(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.)

S: I can understand Catherine’s disappointment after spending time with the Tilneys. It’s a shame when you’re looking forward to spending time with people and they seem to be preoccupied while they’re with you. I have to say, Isabella isn’t helping matters – actually, maybe she is, unwittingly, because Catherine begins to defend the Tilneys to her, which causes her (Catherine) to really think about the time they spent together and see that it wasn’t all disappointing. She really is good at giving people the benefit of the doubt, unlike Isabella. We soon learn about the elder Tilney brother, Frederick, so my guess is that the family was concerned for his arrival and thus preoccupied with their thoughts. 

R: It was an interesting start to this next chapter. I agree that it might be the anticipation of the elder Tilney brother’s arrival preoccupying the family when Catherine visits. That is the only thing that makes sense so far, based on what we’re given and how Henry and his sister behave normally at the ball. I didn’t like how Isabella seemed to be pushing Catherine towards her (Isabella’s) brother over Mr. Tilney by being so negative about the Tilneys.

S: Also, I have a feeling that Isabella is not entirely convinced that James Morland is her best marriage option and is, in fact, disappointed with the amount of money he will inherit at the end of three years.

R: Either this, or Isabella is still convinced that the Morland family is extremely wealthy, but Mr. Morland is being stingy with James’ inheritance. 

S: Ah, true!

The scene at the ball is a bit cringy and I feel badly for Catherine because she really doesn’t understand the courting game (not that I think she necessarily should – there’s something to be said for just being honest). I was disappointed that Henry didn’t really explain things to her about his brother liking Isabella. I’m not sure if Henry doesn’t think he needs to explain or if he’s trying to and just doesn’t know how to say it in a way Catherine will understand. I see further evidence of not liking Isabella’s character very much because it seems to me that she is protesting way too much about not enjoying her dance with Frederick which makes me think she is enamoured with him.

R: I found some of the dialogue and narrative a bit confusing at this point. I’m also not sure whether Isabella at this point is seeing Captain Tilney as a potential rival for James Morland or if she truly just danced with him because of his persistence. I did realise that Captain Tilney must really like Isabella since he wants to dance with her even though he dislikes the activity. He reminds me a little of Mr. Darcy there. It was cute that Catherine wasn’t catching Henry’s hints that his brother likes Isabella, but it does further show her naivete. 

S: Oh, I hadn’t thought of comparing his opinion of dancing with Mr. Darcy’s!

After such a cringe worthy chapter as Chapter 16 I was relieved to read that Catherine has been invited to stay with the Tilneys at their home in Northanger Abbey. I really hope this means further happiness for her.

R: It’s funny that the book is called Northanger Abbey, but the characters won’t arrive there – and I don’t think it was mentioned – until more than halfway into the book. I am glad that Miss Tilney wants to continue her acquaintance with Catherine enough to invite her to their home.

S: That’s true! We are kept in suspense (I wonder if that was on purpose considering the satire of the book) as to where and what Northanger Abbey is. 

Again, I’m having a lot of trouble not being annoyed with Isabella because she assumes Catherine thinks the same way as she does about courting and thinks Catherine is playing some type of game with John. Although Isabella says she believes that Catherine didn’t intend to lead John on I’m not sure she actually does based on the way Austen describes her facial expressions. I think she’s also saying everything about fast choices because she is now deeply in like with Captain Tilney rather than James. 

I continue to appreciate Catherine’s honesty when she clears up, or tries to clear up, the miscommunication between herself, John, and Isabella. For her sake I hope it really is cleared up, but I have a feeling it isn’t. 

R: Isabella is changeable and inconstant. She is excited about John and Catherine’s supposed understanding, but as soon as Catherine corrects her, Isabella starts to say that she never thought they would be a good match. Then when Captain Tilney shows up, it’s obvious that Isabella seems to have feelings for him. I feel so sorry for Catherine. She recognizes what’s going on, though thinks Isabella is innocently flirting (I doubt this). I hope that Miss Tilney will prove to be a truer friend to Catherine than Isabella seems to be.

S: Agreed! So far I think I like Miss Tilney and I hope that I’m not mistaken in liking her.

I’m not sure how I feel about the way Chapter 19 progressed. I understand Henry’s point of view regarding Frederick’s pursuit of Isabella and it frustrates me that Catherine presses the subject. I know she feels badly for James but at the same time it’s really none of her affair. I think Henry was kind in how he helped Catherine work through her feelings about the whole thing, even if I think there is more to it than he thinks there is. I enjoyed his wording: ‘To be guided by secondhand conjecture is pitiful’. We cannot allow ourselves to be guided through life by assumption.

R: I’m not certain how I feel about Henry’s perspective in this situation, but Catherine does her best as Isabella’s friend to caution her about her behaviour. I don’t know whether Isabella is deliberately or unintentionally obtuse, but we see at the end of the chapter that she does show some signs of waning interest in James. I feel bad for him. 

S: As I have been reading this section, it has occurred to me that as much as I am annoyed with Isabella assuming others think as she does, Catherine does the same thing. I think the reason it annoys me more from Isabella is because her thinking is devious and revolves around assuming the worst in people, whereas Catherine’s assumptions are fairly naive and innocent.

Chapter 20 is interesting, to say the least. I don’t quite know how to feel about General Tilney or his relationship with his children. He seems to be frustrated and disappointed with Captain Tilney and seems a sort of shadow over Henry and Miss Tilney. We now know for certain that Frederick likes Isabella, so we’ll see what that leads to.

R: General Tilney’s behaviour confuses me as well. He’s so overly solicitous of Catherine to the point of making her uncomfortable, but seems to loom over his children in an authoritarian or dictatorial way. 

S: I do wonder at what General Tilney is thinking by putting Catherine with Mr. Tilney in the curricle, but perhaps he is already under the assumption that they are together and since they are traveling as a family there is really nothing untoward about it as there would have been when the Thorpes and James were trying to get Catherine to go along with them.

R: That was another circumstance that gave me pause. I hadn’t considered the thought that the General might think that Henry and Catherine have an understanding, but I also can’t think of any other reason. I would have thought he’d like her to stay with his daughter.

I really enjoyed the conversation between Catherine and Henry! It showcased Mr. Tilney’s teasing nature as well as Catherine’s naivete. I was a bit surprised that Northanger Abbey was nothing like what Catherine had been expecting. It was amusing that even General Tilney seemed to pick up on her disappointment. 

S: Catherine’s disappointment is palpable when they arrive at Northanger Abbey and, in a way, I do feel sad for her that it doesn’t meet expectations. Building something up in one’s mind only to find it less than what you thought, and yet also more than what you thought, is disappointing. I hadn’t caught the part about General Tilney picking up on Catherine’s disappointment, but that makes sense since he kept talking about all the improvements he’d made.

The exchange between Catherine and Mr. Tilney was, at first, a bit off putting to me until I realised that he is teasing her. Perhaps it’s moments like these that make people not enjoy this book as much as Austen’s others? Regardless, it’s a funny exchange and I am reminded once more of how young and imaginative Catherine is and it makes me laugh. Honestly, she makes me wonder if Jane Austen took some of her own personality and infused it into Catherine. Chapter 20 certainly leaves us on a cliffhanger, for we are uncertain exactly how time will be spent at Northanger Abbey. There also seems to be a foreshadowing of a better understanding of how the Tilney family functions, which I am looking forward to, because right now they confuse me.