Hooray for Austen and Northanger Abbey!

Now here's a heroine I can get to like. Catherine is so unlike every other heroine we've read this semester; and it is her uniqueness that makes her so appealing. She doesn't mind rolling down hills are going out after it rains, even though the streets are dirty. Heroines like Evelina and Emily wouldn't stand even the slightest speck of dirt on their gowns; I thought I'd never read about a down-to-earth girl, but here's Catherine. Catherine also doesn't excel in anything particular; she tries many things, like music and drawing, but gives up on them when she realizes it's not for her. I admire someone who recognizes their faults and doesn't strive to be someone they're not. Austen's portrayals of Isabella and Mrs. Allen are also a departure from what we'd expect from an eighteenth century novel. Instead of being an idol that the heroine strives to imitate, Isabella is constantly talking about vapid things and her friendship to Catherine seems very insincere; she's just using her to get to James. I'm glad Catherine sees through her and values her friendship with Eleanor more than her friendship with Isabella. And instead of Mrs. Allen being a cruel relative that takes Catherine away from her friends and threatens to do her harm, she is totally harmless, and her conversations always consist of her talking about nothing of real importance. And kudos to Austen for making John such a klutz. Instead of being a man of bad intentions like Mr. B or Sir Clement, John is an anti-hero to laugh at. He boasts of his horses being better than everyone else's and being able to travel to many places in a short period of time, yet all his boasting is proven to be nothing but empty air. Thank God Catherine doesn't fall for him and realizes that he lacks substance and is a general jackass for lying to her and making up excuses for her so that he can be around her more often. Even Henry is likable for daring to assert his superiority in intellect over women and being able to converse with Catherine on things like language; I'm not saying it's right that he considers himself better than the ladies, it's just that it's such a departure from the other heroes we have read about, who seem so dull and unexciting compared to him. I'm just glad we are reading an author at the end of the semester that feels free to poke fun at almost all the heroes, heroines, and other characters in the books we have read previously.