Description
Book SynopsisFirst accepted by a publisher in 1803,
Northanger Abbey was eventually published posthumously in 1818. In it Austen weaves a romance full of suspense and comedy around the heroine Catherine Morland's first foray into society. The style of the novel is a unique hybrid; along the way Austen parodies the eighteenth-century novel of manners, the Gothic novel, and even the educational treatises of the time.
The second Broadview edition includes a revised introduction, notes, bibliography, and expanded appendices of background contextual materials.
Trade ReviewClaire Grogan's excellent introduction foregrounds the range of historical and cultural references in
Northanger Abbey, enriching the experiences of reading which are at the heart of the novel's meaning. The text is a model of clarity, and the annotation is consistently helpful and lucid. As in all editions in this series from Broadview Press, the contextual material gathered in the appendices is rewarding. Included here is a wealth of information about Jane Austen's correspondence and her reading; reviews of Northanger Abbey; maps of Bath and the West of England; and a splendid guide to the social meanings of various kinds of horse-drawn travel. A full bibliography completes this outstanding edition, making it the obvious choice for Jane Austen's modern readers." - Nicholas Roe, University of St. Andrews
"Claire Grogan's full and innovative new edition of
Northanger Abbey provides background material that invites readers to think about this ambitious and exhilarating novel in fresh and suggestive ways. Grogan rightly calls
Northanger Abbey Austen's most literary novel, and the edition she has prepared makes it possible to see how closely it is involved in the literary and political backgrounds of its time. An exemplary edition!" - Claudia L. Johnson, Princeton University
Table of ContentsIntroduction
- The Novel’s History
The Importance of Reading to Jane Austen
How Austen’s Characters Read
The Modern Reader and Northanger Abbey
A Note on the Text
Jane Austen: A Brief Chronology
Title-Page, 1818 edition
Biographical Notice
Author’s Advertisement
Northanger Abbey
Appendix A: Jane Austen’s Correspondence with Crosby Publishing House
Appendix B: Jane Austen’s Private Family Correspondence
Appendix C: Examples of Jane Austen’s Reading
- Ann Radcliffe Romance of the Forest
- William Gilpin Observations on the Picturesque
- Sentimental Heroines
- Elizabeth Hervey Louisa
- Charlotte Smith Emmeline
- Helen Maria Williams Julia
Appendix D: Catherine Morland’s Reading Material
- Ann Radcliffe The Mysteries of Udolpho
Appendix E: Reviews of Northanger Abbey
-
British Critic (March 1818)
-
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (May 1818)
-
Gentleman’s Magazine (July 1818)
-
Quarterly Review (January 1821)
Appendix F: Map of Bath, circa 1800
Appendix G: Day Trips from Bath
Appendix H: Map of South West England, circa 1856
Appendix I: Frontispiece to the 1833 edition of Northanger Abbey
Appendix J: Horse-Drawn Transportation
- Chaise and Four
- Phaeton
- Curricle
- Gig
Works Cited/Recommended Reading
