The Narrative Voice in Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

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Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen expresses the powerful narrative voice. The narrative voice that she uses is different from other novels. Most authors try to hide their presence in their novels but Jane Austen does not try to hide her presence. Her presence in the novel is so clear. For example, “The advantages of natural folly in a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of sister author, and her treatment of the subject I will only add” (Austen 81). She tries not to trick her reader as he/she reads the novel. Instead she informs the reader that the book itself is just a novel. Her purpose is not to convince the reader and correct her story, but to understand the imperfection of language because language does not always tell the truth or enough for the truth. In Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Austen portrays her heroine, Catherine as an innocent young girl who fails to understand the language. She is too young that she cannot understand the words may have different meaning. Catherine consistently misjudges people around her. She fails to interpret about what ...

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