Northanger Abbey Read-Along Chapters 18-24



Happy Thursday, readers! Hope your week has gone well. Today I'm checking in with another discussion post for the Northanger Abbey read-along. Discussion questions were written by Amber.

If I'm being totally honest with you all, some of the chapters from this week's reading lagged a bit for me. Really, I didn't spend much time on them until yesterday and kind of skipped around until about chapter 23, then things really started to pick up! Holy plot twist, Batman! I was not expecting some of these things.

1. If you were Captain Tilney's sibling, would you say something to him about his behavior toward Isabella? Or if you were Isabella's friend, would you try to warn or correct her? What do you think of Henry's reaction to Catherine's concern about the situation?

I'd like to think I would; I hope I would if I were ever in that situation. Henry almost seemed like he was used to this sort of thing; like Captain Tilney does this type of thing all the time, which really wouldn't surprise me. And now we become even less fans of the Thorpes.

2. After reading all about Northanger Abbey, what are your thoughts of the place? Is it anything like you were expecting? Would you ever want to visit or live there if you could?

It seems to be a darker place than I was suspecting. I think I would like to visit, just to see the place, but definitely not alone and I don't think I would like to live there! Maybe Catherine's daydreams have affected me too much.....

3. How do you feel about Catherine's thoughts and behavior in this section? Was it all harmless intrigue, or do you think it's possible to be too caught up in daydreams and fictional worlds?

Perhaps a bit of both? I mean, when you're in a large home with all these secret passageways and the like, I'd imagine it's quite easy for your imagination to go wild, but it seemed like one moment Catherine really liked General Tilney, then the next she had formed these dark opinions of him. It just seemed strange and really took me by surprise.


And so there you have week four of Northanger Abbey read-along. See you all next week for the final discussion post!

Comments

  1. Right?! It seemed like Catherine had such a favorable opinion of the general and then all of the sudden she starts seeing him as this evil, plotting ogre, it was kind of random. She definitely let her imagination get the best of her. It didn't help that Henry egged her on either. As for the Thorpes...yeah still not a fan! I totally agree that the story lagged in this section. It was moving along so nicely and then all of the sudden it was like the brakes came on and it screeched to a halt. Weird. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up though, just because I like closure! I posted my thoughts on my blog and a link in Amber's comments section. Looking forward to the wrap up! Have a good reading week :)

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    1. I know! It was so random and really threw me for a loop. The further the book goes, the more I think we see how carried away Catherine's imagination gets. But honestly, I think a lot of us could say the same of ourselves (I know I can).....

      I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends, too, especially now that things are starting to pick back up. Loved hearing from you, Julie, and am looking forward to stopping by your blog in a bit to read your answers! :)

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  2. That's a really good point to keep in mind about Henry's reaction to Catherine's concerns: If Captain Tilney behaves this way all the time, Henry might have become jaded. He might have even tried to talk to Frederick in the past and met with resistance. Not sure, but it could help explain why he brushes off Catherine's comments to some extent!

    And how true that Catherine's thoughts jump all over the place regarding General Tilney! I think she sees the inconsistencies and the flaws in his character and runs a little too far with them...

    Thank you for another great post and for participating in the read-along! One more week to go! :)

    ~Amber

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    1. Loved reading your comments, Amber! Thank you for stopping by and thank you for hosting this read-along. It's been great and I think I've definitely gotten a lot more out of the book this time than my first try at reading it. So looking forward to more read-alongs in the future!

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  3. I just had to stop by and say something about the last couple of chapters of the book...OH MY GOSH! I cannot wait to discuss this on Thursday. Crazy happenings! How is it all going to be resolved? I might have to finish it sooner than Thursday. Gasp!

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    1. I know! Things have definitely taken a turn. I'm curious to see how things play out during the last two chapters, too!

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