NORTHANGER ABBEY - Jane Austen

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Résumé :
Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels written by Jane Austen. Austen was also influenced by Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote (1752). Northanger Abbey was completed in 1803, the first of Austen's novels completed in full, but was published posthumously in 1817 with Persuasion. The story concerns Catherine Morland, the na?ve young protagonist, and her journey to a better understanding of herself and of the world around her. How Catherine views the world has been distorted by her fondness for Gothic novels and an active imagination.

Biographie:
Jane Austen (1775 - 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels which interpret, critique and comment upon the life of the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Her most highly praised novel during her lifetime was Pride and Prejudice, her second published novel. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security. The author's major novels are rarely out of print today, although they were first published anonymously and brought her little fame and brief reviews during her lifetime. A significant transition in her posthumous reputation as an author occurred in 1869, fifty-two years after her death, when her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced her to a wider audience. Austen's most successful novel during her lifetime was Pride and Prejudice, which went through two editions at the time. Her third published novel was Mansfield Park, which (despite being largely overlooked by reviewers) was successful during her lifetime. All of Austen's major novels were first published between 1811 and 1818. From 1811 to 1816, with the publication of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815), she achieved success as a published author. Austen wrote two additional novels (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818) and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, before her death. During the twentieth and twenty-first centuries Austen's writings have inspired a large number of critical essays and literary anthologies, establishing her as a British author of international fame. Her novels have inspired films, from 1940's Pride and Prejudice starring Laurence Olivier to more recent productions: Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship (2016)....

Sommaire:
Jane Austen was an influential English novelist born on 16 December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. She is renowned for her six novels, which include classics like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. Austen's works often focus on the social and economic struggles of women in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly their reliance on marriage for social standing and financial security. Her sharp critiques of class and social structure, combined with keen observations of human nature, made her one of the most important writers in English literature. Austen's novels continue to resonate due to their timeless themes of love, morality, and societal expectations. She was the seventh of eight children in her family, with her older sister Cassandra being a close confidante throughout her life. Austen's education was limited but sufficient to allow her to develop her literary talents, and she was primarily self-taught. She died on 18 July 1817 in Winchester at the age of 41, leaving behind a legacy of deeply influential works that remain widely read and adapted today....