Margret Oliphant’s The Rector is an ideal example of Victorian realism. Victorian realism is defined as centering on everyday experiences, the inner struggle of an individual, the emphasis or redefinition of morals, as well as the connection between an individual and their greater social context.

The story The Rector focuses on the Rector, Mr. Proctor, trying to adjust to his new position in Carlingford, and the societal expectations that come along with it. The setting of Carlingford, although not an actual town, mimics the culture and surroundings of Victorian England as it would be in real life. It includes detailed descriptions of the town and landscape, “…the real town, where you can go through an entire street of high garden-walls, with houses inside full of the retired exclusive comforts, the dainty economical refinement peculiar to such places; and where the good people consider their own society as a warrant of gentility less splendid, but not less assured, than the favour of Majesty itself,” as is customary to the genre, as well as descriptions of the characters. Lucy Wodehouse, one of the potential suitors of the Rector, once introduced, is mentioned as, “twenty, pretty, blue-eyed, and full of dimples, with a broad Leghorn hat thrown carelessly on her head, untied, with broad strings of blue ribbon falling among her fair curls—a blue which was “repeated,” according to painter jargon, in ribbons at her throat and waist…the grass at her feet, which grass, besides, was strewed with a profusion of all the sweetest spring blossoms—the sweet narcissus, most exquisite of flowers, lilies of the valley, white and blue hyacinths, golden ranunculus globes—worlds of sober, deep-breathing wallflower.” That quote not only describes Lucy in great detail but continues to describe the setting of the town in a proportionate manner. This style is continued with other characters, such as Mr. Wentworth and Mr. Proctor himself.

The novel also showcases elements of Victorian Realism in the Rector’s internal struggle about his new position. The story is focused on the Rector’s inability to perform everyday tasks within his position, his desire to return to All Souls, and the pressure of his mother and town to marry one of the Wodehouse sisters. His inability to speak to women is often mentioned, “But have not women been incomprehensible since ever there was in this world a pen with sufficient command of words to call them so?,” as well as his constant anxiety, with the Rector remarking, “What was he to do?.” The Rector’s internal struggle is what drives him, and the story, forward. His inability to talk to women and court them displeases his mother, his inability to do his job displeases the town, and his own anxieties cause many issues for the Rector himself. The Rector’s problems also affect his greater social network, the people he is supposed to serve, and that relationship is explored throughout the story. He is an ordinary man with an ordinary agenda, dealing with issues that would have been prominent for the average reader in the Victorian era, which is a hallmark of the style.

Oliphant’s piece is a prime example of Victorian Realism for its languid depictions of landscape, the moral and internal struggles of the characters, the plain nature of the characters, and the connection between the characters and their greater social context. The Rector as a piece and as a character within the story exemplify these qualities and work within the Realism movement.

In “This Lime Tree Bower My Prison” by Samuel Coleridge, there are many aspects of the poem that make it distinguishable as being a part of the Romantic movement in accordance with Wordsworth’s “Preface to Lyrical Ballads.” The first thing about the poem that strikes me as Romantic in nature is the kind of language that is used throughout. On page 189, Wordsworth says “It was important to use the language of common man to keep the reader in the company of his flesh and blood and therefore keep him interested.” An example of this type of language might be “ I watch’d / Some broad and sunny leaf, and lov’d to see / The shadow of the leaf and stem above / Dappling its sunshine!” This language is not riddled with metaphor or other literary devices that would require extensive education on literary criticism to understand, but rather speaks simply about the happiness the speaker feels about enjoying nature , something that a common man or woman could resonate with and relate to. This leads me into my next point about the poem, that the speakers enacts spontaneous overflow of feeling and has a greater understanding of human nature and rejoices.
On page 190, Wordsworth says that a poet (of the Romantic era) “…enacts more lively sensibility, enthusiasm and tenderness, who has greater knowledge of human nature, a more comprehensive soul, pleased with his own passions and volitions, and who rejoices more than other men.” I would argue that the poem does almost throughout. The speaker begins by being upset about his predisposition of bad health and how he is unable to go on a nature walk and enjoy the company of his friends. However, the poem then takes a turn. The speaker says “A delight / Comes sudden on my heart, and I am glad / As I myself were there!” The speaker decides not to lament on the fact that he is missing out on an experience and instead pointing out the profound beauty that is before him speaks to the greater sense of human nature that the speaker has, and decides to rejoice more than other men might in a similar situation. This also categorizes the poet, Coleridge, as a man of Romantic intellect that he could use such creativity in finding the beauty in nature and self in a moment of self pity, which would have made him appealing to read by the common people of the time (since they might also find themselves in similar situations.

Within Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, we are introduced to a variety of characters. Our central character of Catherine Morland is challenged throughout as she is the “hero” of the story, but what is a hero without a good villain. A villain is one that stands within the heroes’ way as they achieve their desires. They contain a certain set of characteristics that will put them in opposition of the protagonist. So, the question is now this, who is the villain of Northanger Abbey? There are many characters that Catherine comes into contact with and a couple that fit the description of the villainous type.

            One of those characters is John Thorpe. He gets in the way of Catherine’s ultimate goal of true happiness throughout the story. He acts in a way that makes him seem like a straight-up asshole as he tries to pursue Catherine’s affection. He says, “I asked you as soon as I came into the room, and I was just going to ask you again, but when I turned round, you were gone! —this is a cursed shabby trick!” While reading this bit, you can almost feel the impatience and the temper that might have been going on and as the scene progresses, he asks Catherine about the man that she chose to dance with. In a way, he is working towards his own gain and not putting Catherine’s choices above his own. That could also be a commentary on how men were in the days in which this piece was written, but as the story progresses, Austen shows us that Thorpe and those that surround him are out for their own gain. He acts in a selfish manner and doesn’t care about certain aspects that Catherine or other characters present.

            As the story moves forward John Thorpe continues his selfish behavior and acts in a way that shows he has other intentions that simply courting Catherine. He is a schemer and tries to use those schemes to be the manipulator that he is. In class, we discussed his personality as such, one that is a liar, schemer, and one that is out for himself and not others. In terms of villain material and compared to Catherine who is just trying to live her life with no schemes and more truthful personality, John Thorpe fits the mold of what it means to be a counter to Catherine.  

Gothicism emerges from Romanticism, and carves out a name for itself with its suspenseful, twisted devices that examine human suffering, life’s purpose and value (or lack thereof) and a distinct fear for the unknown.

Northanger Abbey relies on its parodying of Gothic novels in order to create a sense of suspense and anxiety despite its mostly lighthearted, somewhat trivial plot. Its protagonist, Catherine Morland, finds comfort in the Gothic texts she reads, and fancies herself in one herself. She begins to view the people around her as characters moving for or against her in the grand scheme of her novel. This viewpoint from Catherine creates space for many references to popular Gothic literature of the time, and as such modern readers of Northanger Abbey may find opportunity for further research into the world Catherine is building through these references.

That being said, Northanger Abbey does not read like your typical Gothic novel. It seems at first sight to be quite contrary to the plot devices and narrative arcs which are so distinct in other Gothic works. However distinct moments are used to parody Gothicism, such as Catherine’s curiosity with the mysterious cabinet. She believes it to be filled with some horror, which, if this were a true Gothic novel, it would be. Instead she is disappointed to find merely some laundry bills. As well, Catherine wants to believe in some grander scheme to the death of Mrs. Tilney, hoping to implicate the general in a murder plot. Catherine’s delusional attitude here creates the mind-turning suspense many Gothic novels sought after as well. 

Catherine’s fascination with viewing her life story in such a skewed manner and the anxieties of her courting life affords readers a variant on the classic Gothic tale. While her life is not unbelievably exciting, she imagines more to it than there really is, and this moves readers towards more Gothic mindsets than if Catherine were to simply go through the motions of her young adult life.

All this is to say that, yes, Northanger Abbey encourages readers towards further Gothic reading. Its references are specific and require outside research to catch each one, and Catherine’s love for these novels was enough to move myself towards a further interest in the subgenre. While a parody, the novel is still reverent of the material it is parodying. It is clear that Austen has a respect for the works she is making light of, and does not seek to decry these or write them off as some type of young women’s novels. The way Austen is able to create a work that makes fun of yet also holds in high esteem the popular Gothic fiction of the time seems to me to be enough to warrant dipping some more toes into the waters of Gothicism.

     Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen carries the tradition typically seen in British literature  (for the time period) of women being pursed in a manner that might be seen as toxic today. Men pursuing women is nothing new; however, with a 21st century lens we can understand more fully the problematic traits that (perhaps) people in Austen’s time did not recognize. Therefore, claiming a villain/antagonist in the story with a 21st century lens, supplies us the evidence to believe that John Thorpe is the archetype of an antagonist.

John Thorpe pursues Catherine in a manner that is not only troublesome, but truly believes that Catherine is in love with him. Thorpe believes Catherine desires him and makes it his self-proclaimed duty to have her be his love. He even get his sister Isabella in on the shenanigans of making Catherine fancy him. However, the only fancying that was done was when John thought “it was worth his while to fancy himself in love with her, was a matter of lively astonishment… Isabella talked of his attentions; she had never been sensible of any” (p.117). From a 21st century perspective, we can see that John’s persistent and somewhat egotistical beliefs and actions towards Catherine are problematic in the following; she does not love him, yet he still pursues her even though she does not want the affection. Moreover, John’s egocentric point of view makes him delusional in his belief that Catherine actually loves him too. Even John’s own sister tries to help out his crass pursuits for Catherine, lacking any wisdom even as a fellow female during the time period. These characteristics and actions of John towards the protagonist Catherine make a 21st century audience believe that he is the villain/antagonist within the story, because he actively troubles are dearest and innocent Catherine.

Furthermore, John Thorpe tries to get Catherine to avoid Henry Tiley- the man she actually wants to be with. Typically, when a person in a story prevents the protagonist from doing what they truly want to do, we would consider those actions to be apart of  the villain/antagonist archetype- Northanger Abbey is no different. Thorpe wants Catherine for himself and when there is another man in her life, this makes him worrisome; therefore, his prevention of seeing Henry Tiley becomes apparent. Furthermore, Thorpe exudes toxicity with his cavalier assumptions that he can control and prevent a woman from doing what she truly wants. Of course, to a 21st century audience it seems that John is displaying his privileges as a man, in order to safeguard Catherine as his own. However, to audiences of Austen’s time period, they may see John Thorpe as a forthright and tenacious man trying to pursue the woman that has been destined for him. Thus, keeping consistent with a 21st century lens, we can see that John Thorpe is the villain of the story.

 

Kayli Dutton

Theresa Traver

English 277

24 February 2020

Northanger Abbey Blog Post

    In Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey”, no villain is clearly identified. Although, many readers of this novel seem to come to the conclusion that John Thorpe (arguably the novel’s most controversial character), very closely resembles that of a typical literary villain. John Thorpe is often viewed as dishonest, rude, manipulative, and arrogant. With tendencies to act out with aggression towards those around him, Jane Austen creates an antagonist that readers often agree is villainous in his actions and behavior. Although John Thorpe isn’t a typical villain like say, Lord Voldemort or Darth Vader; John Thorpe still possesses many of the similar personality traits a “traditional” villain would possess. 

    John Thorpe demonstrates clear possessiveness over the novel’s protagonist, Catherine Morland. Relentlessly courting her despite her being in love with another man, John Thorpe attempts many times to force himself upon Catherine, manipulating her to do as he pleases, just because he thinks he can. John feels as though Catherine should be helplessly in love with him, simply because he is John Thorpe. However, when clearly rejected by Catherine, John’s attempts to court her do not end. This isn’t an example of a dedicated courter, but rather an example of John demanding, manipulating, and expecting Catherine to love him. Going as far as ruining her plans with the man she truly has feelings for, in order to trick her into an outing with him; John shows no remorse or any sign of respecting Catherine. John seems to act as though Catherine is more of a prize to be won, or a property to acquire, rather than as an equal (or even just an individual in general). John Thorpe shows no real love or respect for Catherine, but rather shows the need to be in control of her and her decisions- even to the point of holding in his carriage her against her will.

    Another character who may fit the role as the villain of “Northanger Abbey”, is the sister of John Thorpe, Isabella Thorpe. Much like her brother, Isabella is heavily characterized as being dishonest, manipulative, and rude to those around her. The similarities between these characters is interesting, as they are so alike, but also quite different- each with their own motives and reasoning for their behavior. The two of these characters together make for a unique duo of antagonists, or “villains”, of “Northanger Abbey”, as they do not shout how evil they are, or do anything particularly evil to label them as a true villain- yet hold many of the characteristics we as readers expect to see within our truly evil villains. Each of these characters show no respect, remorse, or consideration of those around them, but instead act in whatever way will most benefit themselves and their own agendas. 

We have all had that friend. The one you thought was your friend, that was cooler and more experienced. But in reality, this person, wasn’t in any way a real friend. This friend always knew; who liked who, and what to wear, and the fun places to go. And yet, when you went with them you managed to get hurt or find yourself in trouble. For Catherine this was the opposite to her ‘heroine’, a worthy villain, cunning, and as two sided as they come. Isabella Thorpe. While I’d like to call out the creepiness of John Thorpe, or the suspicious acts of the General, we all know who the real enemy is. Masked as a friend, Isabella parades about with Catherine, as if teaching her all these high society lessons. While in reality, Isabella was far more interested in money(Or boys or recent gossip), rather than Catherine’s desires or well being.

 Again, I would like to grant a villainous title to the men of the novel. Austen’s early use of mansplaining, overwhelming male arrogance, and manipulation, all create characters that make the swooning ‘hero’(Henry Tilney), look that much more interesting, kind and patient. John Thorpe is not only a show off, but also an aggressive one. Pushing Catherine to dance with him, to ride in the carriage with him. Hell, to marry him even! At one point, he lies to keep Catherine away from Henry Tilney. While John’s manipulation is very abrupt and known to the reader, becuase it is hard to not see. It is much easier to hide and ignore Isabella’s manipulation of Catherine. 

Isabella’s pressure pressed upon Catherine in a different way. She is so kind to Catherine it almost feels fake, and that’s because it is. She becomes closer to Catherine to get closer to her brother. And continues to be Catherines friend, all the while still flirting with her brother and other suitors.After finally getting engaged, to Catherines innocent surprise, Isabella is shocked at the Morland worth and all bets are off. 

This is not the first or only hint that Isabella is superficial. She is a mommy’s pet, and one who is good at being a rotten teen girl. Her position as Catherine’s best friend gives her lots of influence over Catherine. She knows this and abuses it. She fully understands that Catherine is oblivious and uses this too to her advantage. It just adds fuel to her fire. 

Where Catherine is a wild girl with crazy imagination and thought. Isabella is a girl who likes to be on top, and control the drama with chaos around them. Catherine is so malleable, Isabella almost can’t help herself. Catherine’s plain jane existence, seems small to the exciting, fun life Isabella had; going to balls, dancing with tons of boys, being courted by many. All of this was new, and beautiful to Catherine, and a ploy to Isabella. 

The villain is a collection of characters because in this novel one has to stretch the meaning of the villain. When I think of a villain I think of a person who is malicious in their intent. The characters don’t really fit that description. When Austen wrote this story she implied that Catherine is a heroine, but what one reads is that Catherine is a fan of Gothic novels, and as we discussed in class on February 19, 2020, one of the characteristics of a Gothic/romance is that there is a vulnerable female, Catherine. I guess vulnerable can be interchanged with naive. Like I said earlier about multiple villains starting with the least to most, Mrs. Allen, Isabella Thorpe, John Thorpe and General Tilney. 

Starting with Mrs. Allen who is supposed to be Catherine’s chaperone, which means guiding her towards an advantageous marriage match. Mrs. Allen doesn’t know anyone, so introducing Catherine is hard to do. Her crime is that she allows Catherine to go for a carriage ride with Isabella, John and her brother James in a different town, where the group will dine at an inn. Even in modern times one would think that as a chaperone you would say, “no”. Or even to go with them if it’s insisted upon happening. Just poor judgment on her part. 

The next contestant is Isabella, who befriends Catherine. I don’t know if Austen’s goal for writing this character is to make the reader uneasy or suspicious of her, but it works. Her crime against Catherine is the final letter that starts at the bottom of page 170 and ends at the top of 172. The uneasy/suspicious line where she claims,“I have had my pen in my hand to begin a letter to you almost every day since you left Bath, but have always been prevented by some silly trifler or other.” (170) Can we agree that this is a lie and that there is no sincerity in this statement? The letter continues with how Catherine’s brother James may have misread her conduct towards her and Captain Tilney and if Catherine could put a good word in on her behalf. Not diabolical but manipulative. 

Now Austen’s next two contestants are more villainous and John Thorpe, Isabella’s brother, and believed he was in the running for suitor to Catherine’s hand. His crime is double talking. Readers get a hint of this in a carriage ride where Catherine is trapped with him and how he talks about good horse flesh and how he knows a champion when he sees one, but at the same time he contradicts himself in the next sentence. Even Catherine notices this and decides she’ll tune him out, but so do the readers. This talent of his later pops up when on two different occasions at the end of the book where it’s revealed that he had General Tilney’s ear on page 193 where he sings Catherine’s praises and that he has thought of marrying Catherine himself. However, the second encounter that Thorpe has with the general is on the next page where he tells him, “irritated by Catherine’s refusal”t and that Catherine’s broke and that the family isn’t “respected in their neighborhood” (194). Which spurs General Tilney into top villain. 

My final contestant which has more to do with his actions is General Tilney and why his actions are slightly more villainous than Thorpe’s lying is because he dismissed Catherine from Northanger Abbey without an escort and on a public coach, when the it’s revealed by Eleanor, “the very carriage is ordered…and no servant will be offered you.” (177) and continues, “I hope…that to your real safety that it will be of none; but to everything else it is the greatest consequence; to comfort, appearance, propriety, to your family, to the world.” (178). In simple English what General Tilney has done is commit a crime against social standards, especially of his rank. You don’t send a young woman traveling on a public coach with no escort, but double standards come into play and the brunt of the blame will fall to Catherine.

With my rankings from least to most in place, I finish with a possible villain, experience, especially with Catherine’s ability to compare real life with a Gothic novel. 

 The characters of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen are all a product of their environment and thus, there is no character who is a clear “villain” in the story (however, granted, there are some jerks).  Instead, I’d like to argue that obsessive classism is the true evil in Northanger Abbey.  A coming of age story, as this novel could be read, comes with its obstacles and shady characters who may have an ulterior motive in their actions, however the characters within this novel are closer to antagonists than they are villains.

 Isabella Thorpe is “two faced” as we’ve established in earlier class discussions because she ends up using Catherine to approximate herself with her brother, James Morland. However, Isabella Thorpe leaves James, breaking off her engagement with him for Federick Tilney when she discovers the Morland’s income. When Federick Tilney leaves Isabella, she then writes to Catherine asking her to apologize to James on her behalf. Isabella Thorpe is a result of her environment because in her time period, women were expected to marry well, not for love, but for money and maintaining or highering their social class. Women in this era were supposed to prioritize their prospective husbands before friendship and in that way, Isabella did take advantage of Catherine, but she did so out of her own social survival. 

We see the Morland’s income proposing another problem when John Thorpe tells  General Tilney that Catherine comes from an almost poor family. Then in this rage, General Tilney tells Catherine to leave Northanger Abbey by 7am the next day without the accompaniment of a servant. Although General Tilney could be seen as a villain for kicking a seventeen year old girl out of Northanger Abbey on her own, he did so out of wanting his son to marry a girl who could maintain or raise the Tilney social standing. It isn’t until later that General Tilney is informed that the Morland’s still come from the land of gentry and have a moderate income (satisfying the General’s want for monetary relationships) that he grants Henry and Catherine his blessing for matrimony. 

I believe all the conflict in Northanger Abbey is stemmed in the ideas that self-obsessed high class society members had with monetary relationships and how they could personally benefit off them. Classism is what made these antagonists narcissistic and predatory to Catherine’s naivety and was the true villain in this story.

On a surface level, it might be easy to dismiss Northanger Abbey as a work without a overarching villain, and instead one with only minor antagonists. However, there is a character who fits the characterization of villain, albeit to a less exaggerated and more realistic brand of villain. This character is General Tilney who, through his blatant endangerment and disrespect of Catherine and her safety and his troubling relationship with his children and deceased wife, is painted his as the villain of this novel.

From the very beginning, Catherine had General Tilney pegged as a villain in her life although her reasoning was over dramatic and flawed. However, while General Tilney did not imprison or murder his wife, there is something to be said about instincts and first impression. General Tilney does end up playing a villain’s role in other ways in her life. He endangers her safety and her reputation by sending her home alone when he falls for John Thorpe’s lie. As Eleanor states it “but to everything else it is of the greatest consequence; to comfort, appearance, propriety, to your family, to the world,” (Austen 458). General Tilney’s actions endanger Catherine’s safety and comfort and her and her family’s reputation all because he found out she wasn’t as rich as he had thought. These are not the actions of a good person. The Morland’s make the same assessment, feeling that “General Tilney had acted neither honorably nor feelingly- neither as a gentleman nor as a parent,” (Austen 474). This behavior of a grown man upon a young girl is reprehensible and to add insult to injury he denies the relationship between Henry and Catherine, coming between their happy ending in a way villains and tyrannical parents often do in novels.

Another way in which General Tilney fulfills the role of villain in Northanger Abbey is his relationships with his family which are characterized as tense and toxic, maybe even verging on emotionally abusive. The environment of Northanger Abbey without the General’s presence is described as much happier and lighter and “every employment voluntary, every laugh indulged, every meal a scene of ease and good-humor” (Austen 448). On the other hand, Eleanor’s time alone with her father at Northanger Abbey and her departure after she is married is described as “her removal from all the evils of such a home as Northanger Abbey,” (Austen 504). Clearly the home environment created by General Tilney is not a happy or healthy one and is a marker of a more realistic villain- a harsh and emotionally controlling parent. Even the details given by Eleanor and Henry about their mother and father’s relationship do not paint the General as the kindest person. Henry struggles with being honest about his parents relationship saying “He loved her I am persuaded, as well as it was possible for him to- We have not all, you know, the same tenderness of disposition- and I will not pretend to say that while she lived, she might not often have had much to bear,” (Austen 402). Henry’s hesitation shows him struggling with the idea of criticizing his father, but being truthful with Catherine about his parent’s not always happy relationship.

To conclude, the villain in Northanger Abbey is none other than General Tilney. While he is not the murderer or Gothic villain Catherine suspects him to be, he is a more realistic villain one might actually encounter. He is a toxic and emotionally controlling individual who inflicts his own anger on Catherine and endangers her with his own disregard. In addition, his relationships with his family paint him in the same light, as a everyday villain who is more difficult to detect than an overtly evil individual, but still interfering and inflicting pain throughout the second half of the novel.