Northanger Abbey

by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey was Austen's first novel (1803) but it was not published until after her death in 1817. Catherine, one of ten children of a clergyman father, is in training to be a heroine, in hopes that life is like a gothic novel (her favorite is Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho). As her life experiences unfold, she realizes she's an ordinary young lady, after all. Illustration at right, entitled, "Catherine scaring herself with Udolpho" is from the 1833 edition. Favorite quote: “Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it.”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2