Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (1817)

Catherine Morland, an avid reader of Gothic novels, visits the ancient Northanger Abbey and lets her imagination run wild, suspecting her host of terrible crimes. Austen's delightful satire of Gothic fiction and the dangers of confusing novels with reality.

Historical Significance:
Austen wrote Northanger Abbey around 1798-99 (originally titled "Susan"), making it one of her earliest completed works, though it was published posthumously in December 1817 alongside Persuasion. The novel is both a loving parody of Gothic novels like Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho and a sharp commentary on the expectations placed on young women. Catherine Morland is Austen's most naive heroine — her education through disillusionment is both comic and touching. The novel's defense of the novel as an art form ("only a novel!") remains one of the most important early statements of fiction's literary value.

This public domain classic was originally published posthumously in 1817. Free to read and share.