Nor

thangerAbbey
...
.Maj
orChar
act
ers

Cat
her
ineMor
land

Naïve,i
nnocent ,
andi maginati
ve,Catherineist heprotagonistoft henov el.Bef oregoi ngt oBat h
withtheAl l
ens,Cat herinehasneverbeenawayf rom herfami lyhomei nFullertonf oran
extendedper i
odoft ime.Catheri
ne’smai noccupat i
oni sreadi ngGot hicnovel s,parti
cul arlyAnne
Radclif
fe’
sTheMy steriesofUdolpho.Thi sleadshert oimagi neher sel fastheher oineofa
Gothicmur dermy st erywhenshev i
sit
stheTi lneysatNor thangerAbbey .Cat herineev ent uall
y
reali
zeshermi stakeandr epent
sheraccusat ionsofGener al Tilney,whom shebel ievedpl ayeda
partinhiswife’
sdeat h.Catheri
nemat uresov erthecour seoft henov elandbecomesmor e
i
ndependentandadeptatassessi ngthet ruecharactersoft hosear oundher .Heri nfatuat i
on
withHenr ydeepensi ntoagenuineaf f
ection,andherpat iencei sr ewar dedbyt heirmar riage.

JamesMor
land

Catherine’
sbrother
,JamesattendsOxfor
dUniversi
tydur i
ngtheschoolyear,whereheenj oys
thepleasuresofundergr
aduateli
fewit
hhisfri
endJohnThor pe.Jamesisstudyi
ngt obea
clergy
man, alt
houghduringt
hecourseofthenovel weonlyseehi minadomest icsetti
ng.When
Jamesaccompani esJohnonaf amil
yvacat
iontoBat h,hefall
sinlov
ewi t
hJohn’ ssist
er
Isabel
la,andtheybecomeengaged.Jamesev entuall
yrepentsthisaf
fai
rwhenhedi scovers
Isabel
la’sdisl
oyal
ty,
andheleavesBathinabit
termood.

Mr
.andMr
s.Mor
land

Catheri
ne’
spar ent
s,Mr.andMr s.Morelandpl ayonlyaminorrol
einthestory.Theyaredepi
cted
aswar m,l
ov i
ng,andeagertoprovidefortheirchil
drenwithi
nthei
rli
mitedmeans.Theyallow
thei
rchil
drentogoawayf orlongstret
chesoft i
me, butt
heyalsowantthei
rchildrento
appreci
atetheirl
if
eathome.Thi siswhyMr s.MorlandurgesCather
inetoreadjustqui
ckl
ytoher
normalrouti
neaf t
ersheret
urnsf r
om Bath.

Henr
yTi
l
ney

Handsomeandki
nd,Henryi
stheobjectofCatheri
ne’
saff
ecti
on.Hesplit
shistimebetweenhis
famil
yhomeatNor
thangerAbbeyandhispari
shhouseatWoodst on.Henryissteadf
astand
devot
edtohi
sfamil
y,par
ti
cul
arl
yhissist
er.Henryisal
soreal
i
sti
candr at
ional,
hencewhyhe
reprimandsCat heri
nef orherimagi nedGot hicfantasyduringherv isit
.Incontrastt oCatheri
ne,
Henr yhasreadav ar i
etyofbooksi nal lki
ndsofsubj ectar eas.Thisgiveshim anadv antagein
theirconversat
ions,andHenr yseekst oincreaseCat heri
ne’sknowl edgeoft hewor l
dandot her
peopl e’
smot i
vati
ons, part
icular
lyinthecaseofhi sbr ot
her ’
sfli
rt
ati
onwi t
hIsabella.Althoughhe
i
sgener al
l
yagoodson, Henr yhasast r
ainedrelati
onshipwi thhisov erbeari
ngf atherandisnot
afraidtodefyhisfather’smostunr easonabl ewishes—t hisismademostappar entwhenhe
proposest oCatherinedespi t
ehisf ather’
sdisapprov al.

El
eanorTi
l
ney(
MissTi
l
ney
)

Henry
’ssist
er,MissTilneyisalsoaloyalanddevotedfriendtoCat heri
ne.Mi ssTi
lney
wit
hstandslongstret
chesofl oneli
nesswhenHenr yisgonef rom Nor thangerAbbeyandsheis
for
cedtoendureherf ather’st
emperalone.Sheiseagert oserveot hersandgenerall
yself
-
eff
aci
ng.MissTilneysel dom voi
cesherowndesires;instead,sheset souttocareforherlov
ed
onesandmakeherguestf eel
athome.Mi ssTil
neyisapassi vefigurewhosesel f-
sacri
fi
cesare
meanttostandincont rastwit
hIsabell
a’
sactiv
eandsel f i
shschemi ng.

I
sabel
l
aThor
pe

I
sabellaisanambi tiousy oungwomanwhobef ri
endsCat her
inei
nBath.Hergoalinli
feisto
marryaweal thyman, butthisisdiff
icul
tsinceshehasnof ort
une.I
sabel
lasetshersight
son
Catherine’sbrotherJames, andtheirmut ualfl
i
rtationleadstothei
rengagement.Upon
di
scov eringthatJameswi l
lonlyhav eamodesti ncome, I
sabell
aisinf
uri
atedanddisappointed,
butsheat t
empt stohi deherf eel
ingsf r
om Cather i
ne.Whent hedashingCaptai
nTilneyarr
ivesin
Bath,I
sabel labeginsanewf l
irt
ati
onwi thhim despi t
ebeingengaged.Herplottoswitchsuit
ors
i
sul t
imat elyfoi
led,andbot hmenl eaveher .

Capt
ainFr
eder
ickTi
l
ney

TheoldestchildoftheTil
neyfamil
y,Captai
nTi
lneyi
sproudandi nsolent,muchli
kehisfat
her.
Hef l
ir
tswithIsabel
lainBathforhi
sownamusementonl ytotakeof faft
erherengagementis
brokenoff.I
nt hi
sli
ght,Captai
nTil
neyisanegoti
stwhoenjoystoyingwithwomen’ saf
fect
ions
andsolici
ti
ngt hei
rdevoti
on,evenatt
heexpenseofanotherman’shappi ness.

JohnThor
pe

Isabel
la’
sbr ot
her
,Johni
sboastf
ulandar
rogant
.Hecourt
sCather
inebytaki
ngheroutf
or
carri
ageridesint
hecount
ryandspendst
heenti
ret
yofthei
rti
metogetherbr
aggi
ngaboutwhat
agooddri
verheis.Johniscl
uel
essaboutotherpeopl
e’
sdesiresandmistakenlyassumesthat
Cat
heri
neret
urnshissenti
ments.Latei
nthenovel,
wefindoutthatJohnhadbeenspr eadi
ng
i
nfl
atedr
umorsofCat her
ine’
swealthbef
orehishopesweredashedbyherrejecti
on.

Gener
alTi
l
ney

Thedespot i
cfatherofHenr y,MissTil
ney ,andCaptainTilney,Gener
alTilneyisaproud,
mat eri
ali
sticmanwhospendshi sday smanagi nghisestat eatNort
hangerAbbey .Hiswifedied
manyy earsago,andheav oi
dsent er
ingherf ormerbedroom sot hathewi ll
notber emindedof
her.General Ti
lneyisagr aci
oushostt oCat heri
neduringt hemajori
tyofherst ayathisestat
e,
butwef i
ndoutt hathishospital
ityi
smot i
vatedbyhismi sguidedgreed—hewant stoadvance
hi
sf ami l
y’
sownsoci alposit
ionandinitial
lythi
nksthatCat heri
neisarich,eli
gibl
eyoungwoman.
Hisangeremer geswhenhef indsoutt hathewaswr ong, butheisplacatedbyhi sdaughter'
s
mar ri
agetoanobl emanandl atergiv
esHenr yhisconsent .

Mr
.andMr
s.Al
l
en

Mr .andMrs.Al
lenar eaweal t
hy,chil
dlessol
dercouplewhohostCat heri
neatBath.Mrs.Al
l
enis
obsessedwithfashionandt hepettygossipofthetown.Mr.All
enismor epracti
cal
.TheAll
ens
serveasparent
al f
iguresforCatheri
nedur i
ngthei
rstayatBath.Theyintr
oducehertothe
festi
vit
iest
hatcharacter
izelif
eintheresorttownandintr
oducehertot heThorpes.

Mr
s.Thor
pe

I
sabell
a’
smot her
,Mrs.Thor
peisanindulgentwomanwhoi seagertomakeherchil
drenhappy
atanycost.Shei
sparti
cul
arl
yper
missivetowardsIsabel
l
a,herf
av or
it
edaught
er.Mrs.Thor
peis
anoldfr
iendofMrs.All
en’
sandshar
esherconcer nwiththeemblemsofwealt
handr efi
nement
.