Northanger Abbey

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Catherine Morland goes to Bath for the season as the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Allen, and there she meets the eccentric General Tilney, his son Henry Tilney and his daughter Elanor Tilney. Catherine is invited to the Tilney's home, Northanger Abbey, where she imagines numerous gruesome secrets surrounding the General and his house. Henry proves that her suspicions have no substance, and while she is still recovering from the humiliation, she finds herself ordered out of the house by the General.

She returns home and is followed by Henry. He explains that the General, mistakenly believing her to be penniless, had been anxious to keep her away from his son. Restored to a sensible humor by the truth, the General finally gives his blessing to Henry's marriage to Catherine.

Public Domain (P)2009 Alpha DVD LLC

All Propriety; Entertained by direct commentary

It had been a few years since I read this Austen novel. I always enjoy her works, and find this one unique- she often addresses the reader directly during the narrative, commenting on society or proprieties in a way I find most amusing. These, and a few quotes from Henry Tilney, are the source of some of my favorite tidbits and doses of wisdom from Austen.

The wild imagination of the heroine, though sometimes ridiculous and beyond belief, is very entertaining, and she does at least learn from her folly. I find the episode (and later explanation) of the laundry bills the most smile-worthy. The attention, or rather the lack thereof by Mrs. Allen (with regard to the activities and society being kept) still offends and alarms me, though it was corrected by Catherine's own feelings and Mr. Allen's eventual input before she was led astray. The Thorpes never cease to vex me... John's actions on so many occasions were not only rude and self serving but very much without any regard for their effect on her, not to mention Isabella's bad influence and improper conduct. They are unapologetic fortune-hunting upstarts. Anyway, I was very glad that Catherine found herself more in the society of the irreproachable Tilney siblings, and able to face the challenges of their father the General. Very happy and satisfactory endings for all who deserved them, Austen never lets me down.

The narration was proficient, though less than remarkable. A notch above simply reading aloud, but without quite the quality of a performance. Male voices were a bit limited, but satisfactory; only one or two instances of dialogue became quite confusing at the abbey, where during a discussion she failed to switch between the proper voices for several lines, giving Henry Catherine's voice and her his a few moments later. But it merited only one quick re-listen to sort it out, and there were no egregious flaws in the reading otherwise.

A delightful novel, and as Henry Tilney approves of reading them, so I most certainly shall continue to find pleasure in doing so, lest I be found to be intolerably stupid.

love it but it is not my fav Jane Austen.

the ending is too rushed for me. I was really into this book but it ended so abruptly. I wanted to hear more of the romance. not my fav Jane Austen.

Enjoyable

I really liked this one. The narrator was good, and the story, not in the usual Austin style, was interesting. I really liked Katherine, being a bit of a silly girl myself and felt like I was walking with her the whole way.

Well Done

Another Jane Austin I have fallen in love with and wished I have read earlier. The Narrator is great and brings the whole world of Austen to life. I have several others by her and look forward to listening to them.

Quintessentially Jane A.

If you could sum up Northanger Abbey in three words, what would they be?

It's only money!

Would you recommend Northanger Abbey to your friends? Why or why not?

As a reflection of society during that time period, Northanger Abbey, the novel, provides a clear picture. Class and caste are the guidelines for marriage and social interaction. From our modern perspective, it is ridiculous, but in that time period and in that level of society, the 'business' of marriage was a matter of survival and maintaining one's way of life. The primary reason for reading Northanger Abbey is to understand more about the lifestyles and motivations of the social mores of the time. Though I read this book many years ago in college, when I found it irritating and boring, it has more meaning now, and it is more engaging on more levels.

Which character – as performed by Anne Flosnik – was your favorite?

It is a tie between Catherine Moreland, the most sympathetic, and Edward Tilney. I greatly appreciate that Catherine was bored and annoyed by the Tharp brother, though I was sorry that she was so friendless and inexperienced in friendship that she didn't see through Isabella sooner.Edward obviously knew the rules(of his society), but he didn't much like to play to them. He seemed to have the good sense to appreciate Catherine despite her financial shortcomings. The edge of sarcasm in his voice, about societal expectations, was evident in the first meeting between him and Catherine. That was an excellent portrayal by Ms. Flosnik.Ms. Flosnik also did a wonderful representation of Isabella. I disliked Isabella from the beginning!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wished neither to laugh or cry, but I did have sympathy for all the characters that they were all stuck in the mire of the societal expectations of the day. However, that made me admire Jane Austen more, because she was able to portray that lifestyle with more understanding than one might expect of a woman actually living in that time period.

Any additional comments?

My motivation for re-reading Northanger Abbey was an anticipated trip to England and to Bath where the Jane Austen center is. Since I first read the book 40 years ago, it is amazing how a book I considered boring then, has become much more interesting and appreciated 40 years later.