#with henry teasingly DMing a gothic haunted house exploration dramatically

[dathen]

I’m finishing up Northanger Abbey and it really gripped me just how much Catherine and Henry are friends first and foremost, that we get to see this natural supportive relationship rising up between them almost replacing the imagined romance of the earlier part of the story. Catherine’s friendship with Eleanor becomes just as much of a focus, and the three of them together are fantastic. Instead of contrasting a dreadful romantic interest (like Wickham) with an appealing one, the main contrast is between a dreadful flimsy friendship (Isabella) and the friendships Catherine earns by the end. The proposal is practically an afterthought.

I love the yearning and drama of the other Austen books I’ve read, but this book struck me just for the level of grounded heart beneath the gothic whimsy.