Welcome to Northanger Abbey

With Sense and Sensibility behind us, Northanger Abbey became our next Austen destination. The girls were less familiar with Northanger Abbey. Many hours had been spent watching Sense and Sensibility movies. Not as many watching Northanger Abbey. Calleigh found it more enjoyable than Sense and Sensibility, Skyeler not so much. She found that she didn't really come to "know" the characters. Tori enjoyed Jane Austen's wit. LizzyBeth, well, she found that she is completely and totally in love with Henry Tilney :) (I have a feeling that her favorite quotes might just show this).

We met for tea at Robin's house this time. Quiche, sausage balls, homemade apple cider, and chocolate dipped strawberries were just some of the goodies there to tempt us. This was the first meeting where we actually had all six girls. Sarah and Hadley are college girls now, so those studies come first. Grandma Gloria was in town and we were glad to have her join us.

All six Austen Sisters...(l to r) Skyeler, Tori, Calleigh, Hadley, Sarah, and Elizabeth

Some of the Austen mom's (and one grandma) ... (l to r) me, Sharon, Grandma Gloria, and Robin

The girls, as always, were not lacking for things to say. We discussed how John Thorpe repulsed us all and oh, how we hated Isabella. It was pointed out that Henry Tilney helps Catherine to grow, how he seems to know her mind better than she does herself. (This with a few sighs from Elizabeth). We all found the humor in Jane's little "rant" about novels at the end of chapter 5. Northanger Abbey parodies the Gothic novels of Austen's day, specifically mentioning The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe numerous times. Jane shows us the effect of too many Gothic novels on a young mind, a mind that is "about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is." (Love that quote!) We took some time to discuss what kind of "pop culture" has an influence on today's teenagers and whether that influence is good or bad.

It was good discussion. The girls never fail to come with many differing viewpoints and ideas! I found myself taking more notes than I did for Sense and Sensibility, so maybe I'll have to have my own Favorite Quotes post :) Keep an eye out for the upcoming blog project posts and favorite quotes.

Angel