Northanger Abbey Study Guide

Catherine Morland, the protagonist of the novel, is a seventeen-year-old girl belonging to a family with modest income. The Morlands are in nearly all respects a typical family of the era. They live in the rural town of Fullerton, in Hampshire, England. As a youth, Catherine pursued varied interests including piano-playing, cricket, and basic art. Typical of most children, she lacked the persistence necessary to develop advanced skills in any one area. Something of a hoyden, she was cheerful, loved, and even-tempered. As Catherine entered her teenage years her image developed into the gracious good looks of a young woman; simultaneously, she was forced to give up her tomboyish pursuits in preference for reading and other more proper pursuits. As a young woman, Catherine is cheerful, affectionate, and devoid of deceit; however, she is quite uninformed and generally ignorant about societal mores and usage. (read more)