Northanger Abbey

Catherine Morland, a tomboy as a child, is thrown amongst all the 'difficulties and dangers' of Bath at the ripe age of seventeen. Armed with imagination, she must overcome the caprices of elegant society, ecountering along the way such characters as the vacuous Mrs Allen, coquettish Isabell and the brash bully John Thorpe. Catherine's invitation to Northanger Abbey, in her eyes a haven of coffins, skeletons and other Gothic devices, does lead to an adventure, though one she didn't expect, an her misjudgement of the ambitious, somewhat villainous General Tilney is not wholly unjustified. However, with the aid of the hero Henry Tilney, Catherine gradually progresses towards maturity and self-knowledge.