Watermarks Catherine Morland's Bildungsroman: Reading the Difference Between Fact and Fiction in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey by Chris McCormick

Jane Austen's intelligence and sophisticated diction made her a revolutionary author, and her mastery surpasses most modern authors. By challenging conventional stereotypes in her novels, she gives the open-minded reader a new perspective through the message she conveys. Her first novel, Northanger Abbey, focuses on reading. However, she parallels typical novel reading with the reading of people. Catherine Morland's coming of age hinges on her ability to become a better reader of both novels and people.

Austen first introduces Catherine as an unlikely heroine: "No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be [a] heroine" (13). This is the introductory line of Austen's first book, giving the reader the responsibility to realize this is a novel by stating Catherine's heroism. This is important for the reader to understand because Catherine, who loves to read fiction, considers herself to be a heroine in a gothic novel. Therefore, this sets the tone of the story as the reader recognizes the metaphorical gap between the ideal fictional heroine and the flawed Catherine Morland.

The modern reader must be aware that, at this point in literary history, the novel was looked down upon as an inferior form of literature, particularly because of the grim and sensational content of gothic novels. Therefore, Austen finds it necessary to argue the vital importance of the novel:

"Oh! it is only a novel!" replies the young lady; while she lays down her book with momentary shame--"It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda;" or, in short, only some work in which the thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humor are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language. (34)

Austen has set out to save the rising art form of the novel. In this address to the reader she glorifies what a novel should be: the unrestrained expression of words conveying the wide range of raw human emotion. This veneration of the novel is necessary to the development of Catherine's fiction-loving character as it justifies the narrator's right to remain fond of this flawed heroine.

In the next chapter, a very enthusiastic Catherine and her supposed best friend, Isabella Thorpe, discuss the classic gothic novel, Mysteries of Udolpho. Catherine becomes so engulfed in this novel she remarks:

"But while I have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make me miserable. Oh! the dreadful black veil! My dear Isabella, I am sure there must be Laurentina's skeleton behind it." (38)

Catherine is so wrapped up in her fictional world of reading that she becomes ignorant of her real life issues with Henry Tilney, for whom she has been love-struck since their introduction. She entertains herself with wild imaginings about his life and family. Catherine's imaginings foreshadow her eager desire for mischief as Austen's story develops. Catherine is endowed with a vivid imagination, but she has not yet learned to use it in concert with her perception, especially in understanding the interactions between people.

Although Catherine is passionate about reading her literature, she drastically fails to read and understand social interactions between the people in her environment. Catherine's innocent ignorance can be seen when she fails to notice the attraction that her brother, James, obviously feels for Isabella:

[T]he bright eyes of Miss Thorpe were incessantly challenging [James'] notice; and to her his devoirs were speedily paid... which might have informed Catherine had she been more expert in the development of other people's feelings, and less simply engrossed by her own, that her brother thought her friend quite as pretty as she could do herself. (41-42)

In this passage, Austen imposes untraditional characteristics on this unlikely heroine to challenge conventional stereotypes, both of heroism and literature. If a traditional heroine had been put in this situation, she would definitely be astute enough to discover the romantic interests of the characters in her environment. While Catherine may be passionate about novel reading, her faults as a reader correspond with her opinion of character; therefore, her naïveté hinders her judgment concerning this romantic exchange.

About a week later, Catherine still has a minimal perception of the budding romance between Isabella and James. The obtuse heroine is so unaware of the relationship between her own brother and "best friend" that everyone in the whole town except Catherine expects an engagement to be imminent. Perhaps the most memorable and humorous scene in Northanger Abbey occurs when Isabella tries to announce her engagement to Catherine:

"Yes my dear Catherine, it is so indeed; your penetration has not deceived you. Oh! that arch eye of yours! It sees through every thing."

Catherine replied only with a look of wondering ignorance.

"[S]o you guessed it the moment you had my note?--Sly Creature!"... Catherine's understanding began to awake. (105)

Austen proposes a question to the reader: Who lacks more perception, Isabella or Catherine? Catherine repeatedly fails to perceive the intentions behind others, yet Isabella, assuming Catherine is as gossipy and perceptive as herself, shows a greater ignorance of her own best friend's personality. Even when Catherine replies with "a look of wondering ignorance," Isabella is just as clueless as Catherine is in discovering her shortcomings of perception (105). In this scene, Austen metaphorically begins to turn on the light bulb for Catherine, shedding some light in the dark hallway that is Catherine's pathway to character judgment.

Henry arrives to accompany Catherine on a visit to his home, Northanger Abbey, and, on the way, he narrates a short fictional gothic description of what her experience at the abbey will hold for her. Catherine shows her fascination with the macabre as she continually encourages Henry to continue with the story: "Oh! Mr. Tilney, how frightful!--This is just like a book! But it cannot really happen to me. I am sure your Housekeeper is not really Dorothy.--Well, What then?" (140). Eventually, Henry has to stop telling the story because he finds Catherine's relentless interest too humorous for him to continue. However, Henry has unknowingly sparked the curiosity that leads to obsession as Catherine fails to learn that real life is little like a gothic novel.

When they arrive at the Abbey, Catherine actually starts to try to judge the social interaction between the Tilneys. However, when she attempts to understand others, she reads people the only way she knows how--as she would a book. Unfortunately, Catherine's shortcomings as a novel reader correspond with her inability to discern fact from fiction in real life. Catherine's attempt to judge character may be the only way to mature her emotional intelligence; however, she is unknowingly setting herself up for quite an embarrassing situation, for she is projecting aspects of a gothic novel onto the Abbey and the Tilneys.

The turning point in Catherine's bildungsroman, or coming of age story, occurs when she discovers that Mrs. Tilney died in Henry's presence. When Henry realizes her outrageous suspicions, he lectures her:

"Dear Miss Morland, consider the dreadful nature of the suspicions you have entertained... Remembering the country and age in which we live. Remember that we are English, that we are Christians. Consult your own understanding, your own sense of the probable." (172)

After Catherine is chastised by Henry for entertaining such sinister theories, she understands what she has done and vows never to let her imagination run away with her again. However, she is responsible enough to realize that she is at fault and does not blame reading or novels for her behavior. Catherine has learned that the horrible things she imagined do not exist and that, in reality, the people around her are nothing like the characters in a fictional novel. Therefore, her coming of age is also directly proportional to her ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

While this revelation may have been a hard lesson for Catherine, it immediately improves the quality of her judgment and, in turn, her life. For example, it is not until she reads Isabella's letter that she is able to read Isabella's character. Austen narrates, "Catherine had not read three lines before her sudden change of countenance" (176). It is this new vision that allows Catherine to gain the strength needed to overcome Isabella's parasitic "friendship." The strength displayed by Catherine shows her ability to make her own judgments, which parallels her becoming a woman.

With Catherine Morland and Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen has set a new benchmark for what a heroine and novel can be. Through Catherine, Austen shows the danger of becoming immersed in reading and its ability to hinder the judgment between fact and fiction. Reading is a dominant theme throughout the novel, as in both the reading of the gothic novel and the reading of a person's character. When these two notions clash, the reader is forced to decide which activity holds more importance. Austen ingeniously gives the reader an interactive role as a main character in her story by making one realize Catherine's reading ability is directly proportional to her coming of age.

Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.