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Primary sourceBookwritten c. 1799, published 1817 (title page 1818)

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen · written c. 1799, published 1817 (title page 1818)

An early Jane Austen novel, sold in 1803 but published only after her death, which satirises Gothic novels and defends novel-reading.

An early novel by Austen, sold years before her death but published only afterward through her brother's efforts.

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Title page of the 1818 first edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, printed in London by John Murray, Albemarle-Street. Text reads 'Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. By the author of Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield-Park, &c. With a biographical notice of the author. In four volumes. Vol. I.' Aged cream paper with foxing.
Title page, first edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. London: John Murray, 1818.

About this source

What it is

Northanger Abbey is a novel by Jane Austen, actually completed around 1799 though its title page is dated 1818; it was published posthumously in 1817 together with Persuasion, printed in London by John Murray.

Why it matters

The story follows Catherine Morland, a young woman whose love of Gothic novels distorts her view of the world. The book satirises the Gothic fiction fashionable in Austen's day, referencing works such as Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, and is credited with reviving interest in several once-obscure "horrid novels". Austen's own note explains the long delay between selling and publishing it, showing some of the frustrations female authors faced in getting work into print.

Look closer

  • Why might a publisher buy a book and then choose not to print it?
  • What is Austen making fun of by giving Catherine an "overactive imagination" shaped by novels?
  • How does the book defend the act of reading novels, and why might that defence have been needed at the time?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jane Austen on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scan of the title page of the first edition, volume one, of Pride and Prejudice: A Novel, in three volumes, by the author of Sense and Sensibility. London, printed for T. Egerton, Military Library, Whitehall, 1813.Book

Primary source

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen · 1813

A printed portrait illustration of a woman, used as a frontispiece in a book of Jane Austen's novels.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Jane Austen, Winchester Edition

1898

Title page of the first edition of Emma, Vol. I. Text reads: EMMA: A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY THE AUTHOR OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, &c. &c. VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR JOHN MURRAY, 1816. Cream-colored paper with black serif type.Book

Primary source

Emma

Jane Austen · 1815

Title page of the 1818 first edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, printed in London by John Murray, Albemarle-Street. Text reads: Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. By the author of Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield-Park, &c. With a biographical notice of the author. In four volumes. Vol. I.Book

Primary source

Persuasion

Jane Austen · 1817 (title page dated 1818)

Title page of the first edition of Sense and Sensibility, a novel in three volumes, by a Lady, Vol. I, London, printed for the author and published by T. Egerton, Whitehall, 1811.Book

Primary source

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen · 1811

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