Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A 'nice' collection of early Austen and a few out-takes
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
GeneralGeneral | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
GeneralGeneral | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 DealsAll 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Literature & FictionLiterature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics) Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics)
  2. Persuasion (Oxford World's Classics) Persuasion (Oxford World's Classics)
  3. Emma (Oxford World's Classics) Emma (Oxford World's Classics)
  4. Sense and Sensibility (Oxford World's Classics) Sense and Sensibility (Oxford World's Classics)
  5. Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics) Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics)

ASIN: 0192840827

Book Description

'...in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty.' Northanger Abbey is about the misadventures of Catherine Morland, young, ingenuous, and mettlesome, and an indefatigable reader of gothic novels. Their romantic excess and dark overstatement feed her imagination, as tyrannical fathers and diabolical villains work their evil on forlorn heroines in isolated settings. What could be more remote from the uneventful securities of life in the midland counties of England? Yet as Austen brilliantly contrasts fiction with reality, ordinary life takes a more sinister turn, and edginess and circumspection are reaffirmed alongside comedy and literary burlesque. Also including Austen's other short fictions, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon, this valuable new edition examines the ambitious and innovative works with which she inaugurated as well as closed her career.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A 'nice' collection of early Austen and a few out-takes.......2005-05-24

This book brings together Austen's earliest novel, Northanger Abbey (although it was not published for many years after completion), with some of her earlier works and her final, unfinished, piece Sanditon.
This edition also has a fine introduction, which gives an interesting view of Austen's works and fleshes out some of the details surrounding the three lesser known works.
Northanger Abbey is, of course, the best known of these works, and a review follows below. Of the other three pieces, Lady Susan is the only completed one.
It follows the epistolary format that Austen experimented with extensively in her early career, but ultimately abandons the format, a little disappointingly.
It is an engaging piece, and the Lady Susan of the title is a vivacious, although reprehensible, character. Lady Susan has by far the strongest voice of the piece, but it is unclear whether she is truly intended as the heroine, or whether our sympathies should lie with her hapless daughter Frederica. Lady Susan is certainly a much more determined flirt than any of Austen's other major characters, and much older too (although perhaps not wiser).
The Watsons is a much shorter fragment, also dating from Austen's earlier career. It is darker in tone than her other works, and seems to tend more towards realism. It seems that this may be one of the reasons she chose not to finish the piece, although it seems that she ultimately intended for the piece to have a happy ending.
Sanditon is Austen's final work, begun shortly before her death and, sadly, never finished. The piece appears to have had a great deal of scope, describing the life and a times of the seaside resort of Sanditon. The tone and outlook of the piece are surprisingly upbeat, given the poor state of Austen's health as she was writing.
I hear that authors never like people to pick their early works as their best, but I've always had a sneaking fondness for Northanger Abbey. Luckily, Jane Austen is unlikely to complain about me liking one of her earliest works.
The novel's appeal is its extremely likeable anti-heroine, Catherine Morland. Catherine's appeal is her innocence and above all her fallibility. Of course, none of Austen's heroines are perfect, but Catherine has a charm that Austen's more self-possessed characters like Emma Woodhouse and Lizzie Bennett lack.
For this reason, I would say that Northanger Abbey can be a good introduction to Jane Austen, especially for younger readers, who may identify more readily with Catherine's naivete than with some of Austen's more mature characters.
As ever, Austen is in fine satirical form, but she and her characters stop short of outright mocking the fanciful Catherine and her unfortunate novel-reading habits. As one might expect, the novel ends with Catherine's reform, redemption would perhaps be too strong a term to use here, and Austen allows the imperfect Catherine to shine among a sea of other imperfect characters. (Naturally, some are more imperfect than others.)
One of the novel's stated objects is to satirise the gothic novels of Mrs. Radcliffe and her imitators. For the most part, Austen succeeds admirably, but once again her treatment of the subject is rather gentle. Although not many people these days will read the original gothic novels, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there addicted to contemporary fantastical horror that would crack a wry smile at the story, and be able to identify with 'poor' Catherine.
Perhaps at times the characters do seem to be a little overstated, maybe a little too black and white, but this is a very creditable early effort from Austen, and perhaps some of her characterisation issues can be traced back to her use of the gothic novel as inspiration.
All in all, a fine book, and certainly one for all of those 'almost pretty' girls out there who have their heads stuck inside books at every opportunity.

Overall, this edition makes a good addition to any Austen fan's bookshelf, the inclusion of the lesser known pieces makes an interesting companion to Northanger Abbey.
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Phyllis Ann Karr's little-read treasure: the excellent re-write of Austen's novella
  • A great twist from a favorite author
  • Those Lesser Known Gems
  • Misress of Artifice
  • Lady Susan - Better as an Audiobook
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Drabble, MargaretDrabble, Margaret | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Fiction BooksLook Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Catharine: and Other Writings (Oxford World's Classics) Catharine: and Other Writings (Oxford World's Classics)
  2. Northanger Abbey (Modern Library Classics) Northanger Abbey (Modern Library Classics)
  3. Love and Friendship: And Other Early Works (Hesperus Classics) Love and Friendship: And Other Early Works (Hesperus Classics)
  4. Jane Austen's Letters Jane Austen's Letters
  5. Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics) Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 0140431020

Book Description

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is considered by many scholars to be the first great woman novelist. Her novels revolve around people, not events or coincidences. Miss Austen sets her novels in the upper middle class English country which was her own environment.

Her novels have increased in stature over time. Her skills of writing, including a dry humor and a witty elegance of expression have attracted generations to her work.

Miss Austen completed six novels and part of a seventh, "Sense and Sensibility", "Pride and Prejudice", "Mansfield Park", "Emma", "Northanger Abbey", "Persuasion" and the partial "Lady Susan". Quiet Vision publishes all seven.

Download Description

A sparkling drama centered on a beautiful, intelligent and wicked heroine.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Phyllis Ann Karr's little-read treasure: the excellent re-write of Austen's novella.......2007-08-15

Unlike most of the reviews below, this review discusses NOT Jane Austen's short epistolary novella "Lady Susan", but, rather, the product presented in this page- Phyllis Ann Karr's 1980 re-write of Austen's novella.

The original novella deals with Lady Susan, a beautiful and crafty young widow who uses her appearance and intelligence as a weapon to dupe and manipulate everyone to her own satisfaction. She takes on a married lover while making at least two younger men fall in love with her, all the while trying to bully her "milky", oppressed daughter Frederica into marrying a foolish young baronet. She is the heroine-villainess of the tale, and a rather unique figure in Austen's literature (although not so unique, since the novella was written in Austen's youth, and anyone who read her Juvenilia knows that the young Austen's early writing could be brutally funny and even amoral).

Karr's completion of this tale is absolutely excellent. She chooses to re-write Austen's story in third person rather than the original letters. Her prose is clear and beautifully written and, while not exactly Austen, very suitable to the kind of novel she is writing. Immeasurably superior to the many poorly written completions deluging the market nowadays.

Karr's characterization is excellent as well. She carefully follows the characterization presented in Austen's novella, and with additional, attractive development. Lady Susan is clever and crafty; Frederica is shy and "milky" but, at the same time, a serious, deep character, and extremely appealing as the novel's heroine. Other characters follow their original outlines, except two. Maria Mainwaring was drastically altered; but Karr's reasons for doing this were perfectly sound, and Maria merges gracefully into the novel. There is also the important addition of Charles Smith, only briefly mentioned in the novella but fully developed as Karr's original character. In some ways he perhaps becomes a little too important, but by the end of the novel I understood the reason for it and did not resent Karr's development of this character, who is actually quite appealing. My only complaint is that he seems to be better developed and more sympathetic than Reginald De Courcy.

Karr follows Austen's plot fairly closely, only making modifications where needed. "Lady Susan" is incomplete in some ways, the author finishing the tale with a hasty, although quite funny post-script. Karr completes the tale, only altering details when necessary and also enriching the rather slim plot by adding details to originally short incidents or events only briefly mentioned. There is one extremely significant alternation, in the romantic department, which I am not sure that all readers would like; but I understood the reason for it (although the author did not specifically state it in her Author's note) and I ended up liking it, even though it does not follow what was (apparently) Austen's original intentions.

In summary, this is DEFINITELY one of my favorite Austen sequels and completions, and superior to most modern Austen derivative works. If you like Austen completions, also try John Coates' "The Watsons" (1969) and Another Lady's "Sanditon". (1975). Both the best Austen completions/sequels I have read except this one.

5 out of 5 stars A great twist from a favorite author.......2007-07-08

I just listened to "Lady Susan" as a Naxos Audiobook. What a delightful experience!

It has all the Austen perceptiveness and humor for the follies of her society, but the title character is emphatically NOT an Elizabeth or Jane (P&P), Elinor or Mariane (S&S) or even an Emma. This is a "bad girl" -- more like a Lydia (P&P) or Lucy (S&S) -- armed with maturity and even less conscience.

I don't usually enjoy audiobooks with multiple readers & music, but this one was a true pleasure.

5 out of 5 stars Those Lesser Known Gems.......2007-01-13

Reading this reminded me why I love Jane Austen's writing so much. Such vitality and snap to it.

Lady Susan is written in letter form (which I didn't find too hard to deal with because I have been reading another set of books written in this manner) Its a very gossipy little story. Lady Susan a woman very used to getting her own way has foisted her presence on her unwilling inlaws. She then goes about corrupting the son of the family to the almost point of matrimony with her even though he has a natural inclination for her much tamer and sweeter daughter, Frederica. It all ends pretty amusingly and I could really see this as a successful stage play all of the different voices that are represented in this.

The Watsons I was SO SO SO upset to get to the end of what she had written as it is only around 30 pages long or so, her writing and characters are already strong that early into a work. Emma Watson seems to have a bit of all of her other heroines in her, she's quiet and observant, she's been taken from a rich sitation to a poor one, she immediately interests the most elusive male in her new neighborhood (while she is more interested in someone else). What I found the most interesting was the presence of a child character, Charles is a little boy who Emma befriends at a dance--and dances with it is adorable and he is a great character, something I've never seen in her other works. This could have been a brilliant novel.

Sanditon, ironically since I am rather ill at the moment is about a town designed for curing all ills, sort of a struggling pre-Bath. Its a seaside resort, Charlotte is our heroine, she is visiting with one of the main proprietors of the place and is the only truly sensible character to be encountered in the short work. I've no doubt there would have been a few more to witness had Austen finished it. It would have been great to mee the Miss Lambe character as she is half mulatto--race never being something witnessed in Austen's other works. I found myself laughing in several places, while the characters are very cartoony I still found them very endearing and very easy to picture. Its a great begining.

3 out of 5 stars Misress of Artifice.......2005-03-18

LADY SUSAN: First of Three Austen Novellas

Unlike Austen's usual sweet-young-thing heroines, this title character appears as the antithesis of what we expect from a literary heroine. Perhaps the author sought to instruct or to edify female readers by presenting a thoroughly vain and heartless woman of thirty-something. Her reputation as a Flirt and Coquette (despite being widowed a scant four months) precedes her wherever she visits. Lady Susan is very attractive to men of all variety, from the too young to the too married. Mistress of subtle flattery and artifice she makes a tour of gullible or suspicious hosts, families, missing no opportunity to disrupt domestic harmony in order to pamper her feminine ego.

Written as an epistolary novel of 41 letters the story is presented without benefit of the usual exposition, which may cause readers some confusion, until the evidence of actions and her own admissions reveal the truth about the protagonist. Heartless mother towards her helpless 16-year-old daughter Lady Susan Vernon relies on one faithful female friend for support in her naughty schemes, but even that friend's husband has forbidden her presence in his home. The choice of best friends must be instructive as to one's real motives and character, so let this prove a cautionary tale for young widows and ambitious mothers. As Lady Susan torments her hostess, Catherine Vernon, and her susceptible younger brother, Reginald, in this curious novella, Austen provides insight into the feminine machinations of 19th century Society.

5 out of 5 stars Lady Susan - Better as an Audiobook.......2004-07-22

I have just recently discovered Jane Austen's writings via the local library's audiobook section. I've loved what I've 'heard' thus far so when I saw a unabridged copy of 'Lady Susan' on CD for less then 15 dollars, I grabbed it.

Harriet Walter, Kim Hicks, Carole Boyd and the rest of the cast do a WONDERFUL job of portraying the various letter writers in this amusing novel. Their different voices lend so much to the presentation of this novel that I doubt I'll ever be able to read it, just listen to it.

I devoured (if you can devour an audio recording) this book in little over 2 days. I normally just listen while I am in the car driving to and from work, but I ended up taking this into the office with me and listening between phone calls.

If you want a amusing piece of literature, pick up the NAXOS Audiobook presentation of 'Lady Susan'. It's worth it.
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (World's Classics)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Fill out your Austen collection
  • Northanger Abbey: Janeites rejoice in this light and lively tour de force
  • Part satire of Gothic novels, part comedy of manners
  • Fragmented, and Written Before Her Major Works: Not Her Best
  • Classic Austen
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (World's Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Mansfield Park (Signet Classics) Mansfield Park (Signet Classics)
  2. Emma (Penguin Classics) Emma (Penguin Classics)
  3. Persuasion (Tor Classics) Persuasion (Tor Classics)
  4. Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics) Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics)
  5. Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 0192833685

Amazon.com

Though Northanger Abbey is one of Jane Austen's earliest novels, it was not published until after her death--well after she'd established her reputation with works such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. Of all her novels, this one is the most explicitly literary in that it is primarily concerned with books and with readers. In it, Austen skewers the novelistic excesses of her day made popular in such 18th-century Gothic potboilers as Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers all figure into Northanger Abbey, but with a decidedly satirical twist. Consider Austen's introduction of her heroine: we are told on the very first page that "no one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be an heroine." The author goes on to explain that Miss Morland's father is a clergyman with "a considerable independence, besides two good livings--and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters." Furthermore, her mother does not die giving birth to her, and Catherine herself, far from engaging in "the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush" vastly prefers playing cricket with her brothers to any girlish pastimes.

Catherine grows up to be a passably pretty girl and is invited to spend a few weeks in Bath with a family friend. While there she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor, who invite her to visit their family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Austen amuses herself and us as Catherine, a great reader of Gothic romances, allows her imagination to run wild, finding dreadful portents in the most wonderfully prosaic events. But Austen is after something more than mere parody; she uses her rapier wit to mock not only the essential silliness of "horrid" novels, but to expose the even more horrid workings of polite society, for nothing Catherine imagines could possibly rival the hypocrisy she experiences at the hands of her supposed friends. In many respects Northanger Abbey is the most lighthearted of Jane Austen's novels, yet at its core is a serious, unsentimental commentary on love and marriage, 19th-century British style. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

Terry Castle's new introduction reveals the development of Jane Austen's art from the early compositions, Lady Susan and The Watsons, through the mock Gothic Northanger Abbey, to the incompleted Sanditon.

Download Description

Fans of Jane Austen will delight in this engaging, lesser-known work.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Fill out your Austen collection.......2007-07-31

As a lover of Austen novels, it is well worth reading "Northanger Abby", which was Austen's first (but last published) novel. As her first novel, her writing style is still rough and lacks some of the refinment of her later works, but she still brings her sharp eye for satire and examination of societal/marriage topics. Catherine Morland pales in comparison to later strong heronies like Elizabeth Bennet or Fanny Price, but she's delightful to read and chuckle about her naive outlook on life.

5 out of 5 stars Northanger Abbey: Janeites rejoice in this light and lively tour de force.......2007-07-12

Northanger Abbey is a gem. Jane Austen (1775-1817)has written a charmiing little novel about a charming little lady named Catherine Moreland. Catherine is 15 as the novel begins in Wiltshire. She and the hilariously stupid Mrs. Allen go on a six week trip to nearby Bath to take the waters. Catherine meets the fashionable and fast Isabella Thorpe. Catherine dances with the clergyman Henry Tilney at a ball becoming infatuated with the clever young man. Henry and Catherine share a love for the Romantic Gothic novels of such authors as Ann Radcliff and Fanny Burney. Complications ensue but in the end the couple are wed.
The first half of the novel deals with doings in Bath; the second half is a trip taken by Catherine to the Tilney estate Northanger Abbey. Catherine thinks the house may contain a ghost as she is influenced in her thinking by a vivid imagination fueled by her sensational Gothic reading.
Minor characters are of interest: Captain Frederick Tilney the ladies man brother of Henry; old General Tilney the gruff father of Fred and Henry; Catherine's parents and Eleanor Tilney the kind and lovely sister of the two Tilney boys with whom Catherine forms a solid friendship.
The book includes a spirited defense of the art of novel writing by Miss Austen. It is a light and commonplace tale of young love told with the wit and wisdom of one of England's greatest authors. This less well known Austen novel is a delightful way to become an addict of the spinster from Hawton parsongage!

4 out of 5 stars Part satire of Gothic novels, part comedy of manners .......2007-07-04

Northanger Abbey was one of Jane Austen's earlier works, and, reading it , you can definitely see her gift of writing in its infancy. While this work is not perfect by any means, it is a fine-tuned effort that any Austin fan will enjoy and appreciate. Basically it works as part comedy/drama of manners and part parody of Gothic literature, taking many of the elements of Ann Radcliffe's work The Mysteries of Udolfo, and slightly satirizing it. The ending's closure--where Austin ties everything together nicely--is something seen in many of her other, more popular works, where all loose ends are tied and questions are answered.

The first part of the novel focuses on Catherine Morland, her family, and her acquaintances. Catherine goes away from her family and stays with the Allen family. While there, she meets the Thorpe family, and becomes an acquaintance and friend of Isabella Thorpe. She has to fight off the advances of Isabella's brother. Later on, at a dance, she also meets Henry, a man who she will eventually fall in love with. She finally gets the opportunity to stay with the Tilney family at Northanger Abbey. Because of her love of novels, and her chance to become better acquainted with Henry and his sister, Catherine is excited to go. The second part of the novel begins with Catherine staying at Northanger Abbey.

One of the funnier aspects of the novel is the 2nd part, when Catherine goes to Northanger Abbey and immediately becomes entranced with the many Gothic elements she seems to have read about. This is when her knowledge and love of Gothic literature tales runs away with her imagination. At one point, she believes that Henry's father has murdered or imprisoned Henry's mother, or that he is keeping her stowed away and doing malicious and evil things. There is also a moment when Catherine is alone in her room late at night and sees a chest, and fears that it has something awful inside it--so naturally she goes to investigate. It seems that all her suppositions and fears are well-founded to her, but we see that she clearly has taken some things too far in her mind, and perhaps there is an anti-climax in her not finding anything noteworthy.

What makes Catherine a likeable heroine is that there are faults to her, so she is perfect by no means. For one thing, she is oblivious to many events that are seemingly obvious to others, namely the romance that begins with her brother and Isabella. She also has some trouble expressing herself in the earlier parts of the novel, but as time wears on she becomes more assertive and mature. Also, her love for novels can be seen as a weakness because she tends to over dramatize and fantasize about them--this seems to be Austen's way of lightly poking fun at reading novels, something you have to admire from a great writer. Over all though, she is a character that is fun to read about and follow around in her adventures.

While the story does have moments where it may drag a little, it still is a fun and adventurous read and is a must for Austen fans. This review is in reference to the Dover books version of the novel.

4 out of 5 stars Fragmented, and Written Before Her Major Works: Not Her Best.......2007-07-01

I do not like the title since only part of the story takes place in the Northanger Abbey. The novel has some fame as a parody of Gothic novels, but that is not the primary focus of the novel. This is a novel written by Jane Austen at least a decade before her famous novels. It is similar to the later novels but it is less sophisticated, shorter, and it seems fragmented - as I discuss below. It was sold for publication in 1803. It is her earliest work but it was not a success. She bought back the rights and it was published after her death in 1818.

As background information, I have read all of Austen's novels, and I have read various analyses of Austen's work. Jane Austen's formula for success was to write a novel about of a financially disadvantaged young woman who meets and marries a wealthier man. The exception is her novel "Emma" where the protagonist has her own means. There are no axe murders in an Austen novel or any nasty elements. Her stories take place in small English towns and they all have a variety of characters including a few willful women and usually one male rogue.

"Pride and Prejudice" is Jane Austen's finest novel. That book is the perfect balance of story, prose, structure, and interesting characters. It evokes many emotional responses in the reader. That novel is among the greatest novels of all time on par with for example Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" or Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." From a strictly literary point of view, "Mansfield Park" is the most complicated and sophisticated literary work penned by Austen.

So, where does that leave "Northanger Abbey" among her works? All of her five mature novels share a certain fixed writing style and a common structure, or the Austen formula as mentioned above. She uses the early pages to introduce the families, and other characters, and give start the story. She moves characters around from place to place in part for time shifting. She does a wrap up in the last few chapters. This is her sixth major work but written earlier. That Austen formula is partially present in the plot and structure. The first half of the novel is good. Catherine is a sympathetic protagonist and John Thorpe is a suitable rogue. Her love interest, Henry Tilney, seems a bit weak or enigmatic. The story is good for about half the novel. When the action moves to the Abbey it seems to become very fragmented and disorienting for the reader. But the Abbey section is not too long, and then story returns to more what we would expect from Austen near the end.

Most Austen fans will find the piece to be interesting but a bit confusing in parts and not her best.

4 out of 5 stars Classic Austen.......2007-06-25

Northanger Abbey is a classic in several senses of the word: It's pure Jane Austen; it's set in the early 1800s, mostly in a Gothic abbey; it's dramatic and overwrought and wonderfully written. Any Austen fan who has not yet picked up this little gem of a novel should do so immediately because you are sure to be delighted!

Catherine Morland, aged 17, is expanding her horizons by visiting Bath with her neighbors, The Allens. While there, she becomes entangled with the Thorpe family, who are not quite what they seem to be, and the Tilney family, with whom she forms a sincere attachment that leads her to visit their family home, Northanger Abbey. Catherine has spent a good deal of time reading novels, and she allows her imagination to run wild once she finds herself in the dark corridors of the abbey; the appearance of Henry, her hopeful love interest, helps quell her theatrics a bit but she still finds herself drawn into situations she doesn't understand. Classic Austen includes misunderstanding and love, and this novel has both in abundance.

This is a slim novel, and from what I gather, one of Austen's earliest. The characterizations are not perhaps as finely tuned as some of her other works, but overall this is a satisfying read with the delights of the time period. Sit back, curl up, and enjoy!
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (World's Classics)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (World's Classics)
    Jane Austen
    Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Teen BooksLook Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Mansfield Park (Signet Classics) Mansfield Park (Signet Classics)
    2. Emma (Penguin Classics) Emma (Penguin Classics)

    ASIN: 0192827588
    Lady Susan / Die Watsons / Sanditon. Ein Briefroman mit den zwei Romanfragmenten.
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Lady Susan / Die Watsons / Sanditon. Ein Briefroman mit den zwei Romanfragmenten.
      Jane Austen
      Manufacturer: Insel, Frankfurt
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GermanGerman | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      All German BooksAll German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
      ASIN: 3458328920
      Lady Susan/The Watson/Sanditon
      Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
      • way too much money for too little story
      Lady Susan/The Watson/Sanditon
      Jane Austen
      Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Audio CD

      Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      ClassicsClassics | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      Short StoriesShort Stories | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      UnabridgedUnabridged | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      ASIN: 0753122391

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars way too much money for too little story.......2007-05-16

      This audio book contains 3 incomplete stories by Jane Austin - this I knew before purchasing the package. However, the stories are woefully incomplete and therefore the $60+ price tag is too high.
      Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (Unabridged)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon (Unabridged)
        Jane Austen
        Manufacturer: audible.com
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Audio Download

        Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: B0006IU59W
        Lady Susan/The Watsons/Sanditon (Isis)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Lady Susan/The Watsons/Sanditon (Isis)
          Jane Austen
          Manufacturer: ISIS Audio Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Audio Cassette

          GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
          Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
          19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0753115271
          THE COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN Mansfield Park; Emma; The Watsons, Lady Susan, Sanditon, Pride and Prejudice; Persuasion; Northanger Abbey & Sense and Sensibility (6 Six VI) Slipcased
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            THE COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN Mansfield Park; Emma; The Watsons, Lady Susan, Sanditon, Pride and Prejudice; Persuasion; Northanger Abbey & Sense and Sensibility (6 Six VI) Slipcased
            Jane Austen
            Manufacturer: Penguin
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            Austen, JaneAusten, Jane | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            PaperbackPaperback | Austen, Jane | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: B000JJXPA4
            Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)
              Margaret Drabble Jane Austen
              Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback
              ASIN: B000OJ40FS

              Books:

              1. On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)
              2. Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)
              3. Pattern Classification (2nd Edition)
              4. Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2)
              5. Quo Vadis
              6. Return of the Guardian-King (Legends of the Guardian-King)
              7. Romeo and Juliet (Cliffs Notes)
              8. Sentimental Education (Penguin Classics)
              9. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, Pearl: Verse Translations
              10. Sodom and Gomorrah: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 4 (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

              Books Index

              Books Home

              Recommended Books

              1. Nickel and Dimed: On
              2. History: Fiction or Science
              3. Digital Property: Currency of the 21st Century
              4. Global Strategy
              5. Indigo Dreams: Relaxation and Stress Management Bedtime Stories for Children, Improve Sleep, Manage
              6. Murder by Moonlight and Other Mysteries: New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Volumes 19-24
              7. Free Your Breath, Free Your Life: How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress, Increase Vitality, and
              8. The 101 Commandments of Hospitality
              9. Equity Markets in Action: The Fundamentals of Liquidity, Market Structure & Trading + CD
              10. Elder Law Answer Book, 2nd Edition, 2006 Cumulative Supplement