Abstract:Jane Austen is a famous female writer in the early 19th century in Britain, occupying an important position in the history of English literature. Her masterpiece Northanger Abbey is regarded as one of the most typical female Gothic novels.

Female Gothic is a popular literary genre which derived from Britain and prevailed during the 18th century. It has appealed to people with its unforeseen dangers and dreadful scenes. 

This thesis tries to reread and interpret Northanger Abbey as a classic work of female Gothic through the analysis of its female Gothic elements. Through her delicate characterization and her involvement of a wide range of female Gothic elements, Jane Austen successfully reinforced the theme of the novel, i.e. women’s fight against patriarchy society. It is hoped that through this study readers can better understand and appreciate this classic novel from a new perspective. 

Keywords: Northanger Abbey  female Gothic  Jane Austen  women

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction to Jane Austen-1

1.2 Introduction to Northanger Abbey-3

1.3 Literature Review-3

1.4 Structure of the Thesis-4

Chapter Two Female Gothic-6

2.1 Origin of Female Gothic-6

2.2 Features of Female Gothic-6

Chapter Three Elements of the Female Gothic in-8

3.1 Settings-8

3.1.1 Bath-8

3.1.2 Northanger Abbey-8

3.2 Characters-9

3.2.1 Henry Tilney-9

3.2.2 General Tilney-10

3.2.3 Catherine Morland-10

3.3 Plot-11

3.4 Theme-12

Chapter Four Conclusion-15

References-16