Northanger Abbey, chapter 28: The Departed
To label this chapter as containing “Cringe Moment #3” really undersells the specific transgression that Cat experiences. When I say this makes me cringe, please know that in this instance I’m cringing on behalf of Cat. Because this wouldn’t be a Jane Austen book without a heavy dose of irony, this chapter begins in the most positive way imaginable: General Tilney has gone to London, which improves the overall mood of the household and finally allows Eleanor to be her normal self. Cat is now free from both her preconceived notions about the fanciful dangers of an abbey and “the restraint which the general’s presence had imposed.” She’s so happy that, as a rational creature, she figures she must prepare herself for when it has to end. But since her parents aren’t demanding for her to come home and Eleanor insists she isn’t overstaying her welcome, Cat decides to stick around. This helps convince her “that Henry love[s] her, and … that his father and sister [love] and even [wish] her to...
