Northanger Abbey, chapter 29: The Long Haul
It’s hell that the Northanger Abbey grounds stretch so far that Cat can’t ignore them. It’s hell that she passes by the road that leads to Woodston and her former hope of Henry. It’s hell because she reflects that had General Tilney “gained intelligence of what she had dared to think and look for, of her causeless fancies and injurious examinations, she could not wonder at any degree of his indignation.” But that would mean that Henry had betrayed her, and that seems more ridiculous a possibility than General Tilney’s angry outbursts.
Even the prospect of arriving home is dreadful to Cat, because she’ll have to explain that she was sent home so abruptly (and lacking supervision). Her thoughts are with the Tilney siblings: “should they be thought of unfavorably, on their father’s account, it would cut her to the heart.”
Our trusty narrator chimes in to contrast Cat’s plain homecoming to that of “[a] heroine returning … in … all the dignity of a countess, with a long train of noble relations in their several phaetons, and three waiting–maids in a traveling chaise and four.” Her remark about Cat’s “hack post–chaise” landing “a blow upon sentiment” cuts through the melodrama, but also highlights the real “disgrace” of her circumstance. When she does arrive in Salisbury, her overjoyed younger siblings offer her a reprieve in spirits. However, even her easy-going parents realize the “insult” of the manner of Cat’s conveyance home: “General Tilney had acted neither honorably nor feelingly—neither as a gentleman nor as a parent.” After expressing “their indignation and wonder,” the Morland parents decide that since General Tilney’s actions appear inscrutable, they shouldn’t pay him the compliment of providing a reason for them.
We get more of Mama Morland’s view on the matter. Unlike other Austenian mothers, Mrs. Morland is even-keeled and not obsessive about her daughter’s prospects or dating life. She knows that older brother James has undergone heartbreak lately, but doesn’t assume that Cat has experienced heartbreak of her own. Mama Morland tries to reassure Cat that she’ll meet up with Eleanor Tilney someday—eventually—no rush. Overall, her reflections on both of her kids’ misadventures are unsentimental: of James, she says that he’ll learn to “be a discreeter man all his life” from his trial with Isabella, and of Cat, she is happy to “find that she is not a poor helpless creature, but can shift very well for herself.” Which … while I appreciate that Mama Morland recognizes Cat’s sense of agency, this comes across as almost unfeeling—ignoring Cat’s very real feelings of abandonment.
Their visit with the Allens proves unfruitful. Mr. Allen can only “[express] himself on the occasion with the reasonable resentment of a sensible friend” and his wife only thinks of a repair made in one of her dresses while Cat was at Northanger. Mama Morland wants Cat to appreciate the difference between her “earliest friends” (the Allens) and a “slight acquaintance” like the Tilneys. But Cat keeps her anxiety about Henry and Eleanor to herself, fearing that her truest friendships of the summer will soon indeed become no more than “slight acquaintance.”
The Shapard Shelf: Salisbury is the home of “the greatest of all Gothic cathedrals in England.” Cat sees this “well-known spiral” on the way into town. Mrs. Morland’s suggestion that Cat might be “thrown together again” with Eleanor in the future prompts Shapard to add that “their ability to see each other would be further hampered by the restrictions on ladies’ traveling alone” (ironic, given Cat’s own trip home).
One last note: recently I've been hit with some medical bills and would appreciate donations of any size. My Paypal link is in the upper left-hand corner. Thanks again for reading my work! I will continue my Austen series later this year with Persuasion after finishing Northanger Abbey.
This is one of those occasions where the manners of another time are so far removed from us that's it's a struggle to understand them--we can sympathize with Catherine but it's hard to understand just how humiliating it would be for her to be sent off *alone* with no servant, no protection, no nothing. But it's also when her parents show their quality, because as you point out, after the initial indignation they simply go on about their business. Can you imagine what Mrs. Bennet's reaction would've been?!
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