There are three main environments in which the novel, Northanger Abbey, is set.

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There are three main environments in which the novel, Northanger Abbey, is set.

The initial location is Fullerton and it is from here Catherine begins her journey. This is also the place to which Catherine returns at the end of the narrative. By the very fact that Fullerton is located at the start and the end of Catherine’s journey, it can be used as a comparison with the other locations in the novel.

Catherine wants to leave Fullerton, as it is not exciting enough and certainly not as glamorous a place as the second location, Bath. Indeed, the Allens, who own the majority of the land in Fullerton, are happy to spend much of the year socialising in Bath. Mrs Allen takes Catherine to Bath because “adventures do not befall a young lady in her own village”. Although Catherine has a strong desire for adventure and may exaggerate the “sleepiness” of Fullerton, it does seem to be a quiet and sedate place. There is little opportunity for her to meet new people of her own age and social class and it appears that nothing of any note ever happens.

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Fullerton, does however, have positive attributes. It is the home of Catherine’s family, who are a stable and supportive unit. The people of Fullerton are more genuine than in Bath as the permanent residences require them to be sincere and eradicate the opportunity for the kind of trickery Catherine encounters from Isabella Thorpe in Bath.

The second focal environment is Bath. The comparison with Fullerton highlights the fact that Bath is an exciting place, a place filled with visitors, rather than residents. This creates an air of falseness, which is ironic as Bath is the genuine geographical location, as ...

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