"Northanger Abbey" was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication.
Northanger Abbey follows 17-year-old Gothic novel aficionado Catherine Morland and family friends Mr. and Mrs. Allen as they visit Bath, England. Catherine is in Bath for the first time. There she meets her friends such as Isabella Thorpe, and goes to balls. Catherine finds herself pursued by Isabella's brother, the rather rough-mannered, slovenly John Thorpe, and by her real love interest, Henry Tilney. She also becomes friends with Eleanor Tilney, Henry's younger sister. Henry captivates her with his view on novels and his knowledge of history and the world. Henry and Eleanor's father invites Catherine to visit their estate, Northanger Abbey, which, from her reading of Ann Radcliffe's gothic novel "The Mysteries of Udolpho", she expects to be dark, ancient and full of Gothic horrors and fantastical mystery.
