How Does Jane Austen Use Satire In Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey has been praised by countless critics as the perfect balance between satire and realism. The novel, a light-hearted comedy full of humorous situations and entertaining wit, has enticed countless readers with an unprecedented writing style which combines elements of gothic and satirical literature. Although the novel has captivated readers over the years, the story has received its fair share of criticism. Tara Ghoshal Wallace, for example, claims that the novel’s storyline was inconsistent due to Austen’s use of satire, and Carole Gerster accuses Austen of disrupting the novel’s narration to integrate her own voice.

Though the novel’s satirical elements make the reading more enjoyable for readers, select literary

critics insist that Austen’s use of satire in Northanger Abbey is too far fetched.  In her critical novel, Jane Austen and Narrative Authority, Tara Ghoshal Wallace claims “Northanger Abbey refuses to yield a stable vision, either moral or aesthetic” (Wallace).  This is a valid statement as the novel’s storyline admittedly has no real consistency. Throughout the novel, elements such as satire and comedy corrupt the story’s plausibility.  For example, Catherine, the protagonist of the story, is seen as perfectly rational throughout the first half of the novel. In fact, she is described as never “asserting at one moment what [she] would contradict the next” (Austen 64). However, upon her arrival at Northanger, Catherine loses her sensibility due to Austen’s attempt to integrate a comedic storyline. As Catherine’s “fearful curiosity [grows] greater,” her character, who had been previously established as having sound judgement, becomes foolish, focusing more on imagination than reality (Austen 156).  Though it makes for a humorous storyline, Austen’s use of satire contradicts Catherine’s pre-established character and disrupts her character development. In short, while satirical elements do make the story entertaining and fun to read, it does so at the expense of the story itself.
Austen also makes interesting choices in regard to the novel’s structure.

Throughout the novel, she tends to vacillate between writing in the voice of Catherine, the protagonist, and writing in her own voice. In the words of critic Carole Gerster, “Austen places herself in the midst of an ongoing dialogue,” making it difficult to recognize the novel’s true narrator due to a “mix of varied and opposing voices” (Gerster). Throughout the novel, Austen sometimes steps out of the persona of the narrator, writing what reads as a message from herself to her readers. She often uses these excerpts to clarify or foreshadow upcoming events. For example, at the start of the novel, she describes Mrs. Allen and Catherine’s first meeting, foreshadowing later events by telling readers that Mrs. Allen’s “actions will hereafter tend to promote the general distress of the work” (Austen 20). Though Gerster insists that Austen’s input interrupts the story, I quite enjoyed these directives. Austen’s input makes it feel as if she herself is communicating with her readers, such as when she writes: “It may be stated, for the readers more certain information… that [Catherine’s] heart was affectionate [and] her disposition [was] cheerful and open” (Austen 19). While Gerster claims that Austen’s different voices made the story difficult to follow, I thought it was quite easy to distinguish Austen’s own voice from that of the narrator. In fact, in some cases, her personal input made the story

easier to follow, clearing away any misconceptions as to what was going on inside a character’s mind. This stylistic choice, while somewhat audacious, works well with the text of the novel.
Overall, Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was quite the unique novel. Not only did the story blend writing styles which had never before been combined, but Austen also made bold stylistic choices, writing in rather unprecedented ways. Though the novel occasionally contradicts itself due to Austen’s strive to include unique writing styles and techniques, I believe it makes up for itself with its originality. In short, though Northanger Abbey has almost as many weak points as it does strong suits, it is nevertheless an entertaining read.