page_title: Northanger Abbey
section_title: Characters
hierarchical_section_title: Northanger Abbey / Characters
caption_attribution_description: English: Tinted Line Drawing by H.M. Brock for Northanger Abbey, ch.5&#160;: Catherine and Isabella were always arm in arm when they walked. Français&#160;: Gravure de H.M. Brock pour Northanger Abbey&#160;: Catherine et Isabella se promenaient toujours bras dessus, bras dessous
context_page_description: Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels written by Jane Austen. It was completed for publication in 1803, making it the first of Austen's novels in order of completion, but was only published posthumously in 1817 with another of her novels, Persuasion. The story revolves around Catherine Morland, the young and naïve "heroine", and her journey to a better understanding of herself and the world around her.
context_section_description: Catherine Morland: The naive 17-year-old protagonist of the novel, Catherine lacks in life experience, but is always determined to see the best in people. Her appearance is described as "pleasing, and when in good looks, pretty." Her fondness for Gothic novels and active imagination often result in skewing her interpretation of real events. She has a sweet and good-natured personality and is observant but naive, never seeing malicious underlying intentions in people's actions until the end of the novel. She shares with Henry Tilney her love of sarcastic humor. The novel follows Catherine as she eventually grows and matures into a better understanding of people's natures after being exposed to the outside world in Bath.
  James Morland: Catherine's older brother studying at Oxford University who makes a surprise visit to Bath to see his sister and parents. He is humble, sweet, and fun-loving like his sister but he is not a very good judge of character, and he is both naive and innocent when it comes to matters of the heart. 
  Henry Tilney: A quirky 26-year-old well-read clergyman, brother of Eleanor and Frederick Tilney, and a member of the wealthy Tilney family. He is Catherine's love interest and comes to return her feelings in the course of the novel and marries her in the end. He is sarcastic, intuitive, fairly handsome, and clever in nature.  He differs from Catherine in being attuned to the behavior and underlying intentions of others and finds amusement in the folly of those around him.
  John Thorpe: Brother of Isabella Thorpe, John is an arrogant and boastful young man. A terrible conversationalist as he talks of nothing but of his horses and carriages; he is loud, dimwitted, overbearing, vengeful, and rude, even to his own mother. John initially takes interest in Catherine and grows increasingly possessive of her, but when he discovers that it is Henry Tilney that she loves, he finds ways to manipulate the situation to suit his liking. 
  Isabella Thorpe: Sister of John Thorpe, Isabella is a beautiful and charming 21-year-old woman who can be conniving and manipulative when it suits her purpose. She visits the city of Bath in search of a wealthy husband. She befriends Catherine at Bath and when she learns about her family fortune, takes an interest in Catherine's brother, James Morland and eventually succeeds in getting a marriage offer which she accepts, but she later breaks off this engagement when she discovers that James will only receive a small portion of his inheritance and is forced to wait two years before marrying.  
  General Tilney: A stern and retired general, he is the despotic father of his three children: Captain Tilney (Frederick), Henry, and Eleanor. Rigid, overbearing, tyrannical, and materialistic in nature, General Tilney spends the majority of his time taking care of his estate in Northanger Abbey. Strict on punctuality and determined to "keep a tight ship", within his household, General Tilney is by nature inflexible, and has an absolute distaste for anyone or anything that disrupts his schedule or breaks his sense of order. Some may speculate as to whether or not his difficult personality is due to his losing his wife years earlier (the wife died when Eleanor was a child), and being burdened with raising his children alone; however, what is certain, is that he is rude not only towards his children, but also in his poor treatment of Catherine. Throughout the novel, General Tilney keeps his focus on the advancement and social acceptance of his family, making this his top priority, even in terms of marriage. Essentially, General Tilney is so concerned with his family's name and fortune, that he tries to control who his children can and cannot marry, especially with regard to Henry's love for Catherine. Due to the misguided rumors from John Thorpe, General Tilney's perception of Catherine changes in that he once held her in high esteem, thinking that she came from a wealthy family; however, when a spurned John Thorpe later tells General Tilney that Catherine's family is essentially destitute, he denie
caption: Isabella and Catherine walking arm and arm in an illustration by H. M. Brock from a 1904 edition of the novel
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