Welcome back to It's a Classical Life! Recently I read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and loved it. I was surprised, however, to see how low it rated on many other classic-lit lovers Jane Austen lists, often trailing behind the widely popular Pride and Prejudice or Emma . The reason I loved the book so much was mostly because of the main character, Catherine Morland, a heroine in her own eyes (and in mine too!) I felt that Catherine really held her own against some of the other more dominating characters, and her love of reading was definitely a bonus for me! Northanger Abbey has also been referred to as Austen's own tribute to books and reading, and I think the beautiful character of Catherine Morland reflects this. She is the perfect character to bring the books that she reads to life - in turn bringing Northanger Abbey to life for us. Her imagination is wondrous, and her young life allows her to experience everything through the lens...