I think the most challenging thing for 21st-century readers with this text is not only the language but the context, as we’ve discussed in class there are alot of things a reader would need to know before fully going into the novel. Such as the class structure, most people think that Catherine and Henry would be in different classes based on their wealth but rather they are in the same class but Henry is wealthier than Catherine, the main difference for them today would be that Catherine would be mid to lower middle class while Henry is upper middle class. This can be something that if you’ve never read or encountered this before you would simply read Catherine as being in a much lower class than she actually was, which might add a different level of class crossing to the novel that does not exist in the novel.
Also, the story might be a bit hard to grasp, as it revolves around Gothic literature and most people might compare the guilty pleasures-ness of that to maybe young adult novels. While they are similar it’s not quite what gothic novels were at the time and as stated in class they’d be more related to reality TV shows, which changes it drastically from the idea that they were young adult novels, while most YA novels are indeed looked down upon, they can still hold great stories and ideas. But our society looks at reality TV as trashy and you only watch it ironically, if you actually take pleasure in it you’re looked down upon.
There is also the period, besides the class structure our society doesn’t really function in the same way anymore, people aren’t going to parties to find husbands, but rather they are going to have fun. Also, the idea that Catherine couldn’t approach people without being introduced first is rather bonkers, as it can leave her to be isolated if she were to know nobody. A modern-day reader would take the initiative and would approach people so they might find Catherine annoying or tedious because of this.
And, of course, the language would be the last big barrier. While the language is somewhat similar to ours, it can still at times be wordy and very lengthy which can be hard for a lot of people who don’t read British literature hard to digest. They might get overwhelmed and just put the book down. This is why most older forms of literature tend to be put on a high shelf, as the language gets more and more complicated the farther you go back, so while this is a simple parody novel of the Gothic genre, to a modern reader it’s a piece of classic literature and they can’t understand it. Which is a shame, as if you do the research or get an edition that can explain a lot of the cultural context this and other Austen novels are really enjoyable reads.
Brit Lit 2020 