Although Jane Austen’s fiction is notorious for idyllic marriages between
deserving men and women, this thesis is concerned with its simultaneous investment in the relationships between women. Northanger Abbey (1818) features such relationships as a key part of its protagonist, Catherine Morland’s, development. This thesis looks to the historical context of the novel and identifies the relationships between Catherine Morland and her female companions as romantic friendships characterized by emotional and potentially sexual intimacy. Ultimately, I argue that the romantic friendship between Catherine Morland and Eleanor Tilney provides clear guidelines for the appropriate behavior in same-sex relationships.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although Jane Austen’s fiction is notorious for idyllic marriages between</p> <p>deserving men and women, this thesis is concerned with its simultaneous investment in the relationships between women. Northanger Abbey (1818) features such relationships as a key part of its protagonist, Catherine Morland’s, development. This thesis looks to the historical context of the novel and identifies the relationships between Catherine Morland and her female companions as romantic friendships characterized by emotional and potentially sexual intimacy. Ultimately, I argue that the romantic friendship between Catherine Morland and Eleanor Tilney provides clear guidelines for the appropriate behavior in same-sex relationships.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Waldrop, Katherine"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Eric Tribunella","Alexandra Valint","Nicolle Jordan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:12Z","subjects":["Northanger Abbey","Jane Austen","Romantic Friendships","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Literature in English, British Isles"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/665","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Eric Tribunella","Alexandra Valint","Nicolle Jordan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Waldrop, Katherine"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2094-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Northanger Abbey","Jane Austen","Romantic Friendships","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Literature in English, British Isles"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/665"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Although Jane Austen’s fiction is notorious for idyllic marriages between
deserving men and women, this thesis is concerned with its simultaneous investment in the relationships between women. Northanger Abbey (1818) features such relationships as a key part of its protagonist, Catherine Morland’s, development. This thesis looks to the historical context of the novel and identifies the relationships between Catherine Morland and her female companions as romantic friendships characterized by emotional and potentially sexual intimacy. Ultimately, I argue that the romantic friendship between Catherine Morland and Eleanor Tilney provides clear guidelines for the appropriate behavior in same-sex relationships.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["More than Gal Pals: Female Romantic Friendships in Northanger Abbey"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Eric Tribunella","Alexandra Valint","Nicolle Jordan"],"dc:creator":["Waldrop, Katherine"],"dc:date.available":["2094-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although Jane Austen’s fiction is notorious for idyllic marriages between
deserving men and women, this thesis is concerned with its simultaneous investment in the relationships between women. Northanger Abbey (1818) features such relationships as a key part of its protagonist, Catherine Morland’s, development. This thesis looks to the historical context of the novel and identifies the relationships between Catherine Morland and her female companions as romantic friendships characterized by emotional and potentially sexual intimacy. Ultimately, I argue that the romantic friendship between Catherine Morland and Eleanor Tilney provides clear guidelines for the appropriate behavior in same-sex relationships.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/665"],"dc:subject":["Northanger Abbey","Jane Austen","Romantic Friendships","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Literature in English, British Isles"],"dc:title":["More than Gal Pals: Female Romantic Friendships in Northanger Abbey"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:12Z"}