10 questions on plot, characters, and themes. Free to take, so you can see exactly what to review before class.
1. Why does Catherine initially believe that General Tilney has imprisoned or murdered his wife when she arrives at Northanger Abbey?
2. What is John Thorpe's role in setting up the main conflict between Catherine and General Tilney?
3. How does Henry Tilney respond when he discovers Catherine searching for evidence of her Gothic theories at the Abbey?
4. What does Isabella Thorpe's behavior toward James Morland reveal about her character?
5. What is the actual reason General Tilney expels Catherine from Northanger Abbey?
6. How does Catherine's understanding of the world change by the end of the novel?
7. What does Eleanor Tilney's friendship with Catherine demonstrate about Eleanor's character?
8. What does Austen suggest about the relationship between fiction and reality in Northanger Abbey?
9. How does Henry's proposal to Catherine at the end of the novel differ from a typical happy ending in the novels Catherine has read?
10. What does the contrast between the General's ordinary cruelty and Catherine's Gothic expectations reveal about Austen's view of danger and villainy?
0 of 10 answered
How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.
