It was in the late 18th century and early 19th century that the novel became the most popular reading material, this has a lot to do with the increase in urbanisation in Britain, growing literacy among "ordinary" people. Especially in the 18th century saw an increase in women's literacy and a corresponding rise in the number of female readers and writers. Novels mainly appealed to women at first, it was only ‘respectable women who sat at home leaving them spare time to read novels, the introduction of lending libraries allowed people to obtain novels. People enjoyed novels because they critically commented on 18th century society such as marriage, this meant female characters were involved which enticed more women to read these books. The novel, with its emphasis on behaviour and marriageability, targeted women readers whereas men mainly read poetry and drama. The 'Gothic' novel, characterized by exotic settings, seemingly supernatural occurrences, and young women in distress in dark castles, was one of the most popular forms at the end of the century, also another type of literature enjoyed by women. This brought the new fashion of women in groups reading novels at home creating a new regular social event. Furthermore, the establishment of public libraries, more people were able to access books because it was very expensive to buy books and by the end of 18th century there were 1,000 circulating libraries in existence.
Men believed that they did not need to read novels because they were rubbish, and did not make the reader use their brain’s full potential. ‘Gentlemen read better books.’ (Chapter 14) this represents that there isn’t equality between men and women because certain books are branded for women and some for men, and that only men read better books, implying that it is the superior sex. However, this contradicted because the reading of novels, declared the intelligence of that person
‘The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid’ (Chapter 14)
However, after this statement made by Henry Tilney he mentions that gentlemen are more superior to women by bragging that he read it within two days. However, not all of what he says is meant to be taken literally.
Northanger Abbey is an imitation of the Gothic novel, such as Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, which was particularly popular at the time Austen was writing this novel. The novel by Radcliffe is often mentioned in the novel as a book, which Catherine Morland is reading throughout the book. By being introduced to novels by Isabella she is able to socialise with Isabella because they have a common ground between them and can be at the centre of their conversation.
Catherine Morland became so involved the novel that she was reading, she believes that it is real and becomes mixed up with fiction and reality. When talking about the Abbey, Catherine instantly believes that the Abbey is going to have things that may scare her ‘just like one reads about’ (Chapter 20). Catherine means the gothic novels that she has been reading, where in an abbey people are normally locked up in a room or a death has occurred. During the 18th century a person would not talk about such a thing so lightly because these kind of things would never occur, or not known to the average person. Catherine is under influence of the gothic novels that she is reading, the book seems to be true to her and therefore everything is full of Gothic mystery. Where else would she get the idea of the Abbey containing dead bodies? In the quotation used, ‘oneself’ is used instead of using ‘you’; this makes it a reflexive verb, which makes the sentence passive, which is makes the sentence more general. It would be more general because it means everyone and not so specific as ‘you’.
Catherine made many more assumptions and became more curious due to her reading novels because the novels gave her the knowledge that there could be different alternative, however extreme they may be.
‘It was not absolutely ebony and gold; but it was Japan, lack and yellow Japan of the handsomest kind; and as she held her candle, the yellow had every much effect of gold.’ (Chapter 21)
This quotation is describing a cabinet in Catherine’s room at Northanger Abbey; she very quickly assumes that it was in Henry’s mini gothic tale, which was supposed to be a parody of a gothic tale. However, Catherine believes that it has some significance of a possibility that something in a gothic novel will occur in Northanger Abbey because her imagination is being over-exercised by her love of gothic novels. This quotation is an example of where Austen has heavily punctuated in this book and her other novels. The use of heavy punctuation is to emphasize the importance of the clauses and to give time for the reader to actually think about the text during the pause which is created by the semi colons and colons, also used for pauses in the long sentences which are used in this book.
Whilst reading novels, Catherine believes that she is living within the novel and in Bath, or whenever she is in Northanger Abbey, it is like two separate worlds, when she is in Northanger Abbey she is reminiscing what has happened in Udolpho.
‘Oh! No, I only mean what I have read about. It always puts me in mind of the country that Emily and her father travelled through, in The Mysteries of Udolpho.’ (Chapter 14)
In this example, Catherine is reminded of the south of France when looking at Beechen Cliff, which she has never been to. This rather strange because it would be very hard to know what the south of France is like when you have not seen it yourself, unless you have read or heard very vivid description of it. Catherine has been so engaged by Udolpho that she can recall parts of the book immediately and use it as a reference to the present, showing Catherine’s obsession to the novel.
Northanger Abbey talks about how the reader is affected by a novel, that reading a novel can take you higher into society, because it meant that you were educated and to be educated you had to be fairly rich. Also Austen demonstrates that reading a novel such a gothic tale, the reader can be so enticed by the book that they are contaminated by these popular novels, which do not reflect human nature as it really is, that they behave as if they are the hero/heroine or any other major character. An example of this is when I was younger I used to watch every episode of a television serial about an ancient Indian myth, I believed that I was one of those characters and it was my duty to carry out the actions that they did, which made me re-enact their character, creating my own version of the myth.
Bibliography
J. Austen, Northanger Abbey, Penguin classics 1995
www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/novlsrchjanewrit.html An e-text website
www.jimandellen.org/austen/na.chs4-5.html
www.jasna.org/pol01/wiesenfarth.html
www.encyclopedia.com/html/G/Gothicro.asp Columbia Encyclopaedia, Sixth Edition,