Book Discussion: Northanger Abbey

While reading Northanger Abbey, what struck me initially is Jane Austen's voice. In any of her works, I am most drawn in by the voice of the narrator which strikes this perfect balance between proper and snarky and refined and real. The construction of sentences, word choice, pacing, it is all so perfectly Jane somehow, the type of voice one can easily recognize, like a heretofore unheard song by a unique artist. One can always pick out a Bob Dylan song, and I can always pick out a Jane Austen novel.

The narrator is prominent in an Austen novel, calling attention to itself, commenting on the characters and actions in the story, foreshadowing what's to come, and in general befriending the reader. Generally speaking, the narrator in this novel (and in other Austens) is third-person limited omniscient, meaning the narrator knows everything that's happening but can only actually know the thoughts and internal workings of a small number of, or just one, character. In Northanger Abbey, the narrator filters through the protagonist, or rather the heroine, Catherine. What's fun about this is that Catherine is so very different from our narrator (and our author), and so we get narration that implies a sort of sexism the reader knows is not accepted by the narrator or the author. These comments are easily understood as being ironic and lend the story a great deal of humor (seriously, I am laughing out loud throughout this book).

While reading Austen, I sometimes feel like I am being told a story over tea by a clever friend with a dry wit and an easy way with mockery. A friend you have to pay attention to in order to determine what is truth, what is irony, and what is merely humor. I love this, and I had forgotten how much I love this as it has been ages since I read my last Austen.

Now, then, I leave you to return to my impatiently waiting, eye-rolling, friend Jane.