Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins
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OK, more Austem summaries - part II
Starting with my least favourite Austen novel, Northanger Abbey
A parody of the eighteenth century gothic novels which were extremely popular at the time, I don't think this one has passed the test of time. The first half is very good, classic Jane Austen. But once the location of the story moves from Bath to the Abbey, the plot nosedives.
The heroine, Catherine Morland, is very average and not particularly bright. She is the least intelligent heroine Austen created.
She is taken to Bath (the place to be seen in ) by her neighbours, the Allens.
Catherine meets and dances with Henry Tilney, a good-looking, intelligent vicar.
She makes friends with the extremely selfish Isabella Thorpe, who introduces her to gothic novels.
They meet up unexpectedly with Catherine's brother James and Isabella's brother John, who are friends at Oxford. Isabella and James get on famously. John Thorpe is a crushing bore who can only talk of how fast his horses can run. John proceeds to chase after Catherine, even though she isn't remotely interested in him.
Catherine is interested in Henry Tilney, and despite interference from John, manages to befriend Henry's sister Eleanor.
Isabella Thorpe and James Morland get engaged, but Isabella continues to flirt with the men she meets at the Pump Rooms in Bath, especially Henry's brother Frederick.
Catherine is invited to stay at Northanger Abbey by Eleanor and General Tilney, their father. Catherine mistakenly thinks that the Abbey will be a real gothic pile, something straight out of her favourite gothic novels. But, disappointingly, the inside of the building is very modern. Still, Catherine is determined to find evidence of some mystery taking place there, and suggests that maybe General Tilney murdered his wife. (The nerve of her! I'd have sent her packing!)
Whilst at the Abbey, Catherine receives a letter from her brother, telling her that his engagement with Isabella is over. She is now engaged to Frederick Tilney.
Henry and Eleanor convince Catherine that General Tilney would not allow Frederick to marry Isabella, because she has no money. Sure enough, Frederick dumps Isabella.
General Tilney orders Catherine to be sent home (no, he hasn't found out about her accusing him of being a murderer, but he mistakenly thought that her family were very rich (John Thorpe exaggerated her wealth to him), and has just found out the truth)
Catherine arrives home. Henry follows her, and proposes to her. General Tilney is in a much better mood because Eleanor has become engaged to a very rich young man.
Persuasion
One of my favourite Austen novels.
The heroine, Anne Elliot, is the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a very vain, proud man. Sir Walter has been exceeding his income for some time, and the family now has little money, so decide to let out their estate and move to a town house in Bath.
Several years before, Anne had fallen in love with Frederick Wentworth, but had been persuaded by a family friend that marrying him would be a bad idea, because he had no money.
So she rejected him.
The estate is let to an Admiral and his wife, who is Captain Wentworth's sister.
Anne now constantly finds herself in company with Frederick, but he seems interested in the two young Musgrove sisters (related to Anne through her youngest sister's husband)
Anne attracts the attention of Mr Elliot, a cousin who is to inherit the baronetcy from her father on his death (as he has no sons)
The party of friends (anne, Frederick, the Musgroves) go to Lyme Regis to visit some friends of Frederick's. Whilst there, Louisa Musgrove has a serious accident, falling down the steps of the Cobb whilst jumping down into Frederick's arms.
She survives, but is taken to Wentworth's friend's house, and has to stay there for several weeks until she has recovered.
Frederick is worried that he will have to marry Louisa now, even though he has fallen in love again with Anne (though she doesn't know this yet)
He thinks Anne will marry her cousin Mr Elliot.
Louisa falls in love with one of Frederick's friends whilst recovering in Lyme Regis, so Frederick is free to choose someone else.
Anne finds out what Mr Elliot's true character is like. She also realises that Frederick is jealous of Elliot.
No prizes for guessing what happens.
Mansfield Park My favourite Austen novel
Fanny Price, the very shy, quiet, sickly heroine, is sent to live at Mansfield Park with her Aunt and Uncle (Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram) and their four children (Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia) from the age of ten. Her own family are very poor, and the Bertram's have offered to bring up one of the many children.
Unfortunately, as part of the package, this means that Fanny has to put up with her other aunt, Mrs Norris, an extremely bitter woman who has no children of her own and lives very close to Mansfield Park. She dislikes Fanny intensely.
Fanny's cousins are a few years older than her, and the only one she gets on well with is Edmund, the second oldest.
She gradually falls in love with him, but he only thinks of her as being a younger sister.
Several years later and the girls are all of an age to be married.
Sir Thomas has to go away for several months to Antigua, so is not around to keep an eye on things.
Maria Bertram is soon engaged to Mr Rushworth, an extremely dim but very rich man.
Into the neighbourhood arrive the Crawfords - Mary Crawford, very pretty, rich and lively and her brother Henry, who is actually very plain, but soon has the Bertram sisters under his spell so much that they no longer think of his looks.
Henry proceeds to flirt with Maria, even though she is engaged to Rushworth. Julia is extremely jealous.
Mary Crawford likes Edmund, but hates the fact that he is going to be a vicar.
Fanny observes all of this with dismay. She is the only one who notices what is going on.
Sir Thomas eventually returns from Antigua. Maria marries Rushworth, because Henry will not propose to her.
Mary makes friends with Fanny and Henry decides to flirt with her.
Henry genuinely falls in love with Fanny, but she isn't interested, because she knows what a flirt he is.
Sir Thomas is extremely displeased that Fanny won't accept Henry, and she won't gives her reasons because she would have to admit to him that she loved Edmund, and it would mean ratting on Maria.
Fanny is sent back to her real home in Portsmouth, which is cramped and dirty and noisy, and she hates it. But she has no means of escaping back to Mansfield Park unless the Bertrams invite her back.
Henry Crawford arrives in Portsmouth, and Fanny almost falls in love with him. If she hadn't been aware of his behaviour to Maria (and Julia, he flirted with her too, at the start) she would probably have accepted his proposal.
Henry goes away to London, and whilst there starts seeing Maria again, eventually running away with her, causing a huge scandal.
Julia Bertram elopes and marries
Tom Bertram, the oldest son, has a serious accident and is brought back to Mansfield Park to recover
Edmund proposes to Mary Crawford, but she will not accept him if he is going to be a vicar. So she tuirns him down.
Fanny is summoned back to Mansfield Park, and eventually maries Edmund.
Maria is dumped by Henry Crawford, who regrets not being able to marry Fanny, and Maria has to spend the rest of her life living with Aunt Norris, because Sir Thomas won't allow her back in the house.
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"My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best."Persuasion by Jane Austen
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Dec 8 2005, 12:26 PM
