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Literature

The Young Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey

6 lessons

7h total length

Discover the Universal Truths of Jane Austen

Jane Austen is one of the greatest English novelists and beloved for her profound and humorous insights into human nature. To read one of her novels is to receive an education in good character formation. And a close study of Austen’s writings illuminates the beauty of everyday life and provides a guide to leading a good and serious life.

Taught by Hillsdale College Professor of English Lorraine Murphy, this free six-lecture course examines the first of Jane Austen’s classic novels, Northanger Abbey. In particular, Professor Murphy explores how Austen’s parody of gothic romance both entertains and instructs the reader in the importance of a proper education. The protagonist, Catherine, learns, through humorous mishaps and serious errors, the moral significance of conventional and mannered behavior to a happy life. 

By enrolling in “The Young Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey,” you will receive free access to the lecture videos, course readings, and quizzes to aid you in your study of this masterpiece of English literature. 

We invite you to join us today as we encounter the timeless lessons of Northanger Abbey with Professor Lorraine Murphy.

GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP PROVIDED BYthe Trzcinski Foundation

Lessons in this course

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28:24

lesson 1

Jane Austen and Liberal Education

Jane Austen’s fiction is part of the great tradition of Western literature that has its roots in the classical poets. Her writing reveals essential truths about human nature, including the importance of virtues such as courage, prudence, generosity, and justice. Reading a Jane Austen novel is an education in good character formation.

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30:04

lesson 2

“Effusions of Fancy by a Very Young Lady”: The Young Writer’s Mind

Jane Austen was born in 1775, the seventh of eight children. Her parents—clergyman George Austen and his wife Cassandra—instilled in her a love of the written word, and she began writing at a young age. Austen’s early fiction tends to parody popular genres of her day, including—in the case of Northanger Abbey—the gothic novel.

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28:21

lesson 3

“In a Style Entirely New”: The Power of Austen’s Irony

Jane Austen’s use of irony promotes discernment and creates a sense of community with the novel’s readers. The heroine of Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, lacks an ear for such irony, because she is limited by her literalism. Accordingly, as the novel progresses, a major theme that emerges is the importance of a proper education.

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29:32

lesson 4

Moralizing Manners, Teaching Taste: The Role of Convention in Austen’s World

As Catherine’s time in Bath draws to a close and she prepares for the trip to Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen shows the moral significance of conventional and mannered behavior. This can be seen not only in the context of social situations, but also in matters of contemporary taste, including landscape, the visual arts, and literature.

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29:49

lesson 5

Learning to Love a Hyacinth: The Education of Catherine’s Heart and Mind

After Catherine arrives at Northanger Abbey, her obsession with gothic fiction leads to some humorous mishaps and serious errors. With some help from Henry, Catherine eventually learns to confront life’s challenges with greater courage. These events illustrate what Austen has to say about the challenge of “learning to love.”

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30:37

lesson 6

“To Begin Perfect Happiness”: Jane Austen and Realism

After General Tilney abruptly and unexpectedly asks Catherine to leave Northanger Abbey, Catherine returns home. She is despondent until Henry arrives to apologize for his father’s behavior and to propose marriage, a proposal Catherine joyfully accepts. One of Northanger Abbey’s major lessons is that fiction is most valuable when it deepens our fascination with the reading of real life.

Enroll in this free course on Jane Austen today!

What Current Students Are Saying

Increases my knowledge and appreciation of a book I love. Professor Murphy is wonderfully engaging, her enthusiasm is infectious.

Richard from Alabama

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