Author Description

Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, in 1803, but it wasn't until after her death in 1817 that it was published, along with her other novel Persuasion. The novel is a satire of the Gothic novels popular at the time of its first writing in 1798-99. This "coming of age," story revolves around the main character, Catherine, a young and naïve "heroine," who entertains us on her journey of self-knowledge as she gains a better understanding of the world and those around her.