Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze the social commentary of Jane Austen's early novel, Northanger Abbey. Austen had the rare ability to observe temporary customs of her age and see in them that which was universal. Her perception cuts through culture and identifies the human characteristics that underlie culture. Austen uses the actions of her characters to portray her perception of humanity. This paper reduces those character actions to ideas. Furthermore, those ideas lead to an overall ethic that evolves from Austen's insights, which in the context of the story sometimes appear peripheral. But this paper focuses on only her social commentary, and therefore uncovers in the narrative a theme that lays bare the plot. The uncovered theme reveals Austen's belief that the human soul has an independent identity, but that the environment can entangle the soul and suppress it. Relating that truth to reality sheds light on the well-known phenomenon of social interaction