Northanger Abbey tells the story of a young girl, Catherine Morland who
leaves her sheltered, rural home to enter the busy, sophisticated world of
Bath in the late 1790s. Austen observes with insight and humour the
interaction between Catherine and the various characters whom she meets
there, and tracks her growing understanding of the world about her. In
this, her first full-length novel, Austen also fixes her sharp, ironic gaze
on other kinds of contemporary novel, especially the Gothic school made
famous by Ann Radcliffe. Catherine's reading becomes intertwined with her
social and romantic adventures, adding to the uncertainties and
embarrassments she must undergo before finding happiness.