Audiobook · read by volunteers
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen (1775–1817)
Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Patricia Oakley, vlooi, travelbratd, Inka, Cori Samuel, Gesine, Sage Tyrtle, Kristin LeMoine, Heather Barnett · 31 chapters · 8 h 12
About the book
Catherine Morland is seventeen, sensible enough in most things, and addicted to gothic novels. When she is invited to spend a season in Bath, she hopes for adventure, and finds plenty of social comedy instead: dances, gossip, a tempting new friend and a witty young clergyman who teases her about her reading. Later, a visit to an ancient abbey stirs her imagination, and Catherine's expectations of mystery, villains and secret chambers collide with the real world. Jane Austen's earliest completed novel is a sparkling parody of the gothic craze, and it is also a tender story of growing up and learning to read people as well as books. Thirty-one chapters, more than eight hours, ten readers. Funny, warm and sharp, it is a perfect choice for fans of Austen, and a good way in for newcomers.
Introduction
Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote six major novels that continue to be among the most beloved in English. Northanger Abbey was one of the earliest she completed, and it was sold in 1803 to a publisher who did not print it. Austen had first drafted it in the late 1790s under the title Susan, and she bought the manuscript back in 1816. It finally appeared only after her death, together with Persuasion, in 1817. Austen's dialogue is the book's special pleasure: the conversations between Catherine, her friends and her witty admirer are quick and teasing, and a group of voices brings them to life.
The book is a hilarious parody of the gothic novels that were fashionable in the late eighteenth century, with their haunted castles, sinister villains and heroines in distress. Its heroine, seventeen-year-old Catherine, has been reading far too many horrid gothic novels, and she would love to encounter some gothic-style terror. But the superficial world of Bath proves hazardous enough. Austen uses the contrast to poke gentle fun at her heroine and at literary fashions, while also making a serious point about the difference between fiction and life. The novel also contains a famous defence of the novel as a form, which makes it of special interest to anyone who loves reading about reading.
The recording has 31 chapters and lasts a little over eight hours. Ten LibriVox volunteers share the reading, and the changes of voice suit the comedy of manners.
Today it remains fresh and funny, an affectionate satire that appeals to readers who know the genres it pokes fun at, and to those who do not.
Public domain
Jane Austen died in 1817: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text