A Feministic Interpretation Of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey

As one of the most prominent literary figures, Jane Austen is famous for Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Emma which have been interpreted from feministic perspective while so far Northanger Abbey is often interpreted from its structure and its skill. After a critical reading of the text, the author of this thesis finds that Jane Austen shows her feministic view in Northanger Abbey. Her feministic view can be detected from the following aspects: from the reading of the prefatory material, from her criticism of the principal faults in patriarchal society and her portraits of the female characters.This thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter One analyzes the prefatory material for Northanger Abbey. The discussion of the prefatory material is to reveal that Henry Austen's account of her uneventful life and meek character in Biographical Notice has prevented readers from understanding Austen's feministic view implied in Advertisement and in the novel made by Jane Austen.Chapter Two singles out principal faults on the failure of women's miseducation and the perversion of marriage in patriarchal society on the basis of a thorough textual analysis of Northanger Abbey. The lacking of formal education contributes to women's lacking of inner resources which results in women's exploration of marriage market. The choice of marriage is Austen's protestation against the inadequate patriarchal society for the sake of women.Chapter Three carries out a survey of woman image in Northanger Abbey. Isabella Thorpe, the husband hunter, plays the conventional prescribed feminine role, epitomizing women who are influenced by social convention and literary conventions to lose interiority and the freedom of self-definition for satisfying her need for being loved. Eleanor, a puppet in patriarchal society, exhibits little independent thought or action, epitomizing the ideal dutiful daughter figure. These two kinds of women are criticized by Jane Austen for they perceive themselves as an object, the other while the heroine Catherine who perceives herself an independent individual is highlypraised by Austen because Catherine embodies Austen's values. Catherine is assertive, simple, candid, and courageous. Austen stresses that Catherine is an ideal woman, a qualified female model. The analysis of women image and the patriarchal society in Northanger Abbey shows Austen's feministic view: Everyone is born to her own heroine whether her facial appearances and her accomplishments fit for the part or not. One is not born to feminine but the immoral and unjustified social conventions combined with literary conventions create femininity and distort the natural women.