Northanger Abbey is a parody of the Gothic novels which were so popular during this time period, and is arguably Jane Austen's most comedic novel.
The book tells the story of Catherine Morland, a naive seventeen-year-old country girl who is invited to spend time in the spa town of Bath with her wealthy neighbors.
Catherine has lived a rather sheltered life and much of her view of the world has been informed by the Gothic novels that she is so excessively fond of reading.
During her journeys to Bath, and subsequently, to Northanger Abbey, Catherine befriends numerous entertaining characters, many of whom possess questionable motives as well as, to Catherine's great surprise, a significant lack of integrity.
This coming-of-age story is as funny as it is touching, and readers will enjoy the uniquely breezy writing style that Austen employs in this work.
