Northanger Abbey Themes

If Northanger Abbey is about nothing else, it's about communication. Communication is explored in all its forms here: verbal and non-verbal, intentional and unintentional, miscommunication, a lack...

Everyone either lies or is being lied to in Northanger Abbey. Working through deceit and uncovering it is a crucial part of the novel's plot. Lies and deceit are also major parts of the novel's com...

Ah folly, thy name is...well just about everyone here. Northanger Abbey is a satire, so widespread folly is to be expected. And it is delivered. Everyone here is subject to delusions and faulty ass...

Northanger Abbey is largely a novel about novels and about reading habits. This book has an odd sort of self awareness of itself as a novel and the narrator often steps back from the story she's te...

Teenagers and twenty-somethings dominate in Northanger Abbey, which is largely about growing up and maturing. Catherine in particular progresses from immature behavior and attitudes towards a much...

Gender plays a deterministic role in the world of Northanger Abbey. Well, gender itself isn't magically determining things. Expectations that are influenced by gender are, however. The expectations...

Making friends and trying to figure out true friends from false ones is a major part of Northanger Abbey's overall plot, as well as Catherine's personal journey and development. Friendships in this...

Different family dynamics are largely explored through contrast here: rich families and poor ones, families with numerous kids or very few, families lacking moms or dads, families living in village...

Money makes the world go round – or at least the world of Northanger Abbey. Money determines economic and social class, which in turn dictates behavior. Class is central to the overriding mar...

Love is generally pretty hilarious in Northanger Abbey, in all its forms: romantic, friendly, familial, first love, lust. This book is a lot like a modern day romantic comedy, but one that doesn't...