In this blog post, taking the Bank of England’s controversy over the selection of a portrait for the pound note as a starting point, I will explore how Jane Austen’s real life, the debate over the authenticity of her portrait, and the curious publication history of ‘Northanger Abbey’ intersect with her literary works and public image.

The Debate Over British Faces and Portraits

In the summer of 2013, the news that the Bank of England had selected Jane Austen as the model for the pound note sparked widespread discussion. The decision to feature the author of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ on currency evoked a sense of pride in British literature, and the cultural significance of the work—marking the 200th anniversary of its publication—played a major role. The Bank of England further piqued public interest by adding a witty comment that this decision was a fitting choice in keeping with ‘Sense and Sensibility’.
In reality, however, deciding which portrait to feature on the banknote proved to be a major headache. Only two portraits survive, and neither is free from controversy regarding their authenticity. One is a portrait of her younger years, painted based on the recollections of Austen’s descendants, while the other is a pencil portrait depicting her in her mature years, said to have been drawn by Austen’s older sister. While some scholars consider the small pencil portrait—currently housed at the National Portrait Gallery in London—to be credible, public opinion favoring the younger, more radiant expression was also significant.
The controversy surrounding the portraits serves as a reminder that there is less information about Austen herself than one might think. Although her works are widely read and numerous biographies have been published, compared to the mainstream male authors of her time, many aspects of Austen’s life remain shrouded in mystery. It is this very mystery that simultaneously creates both her familiarity and her strangeness.

The Trials and Tribulations of Publication and the Birth of ‘Northanger Abbey’

Born in 1775 as the daughter of a clergyman, Austen never married. She lived with her mother and older sister in her small hometown until her death at the age of 42. She made her official literary debut in 1811 at the age of 36 with ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and achieved great success in 1813 with ‘Pride and Prejudice’. After publishing two more works, she passed away in the summer of 1817, and a few months later, her family compiled her two posthumous works into a single volume, allowing ‘Northanger Abbey’ to finally see the light of day.
However, the history of ‘Northanger Abbey’ has a completely different origin. The work was originally titled ‘Susan’, and Austen sold the manuscript to a publisher in 1803. The problem was that a completely different work by another novelist had already been published under the title ‘Susan’ in 1809. Following a dispute with the publisher, Austen recovered the manuscript in 1816; since it is estimated to have been completed around 1799, it had been out of the author’s possession for over a decade.
As her health was deteriorating, Austen was unable to make any major revisions to the recovered manuscript beyond changing the protagonist’s name in the title to “Catherine.” Ultimately, the final title, ‘Northanger Abbey’, was chosen at the request of her heirs. Given the work’s character, themes, and narrative style—which strongly reflect the qualities of an early work—the prevailing view is that it would have made a charming debut novel had it been published in a timely manner.

The Birth of a Novelist: Characteristics and Voice

The simultaneous publication of her early and final works offers an intriguing opportunity to compare the beginning and end of Austen’s literary journey. The six novels Austen left behind generally consist of coming-of-age stories in which a young, intelligent female protagonist navigates courtship and ultimately marries. For this reason, Austen is often regarded as the pioneer of the “romance novel” genre.
Among the six works, Catherine Morland from ‘Northanger Abbey’ is the youngest at seventeen. The main plot revolves around the education and romantic life of a novice who has just set foot in society. In contrast, the protagonist of her final novel, ‘Persuasion’, is a twenty-seven-year-old woman—past marriageable age by the standards of the time—whose story centers on winning back a past love. While the themes and tone of her early and late works may appear different, there is clearly a sense of continuity when viewed over the long term.
The greatest charm of ‘Northanger Abbey’ lies in its innocence. The novel meticulously depicts the coming-of-age journey of Catherine, who was raised in the countryside, as she visits Bath—a city of social life and leisure—at the invitation of a neighbor and learns new norms and customs while interacting with people at Northanger Abbey, a historic mansion. Although a novice’s naivety sometimes leads to absurd mistakes, her unpretentious and honest attitude not only corrects those errors but also elevates them into an ethic of tolerance that embraces the world’s imperfections.
What stands out particularly in this work is the narrator’s presence. The narrator of ‘Nossenger Temple’ reveals herself far more explicitly than in other works, frequently interjecting commentary on the characters and events. Scenes frequently appear in which she reveals her self-awareness as a novelist, explaining the differences between the novel and related genres such as history and essays, or elucidating the rules of novel-writing. While these metafictional interventions may sometimes seem jarring, they can be interpreted as a way for the author—on the verge of his literary debut—to simultaneously express both his aspiration and confidence in situating his work within the literary tradition.

Layers of Contemporaneity and Reality

Another prominent feature of “The Nossenger Temple” is its sense of reality. Austin focuses on calmly depicting events that are likely to actually occur, rather than the dramatic events readers might expect. The world he depicts is set against the backdrop of an era of massive political and cultural upheaval—a time when the French Revolution, Romanticism, and the Enlightenment coexisted—but within the novel, these grand discourses are concretely revealed through the everyday desires and actions of individuals.
The setting Austin knows best is the daily life of the educated middle class in a rural village. Their dining tables, studies, and drawing rooms; their furniture, teacups, and carriages; the books they read and the letters they exchange; and the small-scale scenes of balls, walks, and picnics are all meticulously recreated. Grand ideologies take on the form of concrete reality through the words and actions of these individual characters, as well as through instances of family conflict or the exercise of self-determination.

The Material Culture of the Era and a Vivid Sense of Place

‘Northanger Abbey’ is a novel that meticulously reconstructs the material culture of its time. The work specifically features place names, buildings, and household items that actually existed at the time; these details point to or allude to the reality shared by readers of that era, naturally weaving the material culture of daily life into the narrative. The novel is so tightly woven into its historical context that, had it been published today, one could likely reconstruct all the objects, places, and events mentioned in the novel through a simple internet search.
This vivid sense of presence is the novel’s defining virtue and a major source of its appeal. It overflows with detailed, factual information—such as the village that appears after a few miles by horse-drawn carriage, the shop visible around the corner, and which fabrics were in fashion and at what prices. These detailed descriptions do not merely serve as a list; they are seamlessly woven into the narrative as elements that heighten the drama of events and as devices that reveal the characters’ personalities.
As a result, the spirit of the era comes vividly to life in every scene, and despite being a novel deeply rooted in its time, it transcends the barriers of 200 years and language to offer enduring reading pleasure to today’s readers. This sophisticated narrative style is the key to making the novel a timeless work.

Books, Women, and Consumption

Another central theme of this novel is the presence of books. The 18th century was an era of explosive growth in print culture, and a flood of diverse reading material—spanning both fiction and non-fiction—was available. People read books and talked about them extensively; books held a social and cultural status that went far beyond that of mere mechanical tools. In Austen’s era, books had become an integral part of daily life, much as smartphones are today.
Reading transcends mere daily activity to function as a vast cultural force that shapes everyday life. Since the frameworks of perception and experience are organized through reading, the questions of who reads and writes what—and how—are directly linked to the reproduction or transformation of culture, customs, and power. Questions such as who should read which books, why one should or should not read them, and who should write what kind of texts took center stage in public discourse.
In particular, as the number of women who made writing their profession increased, social interest in women’s reading and writing grew even further. As female authors began to earn a living through writing and gained wealth and recognition, discussions surrounding books became increasingly gendered. Historically, reading has sometimes been compared to a foreign substance penetrating the body and has been viewed as an act that metaphorically carries the potential for contamination. For this reason, reading was regarded not only as an intellectual activity but also as a source of secret pleasure, potential contagion, and subversive propaganda; these risks were projected particularly strongly onto women.
Three interconnected trends—the spread of print culture, growing social interest in women’s education, and the rise of consumerism driven by capitalist production and imperialist exchange—formed the material foundation of modern British literature and shaped the world of Austen’s novels. Among them, ‘Northanger Abbey’ is a representative work that weaves its narrative around the three key themes of “books, women, and consumption.”
The heroine is often depicted reading, and the characters engage in lengthy conversations about books. Reading history and reading ability serve as important indicators when evaluating a character’s character, and the characters constantly discuss how to obtain books, their reading environments, and the influence of reading. Furthermore, there are frequent scenes in which they debate examples of misguided reading and its cultural harms.
In short, ‘Northanger Abbey’ is a novel centered on women’s reading. More precisely, it is a work that advocates for and encourages women who read. By demonstrating that women’s reading and writing contribute to the expansion of knowledge, Austen argues that women, too, can form a healthy relationship with books as diligent readers and autonomous consumers. This also presents the potential for women’s education through reading.

The Return of the Gothic

‘Northanger Abbey’ draws on the tradition of Anne Radcliffe’s Gothic novels—which enjoyed great popularity in the 1790s—as a key motif. The Gothic novel is a genre that evokes a sense of horror through stylized conventions such as exotic settings, ghostly supernatural elements, and the principles of excess and repetition. As seen in the works of Horace Walpole, considered the archetype of the genre, the relationship between a violent father and his suffering daughter is one of the quintessential themes of Gothic literature. Through this genre, Radcliffe contributed to the gendering of Gothic literature as a “feminine” genre by relentlessly depicting women’s fear of patriarchal oppression and their inner psychology.
Radcliffe’s Gothic literature forms a crucial axis for reading ‘The Abbey of Nosegur’. Catherine is introduced to Gothic novels through her friend Isabella, whom she meets in high society, and soon becomes an avid reader. Isabella takes it upon herself to teach Catherine all the latest trends and successfully instills a love of Gothic literature in her; for Catherine, who had previously read only didactic books, the emotional stimulation provided by Gothic fiction feels like an entirely new world.
The two men vying for Catherine’s affections display completely different reactions to Gothic fiction. John Thorpe, who doesn’t even know who Radcliffe is and spouts nonsense about novels, is far removed from Catherine’s desires from the very beginning. His philistine nature is linked to his superficial reading habits and his dismissive attitude, such as claiming he “has no time to read novels.” Henry Tilney, on the other hand, demonstrates his ability to fulfill Catherine’s desires through his avid reading of Gothic literature, and later serves as a true mentor in reading, helping to correct her excessive immersion in the genre.
The more Catherine becomes engrossed in Gothic literature, the deeper she sinks into a quagmire. Once she reaches the point of seeing, feeling, and judging through the lens of Gothic conventions, she becomes consumed by the absurd delusion of applying the story she has just read directly to reality, attempting to reenact the events at Northanger Abbey as a Gothic plot. This delusion ultimately leads to great humiliation, and Catherine regains her sense of reality while reflecting on her overactive imagination. Her educational journey is intricately depicted, resonating with and satirizing the Gothic genre.
Consequently, while “Northanger Abbey” is often interpreted as a parody of the Gothic genre, strictly speaking, what Austen satirizes is not the Gothic genre itself but the way it is consumed. She does not stop at mocking specific authors or works but raises broader issues regarding women’s reading environments and education as a whole. Austen merely presents an educational plan aimed at correcting the dangers of certain reading habits; she does not entirely deny the value of Gothic imagination.
Ironically, the Gothic ultimately returns. Immediately after Catherine awakens from her delusion, she experiences being actually driven out of Nossenger Abbey, which triggers genuine fear and complex emotions; this real-life experience evokes a Gothic sensibility. In this sense, Catherine’s “Gothic game” paradoxically concludes in a Gothic style.

The Book of the World: The Ethics of Reading and Education

Catherine’s whimsical imagination is not entirely without basis. That said, this does not, of course, justify her Gothic delusions. Austen’s message is clear: one cannot read the entire world as if it were a Gothic novel, and one must continually learn how to properly read “the book of the world.”
To achieve this learning, one need not necessarily cast aside the Gothic genre. Rather, once one develops the discernment to read a wide variety of books, one can enjoy and understand the Gothic for what it is. Ultimately, what Catherine must learn through reading is how to read people’s hearts. The social scene and high society she witnesses are worlds organized within the framework of norms, morals, and customs. As a novel of manners, Austen’s work takes the “manners” of this specific social class as the foundation of her story.
Therefore, the fundamental question that remains is what relationship manners have with the heart. This fundamental question is the essence of the novel of manners and lies at the root of the countless trials and errors Catherine experiences. Her growth and education are ultimately completed through the process of learning to balance convention with her inner self.

Catherine and the Confusion of Manners

Catherine desires to have good manners. She wants to know how to accept someone’s kindness or praise, how to respond to rudeness or misunderstandings, and even what invitations are appropriate or inappropriate—and she is always cautious. However, her words, actions, and expressions fail to come together seamlessly; as what she feels she must observe clashes with what she is actually capable of observing, a disconnect arises between her manners and her true feelings. Only after navigating all this confusion does she finally reach the point where she can barely distinguish between the manners of the Sooff siblings and those of the Tilney siblings.
Henry Tilney is all too aware of how trite formal manners can be, and this very awareness sometimes traps him within a rigid framework. When conversing with Catherine, he often repeats insincere, ceremonial phrases, implying that this is simply a framework demanded by society. He understands the institutional and performative nature of manners and transforms them into a form of play.
Catherine isn’t sophisticated enough to smoothly return Henry’s playful banter, so she doubts his sincerity; yet, it is precisely her sincerity that has the power to neutralize his playfulness. As a result, their conversation pierces through the surface of manners to reach the core; and while it may appear on the surface that Henry is the one teaching her, Catherine actually holds the upper hand in the relationship by skillfully navigating the nuances of manners.
In contrast, Isabella is a character who embodies manners themselves. She is never at a loss for words or flustered, and believes that all one needs is a set of manners that can be deployed as needed, rather than genuine sincerity. She is convinced that it is perfectly plausible to date two men at the same time, to fabricate things she hasn’t said, or to boast about having read novels she hasn’t actually read. This attitude—a formalistic obsession that desperately craves the outward appearance of manners while not truly trusting them—reveals the destructive side of high society culture.

The Magic of Laughter and Tolerance

Viewed through the lens of a coming-of-age novel, Catherine’s marriage is interpreted as the reward for her trials and the fruit of her learning. What is interesting is the way Austen captures the serendipity of marriage. The author does not assume the normative premise that two people in love must eventually marry, and even if such a premise existed, she does not romanticize it. Rather, by lightly narrating the story as if things just happened to work out by chance, leading to marriage, she avoids treating marriage with excessive seriousness. This attitude has the effect of deliberately deconstructing the novel’s overarching purpose or moral lesson.
It is from this unhurried perspective that Austen’s characteristic tolerance and wit emerge. ‘Northanger Abbey’ is filled with timeless humor; this humor is at times mischievous and cynical, continually providing moments of laughter even in scenes where the reader hesitates over whether to laugh.
From the very first page, the author introduces unremarkable characters—such as a father whose name is “Wang” but who is in fact merely a pastor, and a mother who is still alive and well despite having given birth to ten children—wittily revealing a reality that falls short of expectations. Even regarding John Sooff’s excessive self-importance, she uses razor-sharp wit to elicit a sympathetic chuckle from the reader rather than disgust.
In fact, laughter is essential to this novel. The shadow of violence looms throughout—from the horrific barbarity of confinement and murder that surfaces in Catherine’s imagination to the restriction of physical and movement freedom she experiences when forced to dance with unwanted partners under the guise of social etiquette. To alleviate this tension, various forms of laughter burst forth throughout the narrative, helping to maintain the story’s balance.
Laughter makes us see the world anew. It offers the expectation that, though the world can be frightening, we need not be overwhelmed by it, and it gives us hope that even when bad things happen, as long as we strive to see things as they are, we can find something to laugh about. Furthermore, the fact that happiness and unhappiness can come and go by chance reinforces the belief that we must live with all our hearts. This time-honored wisdom is woven into the fresh debut novel ‘The Temple of Nosenger’, and it comes alive anew every time it is read by new readers. This is precisely the secret behind why this novel has become a timeless classic.