Austen completely ridicules gothic literature through Catherine's thoughts concerning the Tilney's home at Northanger Abbey. ... Austen is mocking the gothic as a genre. We know that it was very popular in the time when Austen wrote the novel. ... Jane Austen provides her audience with an alternative form of literature by having a novel focus on how a story can be told as opposed to most novels which traditionally focus on the story itself. Cleverly, by using a likeable character that the implied reader can identify with and relate to, Austen is able to use this character as a mode...

• Word Count: 1174
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate