NorthangerAbbey tells the story of a young girl, Catherine Morland who leaves her sheltered, rural home to enter the busy, sophisticadet world of Bath in the late 1790s. Austen observes with insight and humour the interaction between Catherine and the various characters whom she meets there, and track her growing understanding of the world about her.
In this, her first full-lengith novel, Austen also fixes her sharp, ironic gaze on other kinst of contemorary novel, especially the Gothic school made famous by Ann Radcliffe. Catherine's reading becomes interwined with her social and romantic adventures, adding to the uncertainties and embarrassments she must undergo before finding happiness.