Visiting Northanger Abbey

My sister Miss Bea recently read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen for the first time. I was very proud of her because she tends to read more fluffy books, but she stuck with it and actually enjoyed the story. Her opinion was that she liked Henry Tilney almost more than Mr. Knightley (her favorite Austen hero) and had now started reading Emma so she can compare the two. After she finished reading it we enjoyed watching Northanger Abbey (2007) together.

Here are some lovely photos from Northanger Abbey (2007) with some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. 

She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features... She was fond of all boy’s plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy...

At fifteen, appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls... Her love of dirt gave way to an inclination for finery, and she grew clean as she grew smart...

But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way."

~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 1

Henry smiled, and said, “How very little trouble it can give you to understand the motive of other people’s actions.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“With you, it is not, How is such a one likely to be influenced, What is the inducement most likely to act upon such a person’s feelings, age, situation, and probable habits of life considered — but, How should I be influenced, What would be my inducement in acting so and so?”

“I do not understand you.”

“Then we are on very unequal terms, for I understand you perfectly well.”

“Me? Yes; I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.”

“Bravo! An excellent satire on modern language.”

~ Henry Tilney & Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 16

“I never look at it,” said Catherine, as they walked along the side of the river, “without thinking of the south of France.”

“You have been abroad then?” said Henry, a little surprised.

“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. But you never read novels, I dare say?”

“Why not?”

“Because they are not clever enough for you — gentlemen read better books.”

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe’s works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again; I remember finishing it in two days — my hair standing on end the whole time.”

“Yes,” added Miss Tilney, “and I remember that you undertook to read it aloud to me, and that when I was called away for only five minutes to answer a note, instead of waiting for me, you took the volume into the Hermitage Walk, and I was obliged to stay till you had finished it.”

~ Catherine Morland & Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 14

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."

~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 4

“A famous good thing this marrying scheme, upon my soul! A clever fancy of Morland’s and Belle’s. What do you think of it, Miss Morland? I say it is no bad notion.”

“I am sure I think it a very good one.”

“Do you? That’s honest, by heavens! I am glad you are no enemy to matrimony, however. Did you ever hear the old song ‘Going to One Wedding Brings on Another?’ I say, you will come to Belle’s wedding, I hope.”

“Yes; I have promised your sister to be with her, if possible.”

“And then you know” — twisting himself about and forcing a foolish laugh — “I say, then you know, we may try the truth of this same old song.”

“May we? But I never sing...."

~ John Thorpe & Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 15 

'Catherine looked grave. “And now, Henry,” said Miss Tilney, “that you have made us understand each other, you may as well make Miss Morland understand yourself — unless you mean to have her think you intolerably rude to your sister, and a great brute in your opinion of women in general. Miss Morland is not used to your odd ways.”
“I shall be most happy to make her better acquainted with them.”
“No doubt; but that is no explanation of the present.”
“What am I to do?”
“You know what you ought to do. Clear your character handsomely before her. Tell her that you think very highly of the understanding of women.”
“Miss Morland, I think very highly of the understanding of all the women in the world — especially of those — whoever they may be — with whom I happen to be in company.”
“That is not enough. Be more serious.”
“Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half.”
“We shall get nothing more serious from him now, Miss Morland. He is not in a sober mood. But I do assure you that he must be entirely misunderstood, if he can ever appear to say an unjust thing of any woman at all, or an unkind one of me.”
It was no effort to Catherine to believe that Henry Tilney could never be wrong. His manner might sometimes surprise, but his meaning must always be just: and what she did not understand, she was almost as ready to admire, as what she did.'

~ Eleanor Tilney & Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 14

"An abbey! Yes, it was delightful to be really in an abbey!"

~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 20

"The visions of romance were over. Catherine was completely awakened. Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done. Most grievously was she humbled. Most bitterly did she cry. It was not only with herself that she was sunk — but with Henry. Her folly, which now seemed even criminal, was all exposed to him, and he must despise her forever. The liberty which her imagination had dared to take with the character of his father — could he ever forgive it? He had — she thought he had, once or twice before this fatal morning, shown something like affection for her. But now — in short, she made herself as miserable as possible for about half an hour, went down when the clock struck five, with a broken heart, and could scarcely give an intelligible answer to Eleanor’s inquiry if she was well. The formidable Henry soon followed her into the room, and the only difference in his behaviour to her was that he paid her rather more attention than usual. Catherine had never wanted comfort more, and he looked as if he was aware of it." 

~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 25

'“Catherine would make a sad, heedless young housekeeper to be sure,” was her mother’s foreboding remark; but quick was the consolation of there being nothing like practice.' ~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 31

"To begin perfect happiness at the respective ages of twenty–six and eighteen is to do pretty well..." 

~ Northanger Abbey, Chapter 31

Have you ever read Northanger Abbey or seen the 2007 adaptation? 

Do you have a favorite quote from Northanger Abbey?
Which of these photos is your favorite?

Very Truly Your's,