First accepted by a publisher in 1803, Northanger Abbey was eventually published posthumously in 1818. In it Austen weaves a romance full of suspense and comedy around the heroine Catherine Morland”s first foray into society. The style of the novel is a unique hybrid; along the way Austen parodies the eighteenth-century novel of manners, the Gothic novel, and even the educational treatises of the time.

The second Broadview edition includes a revised introduction, notes, bibliography, and expanded appendices of background contextual materials.

Jane Austen's profile page

Claire Grogan's profile page

Claire Grogan is Professor of English at Bishop’s University. She is the editor of the Broadview Editions of Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man and Elizabeth Hamilton’s Memoirs of Modern Philosophers.

“Claire Grogan’s excellent introduction foregrounds the range of historical and cultural references in Northanger Abbey, enriching the experiences of reading which are at the heart of the novel’s meaning. The text is a model of clarity, and the annotation is consistently helpful and lucid. As in all editions in this series from Broadview Press, the contextual material gathered in the appendices is rewarding. Included here is a wealth of information about Jane Austen’s correspondence and her reading; reviews of Northanger Abbey; maps of Bath and the West of England; and a splendid guide to the social meanings of various kinds of horse-drawn travel. A full bibliography completes this outstanding edition, making it the obvious choice for Jane Austen’s modern readers.” — Nicholas Roe, University of St. Andrews

“Claire Grogan’s full and innovative new edition of Northanger Abbey provides background material that invites readers to think about this ambitious and exhilarating novel in fresh and suggestive ways. Grogan rightly calls Northanger Abbey Austen’s most literary novel, and the edition she has prepared makes it possible to see how closely it is involved in the literary and political backgrounds of its time. An exemplary edition!” — Claudia L. Johnson, Princeton University