Georgian and Gothic Architecture in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey

Abstract

It is said that architecture plays a very significant role in literature. Jane Austen focused most of her works in specific settings where architecture is relevant for the development of characters. Likewise, settings appear in every single book and it can help to set the mood and behaviour of the protagonists as well as to reflect the society of the moment (Benedict, 2010). The same happens with architecture in literature, it can even shape the characters’ attitudes, aspiration and goals (Yick, 2015). Thus, in this paper the importance of Georgian architecture and the relevance of Gothic architecture will be analysed. I will try to demonstrate that architecture plays a relevant role in Northanger Abbey. I will study and explore the prominence and influence that architecture has throughout this novel that is even named after a building. After a deep analysis, it can be observed that architecture may affect other issues of the novel depending on which building or places the characters are staying in.