherine will mature at some point during the novel? (Or will she remain lost in this phase of youth, innocence, and ignorance? Could this be part of the satirical/comedic/ironic nature of the plot?)
Satirical/comedic tone:
Josh Orol: Josh’s blog post is essentially an honest reflection of his expectations of Austen prior to reading Northanger Abbey and his impressions of the novel thus far. He admits that he was not particularly looking forward to this reading and was not anticipating much out of Austen; however, he was pleasantly surprised. He focuses on Austen’s mastery of satire (achieved through poking fun at the upper class and through character interactions) and her ability to “make him laugh while harping on an age old joke.” He praises Austen for her effective use of irony, as Catherine is portrayed as a heroine (despite her being “silly,” etc.), and she feels compelled to seek John Thorpe despite her negative opinion of him. For him, her comedic talents have made the readings enjoyable.
Like Josh, ReadingJusticeX and Sarah Leonard also mention (briefly) an enjoyment of the comedic aspect of the novel.
Yu Zhang: Yu also touches on the satirical nature of the piece, finding it evidence of Austen’s enjoying of writing the novel (which is perhaps why we enjoy reading it!), as she doesn’t take herself or her writing too seriously (comparison to Bronte sisters).
Discussion Questions:
1. As the over-arching theme for the novels read in this class is “Crime and Literature.” What kind of strange relationship does this make for this theme and the comedic tone of Northanger Abbey? How do you think this novel will fall into place and connect with novels previously read in this class? How do the tones of those novels contrast with the tone of Northanger Abbey?
Parallels to modern society:
Roman: Roman points out that many of the situations described in the novel are extremely similar to those that exist in society today. He suggests that this may be why many of us are finding Austen’s writing to be so funny (see “satirical/comedic tone”): because the jokes (and appeals to love and romance) are still relevant today. He thinks that this may be a sign that we, as a society, have failed to “grow up.”
Sarah Leonard: Sarah forms a similar argument to Roman’s by comparing the social aspects of the novel to Greek life here at UNC.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think this novel parallels modern society? If so, in what ways? Did Austen consciously create this parallel? How did Austen predict what themes would withstand the test of time?
Contrasting characters (good nature v. vanity):
David Liauw: David describes the Thorpe family and the Tilney family to be foils of one another, yet draws a parallel between their similar desires for Catherine’s affections. Catherine is then forced to make decisions regarding with whom to spend her time and this, in turn, (according to David) creates a rivalry between the two families that serves as a source of conflict in the novel. He suggest that Austen is making a comparison between this “tug of war” and that which is occurring within Catherine’s personal life (as she is attracted to lifestyles/personalities of the “pompous,” social Thorpes and the “moral and good-natured” Tilneys). “I believe the clash of affections ultimately indicate that she is attracted by both different lifestyles and personalities as she struggles to decide which family she will emulate.”
Similarly, Yu Zhang mentions that Catherine stands out in comparison to the vanity and pride of many of the other characters.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think that good nature v. vanity will become a major conflict in the novel?
Point of view:
Matt Myers: Matt brings to light an importance difference between this novel and the previous novels we’ve read in class—the fact that this story is written from a third person point of view. He notes that the author is an outsider who knows Catherine’s thoughts and observes her interactions with other characters; Matt suggests that this narrator may be more reliable and unbiased compared to a first person perspective.
Paige T: In accordance with Matt’s post, Paige notes that it is “refreshing” to hear a story told by someone who is not directly involved in the story in any manner.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are some of the possible disadvantages of reading a narrative written in third person point of view? (Are there other places we need to search for bias?)
Unappealing characters
M. Loveland: Mark admits to disliking all of the characters portrayed in the novel (except Catherine), as none of them have any admirable traits. He focuses on the Thorpe siblings, Isabella and John, describing the former as “manipulative and shallow” and the latter as being conceited and self centered. I also think it is interesting to note that although he “can’t stand” the characters, he still has enjoyed the book.
Morgan Parks: Morgan is also disenchanted and annoyed by Miss Thorpe’s character. Morgan claims that Isabella is simply using her “friendship” with Catherine to get to James. She mentions an instance of Austen’s use of irony (see Josh Orol’s summary) as Isabella said she wanted to prove to men that women can hold honest friendships, yet her friendship with Catherine is, in reality, extremely shallow.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is so appealing of the novel as a whole that overshadows this distaste for the characters?
In addition to these overlapping concepts, there were several posts that brought up different and unique ideas:
Yu Zhang: Yu also raises the question about what the central conflict in the novel will turn out to be and if the plot will develop some of the more grave and serious issues as we have seen in Wieland and True History of the Kelly Gang.
Sarah Leonard: Sarah makes an interesting point that stood out to me regarding how each of the main characters introduced thus far fits into a certain social stereotype.
Batman: Batman comments on his first impressions of the novel and how, at first, it seemed quite similar to Wieland. He finds commonalities in the authors’ lengthy descriptions of a single character; however, he sets Austen apart, noting that her purpose was simply to use her main character as a reference point (as she is often described as plain and average—see “contrasting characters” above) to contrast other characters and their situations.
DJones: DJones posts a commentary dealing with Catherine’s friendship with Isabella. He harbors suspicions, suggesting that it seems shallow, almost forced, as the two became attached so quickly. He relates this back to Catherine’s innocence and ignorance (see “naivete/innocence” above).
No comments:
Post a Comment