The Annotated Northanger Abbey

by Jane Austen

  [From J. Alfred Gotch, The English Home from Charles I to George IV (New York, 1918), p. 42]

  [List of Illustrations]

  24. Laura Place is a diamond-shaped square at one end of Pulteney Street; they are heading back into the center of Bath from Catherine’s residence, from which they can go north toward Bristol (see this map).

  25. In each of this series of alliterative pairs, the first item concerns the Tilneys’ failure to appear, while the second represents an important element in Gothic fiction. The Mysteries of Udolpho is set principally in a decayed building with broken arches, among other ruins, while The Romance of the Forest has a false hanging, a tapestry that hides an opening in the wall behind it. The latter also has a trapdoor that plays a critical role. Catherine’s oscillation between these two points of interest represents the principal division of her mind throughout much of the novel.

  26. Argyle Buildings is the street on the other side of Laura Place. In the next chapter it is described as Argyle Street (its current name).

  27. It was standard courtesy for a man to allow a woman to lean on his arm as they walked. That may be why they are walking slowly.

  28. Since Laura Place is a diamond, those proceeding through it must turn to enter it, causing them to disappear from the sight of anyone on the street they just left. The Tilneys are heading toward Catherine’s residence, and thus opposite to her direction.

  29. For a discussion of the city’s market, see note 42.

  30. Carriages moved quickly enough, even in towns, that leaping out of them would be dangerous, especially when it would mean falling onto the hard stone pavement of Bath’s streets. Catherine’s being whisked away against her will is similar to the kidnappings that are a frequent feature of the popular novels being satirized here (see note 8). This, however, is a very mundane version of such kidnappings, just as John Thorpe is a very mundane villain, for in typical novels the villain kidnaps the heroine with the intention of forcing marriage upon her, or even of raping or murdering her.

  31. Her preference is notable: as much as she is entranced by Gothic romance, she still gives priority to real life and its moral obligations.

  32. A once-magnificent home fallen into decay was a common element of Gothic tales; it appealed both to the Romantic taste for melancholy and to the current aesthetic ideals of the picturesque (for the latter, see note 38).

  33. The “happiness” of encountering such mishaps suggests the paradoxical nature of the delights furnished by Gothic horror novels.

  34. Keynsham is the principal intermediate town on the road from Bath to Bristol, at the approximate halfway point. See this map.

  35. This confirms the typical speed for carriages of seven miles per hour, or slightly more, that James’s earlier calculations had indicated but John Thorpe had denied (this page).

  36. broken-winded: afflicted with an incurable respiratory disease, one that prevents horses from enduring fatigue.

  37. “Jade” was a contemptuous term for a horse (sometimes also extended to women). It could refer to a horse that was of inferior breed, worn out, or nasty-tempered.

  A ruined castle, a popular theme in picture books of the time.

  [From James Merigot, The Amateur’s Portfolio, or the New Drawing Magazine, Vol. I (London, 1815–1816), No. 8, Plate 4]

  [List of Illustrations]

  38. James has had to rent a horse, upon which fact Thorpe lays blame for the horse’s putative defects. Maintaining a horse and carriage was very costly, including not simply the initial price of each, but also the costs of a place to keep them both, a servant to look after them, food for the horse, and regular repairs to the carriage due to the rough roads of the time. For this reason, only a small number of people kept horses and carriages; many of Austen’s characters, almost all of whom come from the upper strata of society, cannot afford to keep either.

  39. Thorpe’s words suggest he believes the Morlands to be wealthy; this belief will be apparent later, and have significant consequences.

  40. A footman was a lower servant whose job was to answer the door, deliver messages, assist the butler (if there was one), and, in many cases, help with serving meals.

  41. Most people had visiting cards they would leave at others’ houses when the person they sought was not at home; the card would show the owner’s name. Ladies used them particularly, for women were in charge of maintaining formal social contacts (one use for the cards was that when a family arrived at a new place, the lady of the house would visit all their acquaintances to leave a card and thereby announce their arrival). In this case, Miss Tilney has not brought one because she had every expectation of finding Catherine at home. Knowledge of this only adds to Catherine’s distress.

  42. Mr. Allen will later explain his disapproval at greater length.

  43. pool: game.

  44. Commerce was a popular card game in which players exchange cards with an anonymous hand in the middle of the table in order to obtain better combinations; when the exchanges have ceased, the players compare hands to see who ranks highest. It is a good social game, since it can include varying numbers of players and does not demand complex strategy; like almost all card games then, it usually involved betting, at least for small amounts.

  45. Isabella earlier spoke of preferring the country (this page). Her next words about the ball indicate even more clearly how little she actually longs for quiet and distance from crowds.

  46. A full ball would be one with many attendees. The size of the crowd would make a difference to Isabella, since the more people there are, the more that she will be missing.

  47. dull: listless, sad.

  48. Assuming that Isabella is still addressing Catherine, it is not clear if she has looked over the latter’s shoulder to see her hand ahead of time, or if play has ceased and Catherine has laid her cards down. “Kings” probably means a hand of three kings (hands contained only three cards); that was the game’s highest-ranking combination, after three aces.

  49. Even after having Catherine experience a genuine misfortune, and suffer genuine distress from it, Austen still wishes to distinguish her condition from the exaggerated distress depicted in many novels.

  A woman in a white gown; see note 1.

  [From Max von Boehn, Modes & Manners of the Nineteenth Century, Vol. I (London, 1909), p. 53]

  [List of Illustrations]

  VOLUME I, CHAPTER XII

  1. White was the most fashionable color for women’s gowns throughout this period. In a letter from Bath, Jane Austen speaks of two acquaintances whose “gowns look so white & so nice” (May 21, 1801). One reason was that women’s fashions were being heavily influenced by classical dress, and the lack of color on ancient statues and buildings was seen as expressive of a classical ideal of purity (in fact, color was widely used on statues and buildings in antiquity, but the paint has disappeared over time). Another was the recent prevalence of muslin: using indigo from the West Indies, muslin could be rinsed to an extreme whiteness, and that shade could be at least partially maintained because it was much less difficult to wash than silk, the prior leading material of fashion. Even so, the frequent need to wash white garments made any form of them expensive to wear often. Miss Tilney’s always wearing white is a sign of wealth.

  2. New arrivals in Bath would inscribe not just their names but also their places of residence in the public book at the Pump Room (see note 8). The wording of the sentence suggests that Mrs. Allen has seen the appropriate information there, or heard of it from someone else, but has now forgotten it.

  3. Milsom Street, mentioned earlier as a prime shopping venue, would be a desirable and expensive location to have lodgings. Mrs. Allen later relates, and says it was to be expected, that the Tilneys’ lodgings were almost immediately taken by someone else after they departed from Bath (this page).

  4. hard by: close by. Isabella was earlier described as living in Edgar’s Buildings, which are just north of Milsom Street, and as stopping in a sho
p there on her way to the Pump Room. Catherine, by going through the Church Yard, immediately north of the Pump Room, is tracing the same route in the opposite direction (see this map).

  5. her card: her visiting card. This is what Miss Tilney, expecting Catherine to be at home, did not bother to bring in her attempted visit the previous day (see note 41).

  6. was walked: had walked. This use of a form of “to be,” where “to have” would be employed at present, is found on other occasions in Jane Austen, especially when referring to a change in condition or location. It is a legacy of older forms of English, in which the past tense was often formed with “to be.”

  7. It was common for those not wishing to admit visitors to have their servant say that they were not at home. In a case like this, when the servants’ words are contradicted by his look, it is natural to assume the servant is lying, as turns out to be the case.

  8. Informing others falsely that one was not at home could be considered acceptable if one were indisposed or importantly occupied. Since this is not true here, it becomes a clear act of rudeness.

  9. worldly politeness: good society and its etiquette.

  10. Catherine’s humiliating rebuff at the hands of the Tilneys, like her earlier pangs of regret, represent a just punishment in the ethical calculus of the novel for her succumbing to Thorpe’s temptation of a ride to Blaise Castle, despite her engagement with Henry Tilney and Miss Tilney. Characters in Austen’s novels often undergo such punishment, and in the case of the principal ones it plays an important role in their moral education.

  11. In fact, the Bath theater was of high quality, even featuring at times prominent London performers. Its quality was facilitated by the popularity of Bath as well as by the maintenance of dual, linked theaters in Bath and Bristol. This allowed the theater company, unlike typical provincial ones, to operate year-round; it would perform in Bath most of the year and spend the summer in Bristol, when that city’s spa of Clifton would be at its height. A leading contemporary tourist book, John Feltham’s A Guide to All the Watering and Sea-Bathing Places, says of the Bath and Bristol theaters, “it is needless to observe that these theaters have long been held next in consideration to those of London.”

  A box (the costume, in both this picture and the one opposite, is from a slightly earlier period).

  [From Joseph Grego, Rowlandson the Caricaturist (London, 1880), Vol. I, p. 177]

  [List of Illustrations]

  12. Mr. Henry Tilney: a designation used for the first time because of the presence of Henry’s father, who as the oldest male in the family would normally be known as “Mr. Tilney.” In this case the senior Tilney is always called by his title, “General,” but the principle still applies and precludes another being called “Mr. Tilney” in his presence.

  13. Plays normally had five acts (they represented a division of the action, and did not lead to an audience break between each). Thus the Tilneys will see little of this play. But the theater in Bath always offered more than one piece at an evening performance. That is why everyone remains at the playhouse during the intermission about to begin.

  14. observance: respectful or courteous attention.

  15. natural: normal.

  16. These listed feelings and actions would be “heroic” because they are the way a typical heroine, morally pure and highly conscious of this purity, would react toward any unjustified aspersion.

  17. Despite her eagerness to speak to him she has still waited in her box for his possible approach. Norms of female conduct stressed the need for women not to thrust themselves forward and to allow men to take the initiative. Thus the description above of Catherine as feeling so miserable that she “could almost have run round to the box in which he sat and forced him to hear her explanation” is meant to present a bold and extraordinary option that only the most urgent feelings could even tempt her to consider.

  The Bath theater (a sedan chair is waiting outside).

  [From Mowbray Aston Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath (Bath, 1904), p. 213]

  [List of Illustrations]

  18. Catherine’s statement reveals her frankness, for since actually jumping out or running would be considered unladylike, most genteel women would not use those words, even in a metaphorical sense, to describe their intended actions. In the next chapter Catherine, though in a desperate hurry, still only walks very fast. Catherine’s disparities between word and action contrast with those of Isabella, who continually avows greater propriety, benevolence, and moral purity than she displays in her behavior.

  19. This denial, General Tilney’s first action in the novel, was a breach of courtesy that caused pain to Catherine. This is why the normally eloquent speaker stumbles a little verbally when he reaches the subject.

  A Bath playbill from 1801, showing the standard two performances.

  [From Mowbray Aston Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath (Bath, 1904), p. 218]

  [List of Illustrations]

  20. She would be making room for him to sit down in the box.

  21. Henry Tilney avoids responding to her comment. The probable reason for his earlier disconsolate expression will become apparent later, in scenes when he or Eleanor are present with their father.

  22. Over the course of his career, an officer in the army or navy would normally meet far more other men of genteel rank (which all other officers would be) than a country gentleman would. Such acquaintances could in turn introduce him to those like Thorpe who were not military men.

  A Bath sedan chair.

  [From Mowbray Aston Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath (Bath, 1904), p. 118]

  [List of Illustrations]

  23. consequential: self-important.

  24. Thorpe wishes to boast of talking to a general, whose high military rank would make him a person of great social status, especially since being an army officer was the most prestigious of all professions.

  25. stout: vigorous, strong. The term usually had a positive connotation and did not imply corpulence.

  26. The Bedford was a famous coffeehouse in Covent Garden in London (his “about town” refers to London). Coffeehouses were popular gathering places, especially for men, and this one was noted as a favorite haunt for many of the leading figures in London, especially writers and artists. This would make Thorpe naturally wish to claim familiarity with it, whether true or not.

  27. Billiards was a popular pastime for gentlemen, and many of those who could afford it had their own billiard rooms—as General Tilney is later shown to have. Inns, coffeehouses, and other places of public gathering or entertainment often had billiard tables; demand for the game was so great at Bath’s Upper Rooms that first one room, then a second, then an entire annex was built for billiards.

  28. touch: brief turn or engagement.

  29. A later passage explains the significance of the conversation between Thorpe and General Tilney (this page). It also indicates that this was the first meeting of the two men, which would make Thorpe’s claim of prior intimacy with the General a complete lie (and thus possibly also his boast of frequenting the Bedford).

  30. Escorting a lady to her chair, carriage, or other means of conveyance home was a courtesy often extended by men. In this case, in conjunction with his words of praise, it indicates Thorpe’s interest in Catherine. Most men would not be so blunt in the manner of their compliments—which is why his are described ironically as “delicate flattery.”

  31. have done: cease, desist.

  VOLUME I, CHAPTER XIII

  1. As already mentioned, the Royal Crescent was where genteel people in Bath tended to congregate on Sundays, if the weather was suitable (see note 3). In a letter from Bath, Jane Austen writes, “On sunday we went to Church twice, & after evening service walked a little in the Crescent fields, but found it too cold to stay long” (May 12, 1801).

  2. party: excursion, outing. “Party” then could refer to a variety of social events, including modest gathering
s at home or outdoor activities like this one.

  A distant view of the Royal Crescent, from the southwest.

  [From Emma Austen-Leigh, Jane Austen and Bath (London, 1939), p. 24]

  [List of Illustrations]

  3. feeling: tender, compassionate.

  4. Avowing such strong feelings would be typical of the heroines of sentimental novels, on whom Isabella has modeled herself, at least in word. Her use of sentimental language to justify what is in fact the selfish urging of a friend against the latter’s stated wishes echoes the heroines of Austen’s youthful satire on sentimental fiction, Love and Friendship, who wield similar rhetoric to justify more serious misconduct, including the theft of a large sum of money from their host.

  5. According to the mores of the time, even if someone did feel slighted by a close friend, she should not embarrass that friend by revealing this discontent—and the possible ensuing rupture in the friendship—to other people. Moreover, Isabella is exposing Catherine’s affection for Henry Tilney to the possible notice of others.

  The Royal Crescent from the east.

  [From Mowbray Aston Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath (Bath, 1904), p. 147]

  [List of Illustrations]

  6. town: London.

  7. It would be inappropriate for an unmarried young woman to go out alone with an unmarried young man. But the dual outing they are planning would also be somewhat improper, and Isabella, unlike Catherine, has never evinced any compunction about that.

  8. They have all been walking throughout this conversation, as was usual on the Crescent. They would have particular reason to remain on the move when outside, since it is February.

  9. had been: would have been.