Originally titled Susan, Northanger Abbey was written before any of Jane Austen's other novels, but published after her death in 1817. It is a satire of the gothic novel popular at the time, full of weeping, frustrated romance, dark corridors and deep yearnings. At the core of the book are the mysterious rooms within the Abbey that nobody seems to visit. Could they hold a dark secret? Is there a rotten core at the heart of the house and the family that holds court to all? Catherine is determined to find out more, but is distracted by the machinations of her fellows, the flirtations and engagements of the family and her love for clever, young Henry Tilney.
