Pride and prejudice

Mr. and Mrs. Allen

Mr. and Mrs. Allen are a wealthy, childless older couple who host Catherine at Bath. Mrs. Allen is obsessed with fashion and the petty gossip of the town. Mr. Allen is more practical. The Allens serve as parental figures for Catherine during their stay at Bath. They introduce her to the festivities that characterize life in the resort town and introduce her to the Thorpes.

Mrs. Thorpe

Isabella’s mother, Mrs. Thorpe is an indulgent woman who is eager to make her children happy at any cost. She is particularly permissive towards Isabella, her favorite daughter. Mrs. Thorpe is an old friend of Mrs. Allen’s and shares her concern with the emblems of wealth and refinement.Tilney, like Isabella Thorpe, is an outwardly attractive and confident person who quickly befriends Catherine. But whereas Isabella's “friendship” is ostentatious but shallow, that of Henry is at once more convincing to the reader. He is motivated at first by an honourable desire to befriend Catherine (as much for his sister's sake as his own) and, later, when he has become convinced of Catherine's merits, by a more ardent desire to make her his wife. In this matter, though the reader soon sees Henry's attraction to her, Catherine suspects little, or does not presume to raise her hopes without good reason. Henry, out of a strong sense of propriety, proceeds gradually. His proposal of marriage comes after he has known Catherine for some two months - this may not seem very long, but is precipitated by Catherine's departure from Northanger Abbey, which prevents the continuing of the gradual courtship Henry has so far observed.⁹What most clearly marks Henry Tilney off from the other characters in Northanger Abbey is his learning: he is well-read, knowledgeable of many subjects, and a confident and articulate conversationalist. Henry is shrewd enough to see through the vanity of Bath, and his criticism of the town is honest (unlike that of those who, as Henry sarcastically suggests, echo the fashionable opinion that, after six weeks, it is “the most tiresome place in the world”, yet show their attachment to the place by prolonging their stay for as long as their purses allow!). Tilney has no illusions about the entertainment Bath offers, yet is content to stay there briefly - principally, it would seem, to fulfil the General's social obligations, and to seek out suitable companions for Eleanor.The breadth of Henry's knowledge first appears when he delights Mrs. Allen by discussing with her the qualities of dress-making materials, and the style of gowns. Though the subject is of little interest to Henry, his knowledge is evident, and he assumes a convincingly serious manner in his remarks to Mrs. Allen. Later, in conversation with his sister and with Catherine, Henry states that he has read “all Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and most of them with great pleasure”. He has, of course, read much more widely than has Catherine, and so has kept a sense of proportion in his reading of the Gothic romances. He enjoys them as (fantastic and imaginative) entertainments, but does not suppose the narrative incidents therein to be true to life - at least not true to the life of civilised eighteenth century England.We see Henry's intelligence when, on being told by Catherine that “something very shocking indeed will soon come out in London”, he observes his sister's mistaken horror and allows her to continue in error for a while, observing also that Catherine has not noticed Eleanor's misconstruction of her remark, supposing her excited reaction to be a proper response to the news of the publication of a sensational novel. Henry then confounds both yuong women with his remarks on the government's refusal to intervene in the matter, before explaining (to Eleanor) the purport of Catherine's initial statement, and (to Catherine) the nature of his sister's misapprehension. In elaborating Eleanor's fear of a bloodbath in London, Henry shows that he has a vivid imagination, which is indulged even more freely when en route to Northanger he relates to Catherine the fearful experiences which await her at the abbey. In both cases he depicts a fanciful and improbable picture of events, yet relishes the invention he exercises and its effect on his hearers - especially when he sees how he has alarmed Catherine with his ridiculous Gothic fantasy in the curricle.

Henry's learning is further displayed in his quibbles on language. He appears pedantic in his lampooning of Catherine's use of such terms as “nicest” and “amazing”, but such pedantry is a healthy reaction against the unthinking and imprecise use of language that is characteristic of visitors to Bath. In making Catherine aware of her careless use of these words, Henry is probably both trying to make her more precise in her conversation, and noting, with mild disapproval, the effect on her manner of speech of associating with Isabella, whose conversation is marked by instinctive exaggeration and use of inappropriate superlatives.Henry is a good judge of character, and is not deceived by Isabella's pretended friendship for Catherine. Nevertheless, whereas Isabella feels free (for no reason) to criticise “these Tilneys” who “swallow up everything”, neither Henry nor Eleanor attempts to prejudice Catherine against Isabella, allowing her to find out, in her own time, who are her friends.¹⁰ Even when he is virtually forced by Catherine (who has pressed him to reprimand Frederick, and restrain his attentions to Isabella) to undeceive her, Henry does not do so: he points out that, if Isabella's intentions towards James are honourable, then Frederick's attentions to Isabella will be of no consequence, and will blow over when he rejoins his regiment. Henry does not (as he might) add that he thinks Isabella's intentions are dishonourable. Admittedly, Henry does attempt to lead Catherine to see Isabella's inconstancy, when he asks, after she has decided, after all, to dance with Frederick: “And did Isabella never change her mind before?” But when Catherine defends her friend, Henry does not press the point.Henry's understanding of character is displayed in his attraction to Catherine. What he chiefly likes is her candour, her honest and open character. Catherine's failure to suspect others capable of deceit or dishonourable conduct is evidence for Henry of her own freedom from these defects. She speaks plainly, and amuses Henry by her unintentionally profound remark that “she cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible”. He also finds her attractive for the most common and simple of reasons: that she is attracted to him, for which Austen ironically apologises in the novel's penultimate chapter. Henry's love for Catherine is real enough, but is not (as it might be in a romance) ridiculously exaggerated. Henry's judgement tells him (what in this case is not hard to see) that Catherine is honest, artless, innocent of hypocrisy, and strongly attracted to him - his reciprocating of her love is hardly surprising.Henry's only obvious failing is his occasional excess of pride in his intelligence and learning, and the condescension to which this sometimes leads. Often, as with Mrs. Allen, he will not appear at all condescending. But in his conversation with Catherine Henry is prepared to make provocative remarks about the general stupidity of women as letter-writers (their style, he says, is faultless - save for their “deficiency of subject”, their “inattention to stops” and their “frequent ignorance of grammar”). And he teases her for her credulity in reading Mrs. Radcliffe's novels, with his own tale of what awaits her at the abbey. When Eleanor misunderstands Catherine's comment about the novel to be published in London, Henry states that, whereas most men would be so disdainful of women as not to venture an explanation of the “plot”, he, being more noble, will do so. In fact, he is not being at all noble, but delighting to point out his sister's stupidity and Catherine's confusion - contrasting it with his own clear comprehension of the matter.Henry is deliberately patronising, and his suggestion that men are, for the most part, more intelligent than women is meant to be provocative. This is, of course, barely a fault: Henry is not in earnest when he makes these comments; rather he is being playful. Note that he teases only those whom he loves - the teasing being an expression of closeness. Eleanor worrying (as Henry does not) that he might be misunderstood by Catherine reassures her that, in fact, Henry thinks highly of women, but the reassurance is not needed - it is obvious (in this case to Catherine, as well as to the reader) that Henry's comment is meant playfully: Henry clearly thinks well enough of women to spend much time in their company.Overall, Henry is an attractive blend of humour and seriousness: he is serious in his criticism of Bath and of fashionable society; he is serious when he undeceives Catherine about his mother's death, and when he consoles Catherine on her learning of Isabella's deceitfulness; above all - as his opposition to his father shows - he is serious in his passion for Catherine. Yet in many situations it his sense of humour, his playfulness, and his gentle mockery (both of Eleanor and of Catherine) that render Henry an interesting character in the novel. Catherine Morland: A young 17 year old woman who really enjoys reading Gothic novels. She is something of a tomboy in her childhood, and is wrongly worried that she isn't beautiful enough, until men start to take an interest in her at the assembly dances. Catherine lacks experience and sees her life as if she were a heroine in a Gothic novel. She sees the best in people, and to begin with always seems ignorant of other people's malign intentions. She is the sister to James Morland, whom she is devoted to. She is good-natured and frank, and often makes insightful comments on the inconsistencies and insincerities of people around her, usually to Henry Tilney, and is thus, unintentionally, sarcastic and funny. She is also seen as a humble and modest character, as she becomes exceedingly happy when she receives the smallest compliment. Catherine's character is growing throughout the novel, and she is gradually becoming a real heroine, as she learns from her mistakes and when she is exposed to the outside world in Bath. She sometimes makes the mistake of applying Gothic novels to real life situations; for example, later in the novel she begins to suspect General Tilney of having murdered his deceased wife. Catherine soon learns that Gothic novels are really just fiction and do not apply to all real life situations.