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

S: Chapter 26 is such a sweet chapter! I think my ponderings about General Tilney courting Catherine were incorrect because he seems very excited when she is excited about the little room Henry has not touched at Woodston, telling her that ‘…it waits only for a lady’s taste’. At the end of this chapter the reader is also made aware, albeit subtly, that Henry loves Catherine and wishes her to remain with him at Woodston.

R: This chapter was a nice little interlude, though again shows General Tilney’s apparent capriciousness when it comes to his children. While he says he won’t fix on a specific day and doesn’t care what they will be offered to eat, he proceeds to pick a specific day and time, and Henry takes all this as an expectation of a decent meal being provided. I’m glad the visit goes well, though. All seems to satisfy the general, and Catherine is delighted with the house and grounds. I’m not sure I see what you mean about the hint of Henry loving Catherine. I see more the opposite, a hint that Catherine is realising that she cares for Henry and would like to live in the house, and she catches herself being a little too invested in her praise to the point that the others notice.

S: It was also very amusing to me that Catherine is confused that General Tilney does not say what he means plainly, specifically regarding Henry leaving early so that they will have a good meal when the General, Eleanor, and Catherine visit Woodston. Family dynamics are always…amusing, for lack of a better word. 

As much as I have been annoyed with Isabella I do now feel badly for her. All her scheming has been laid bare to Catherine with her letter to the latter in Chapter 27 and she will now be hard pressed to find a husband, especially since she was not hiding her disdain for James and her quickly turned to affection for Captain Tilney. Frederick reminds me somewhat of Henry Crawford, playing with young lady’s hearts. It was a difficult lesson for Catherine to learn. I am glad she listens to Henry’s wisdom, however, so that her bitterness is stayed.

R: I’m glad that Catherine finally sees Isabella for who she is, and that she stands by her conviction of not replying to Isabella’s letter. Again I’m pleased that Henry and Eleanor prove to be such better friends to her. I agree that Captain Tilney seems to be of a similar character to Henry Crawford. Isabella is fortunate to have escaped that trap, but I can’t feel terribly sorry for her otherwise because of how she treated James. I feel sorrier for him. I’m sure he’s thankful to have learned of her inconstancy before they actually married. A broken engagement is sad and troublesome, but not impossible to recover from.

S: Very true; poor James! I have to wonder, as do Catherine and Eleanor, at the abrupt change in the General toward Catherine that would cause him to send her away so suddenly and without a chaperone. My first thought is that he has been led to believe that she has an agreement with Mr. Thorpe and has been leading Henry on with no intention of marrying him. My other thought is that perhaps Captain Tilney is expected home and he does not want Catherine to be in the middle of both his sons’ affections or possible affections. I’m fairly certain, however, that this has something to do with John Thorpe.

R: I’m glad we got a clear indication that Catherine, at least, believes that Henry is in love with her, but I was surprised by the sudden turn of events! I felt so bad for Eleanor having to convey the General’s instructions. She and Catherine had been so happy to settle that Catherine would remain for several more weeks, and they are both so sad to have those expectations dashed. I hadn’t thought about what might have motivated the General’s actions, but you could be right. Perhaps he heard something about or from John Thorpe in town that he has an understanding with Catherine and the General is trying to protect Henry. It would certainly speak better of his care for his family in a way that his behaviour to them doesn’t.

S: I’m happy Catherine made it safely home and had such a warm reception from her family; I honestly would have expected nothing less, even though we know so little about them. I am glad that the Allens are happy to have her back as well and am somewhat pleased that they, too, think the General’s conduct most unbecoming. I like that Austen makes a point of saying that her mother tried to not sound bitter or antagonistic but simply gave the facts.

R: I love Catherine’s family! They’re so good in how they help comfort Catherine and encourage her not to dwell on the circumstances, though they obviously have no idea about her feelings for Henry. I’m glad Catherine decided to write to Eleanor, but I wish she’d written a more friendly letter, rather than just a brief thank you along with returning the funds that Eleanor gave her to ensure she had enough to make it home.

S: Chapter 30 brings with it a happy discovery as, in the midst of being gently reprimanded by her mother, Catherine is visited by none other than Henry Tilney! His explanation is surprising and I am rather shocked at the real reason the General so abruptly turned her out of Northanger Abbey. It certainly did have something to do with John Thorpe but not in the way I had imagined! All of the General’s actions and words make so much more sense now, as do his children’s reactions to some of the statements Catherine makes about him, but it is still saddening to me that his end goal was money.

R: I’m thrilled that Henry comes after Catherine so quickly and clears everything up! You did guess the reason for the general’s behaviour, even if it wasn’t exactly how you thought. But it confirms our early guesses that John and Isabella were under a false impression of the Morlands’ wealth from the beginning. How they got that impression, I suppose we won’t know. I’m impressed with Henry’s fortitude in going against his father in this case, with General Tilney’s expectations and actions being so wrong. 

S: I’m so glad Henry let his feelings be known both to his father and to Catherine, yet I am a bit surprised his affection for her seemed to have begun because his father insisted on it. I suppose I can see where this would be the case, but I think he liked her at least a little bit before, even if it was just because she was so easy to tease, being unused to the city. I have to say also that I am very happy Mr. and Mrs. Morland wanted to wait until General Tilney agreed to the marriage – I think that shows a lot of wisdom.

R: The Morlands’ insistence on waiting on the general’s approval before the marriage could take place was a bit of a surprise, but showed the sense and propriety of Catherine’s parents. It probably helped General Tilney come around, as well. 

S: I am very, very happy for Eleanor, but I would have been even more happy had she ended up with James Morland! Still, in the end there were mostly happy endings, including the mystery solved of who owned the papers Catherine found in the bureau drawer in Northanger Abbey!

R: I also had the thought that Eleanor ought to marry James Morland! But I’m glad she ended up with someone who makes her happy. I’m a little annoyed that we’re given no hint that Eleanor has a beau until the last couple of pages!

S: Indeed! I can see why many people view this as their least favourite of Austen’s major works but I really like it! I’m finding it harder and harder to pick a ‘favourite’ – each story has its own merits and things I dislike and all are fun and unique. This one does feel like it ends a little abruptly but at the same time I like its difference and uniqueness of story compared with the others we’ve read so far. The fact that Austen breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the reader more so than she did in Emma was rather enjoyable. It makes me very excited to start Persuasion!

R: Northanger Abbey has made its way onto my list of favourites, just after Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility! I greatly enjoyed the humour and the 4th-wall-breaking. I loved the last line: ‘I leave it to be settled, by whomever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny, or reward filial disobedience.’ It bookends perfectly with the humorous opening of the book and sums it up beautifully. I believe this is the only instance, so far, where disobeying one’s parent turned out to be the right thing to do. I’m mostly thinking of Lydia Bennet and some of the Bertram children. In this case, Henry Tilney was right to go against his father’s wishes, but he did so in a respectful and appropriate manner because his father believed falsehoods about Catherine. This was definitely an enjoyable read. I’m also looking forward to starting Persuasion.

We will have our discussion over the 2007 movie adaptation with Felicity Jones and JJ Field up in September!