More than Gal Pals: Female Romantic Friendships in Northanger Abbey

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• Waldrop, Katherine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Eric Tribunella
• Alexandra Valint
• Nicolle Jordan

• Northanger Abbey
• Jane Austen
• Romantic Friendships
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Literature in English, British Isles

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/665

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1719