Northanger Abbey, chap. 1: An Education
So who is Catherine Morland, anyway? She’s our main character, but not, the narrator insists, a “heroine.” The root of this pressing issue can be traced back to her parents: her father is “a very respectable man” and her mother is “a woman of useful plain sense,” with neither being neglectful or antagonistic. And if there’s nothing to antagonize a character into becoming a hero, then all that’s left to do is have a largely positive and healthy childhood. Catherine has my deepest sympathies. In actuality, something that has always struck me is how modern Catherine’s ordinary life sounds. “She [is] fond of all boy’s plays” and enjoys “the pleasure of mischief.” She tries to learn the pianoforte but ends up hating it. She likes to draw, but has no talent for it. She can’t stand math—“she shirk[s] her lessons.” And I love seeing a girl being interested in sports be portrayed as hopelessly normal rather than a shocking anomaly that worries her parents. Anyway, that’s Catherine at 10. ...
