Northanger Abbey and the History of England (Annotated) characters

Appears from the start

A seventeen-year-old country clergyman's daughter whose ordinary childhood has not prepared her to think of herself as a heroine. Kind, candid, and inexperienced, she loves Gothic novels and is eager to discover both Bath society and the wider world beyond her large, sensible family.

First appears in chapter 2

A wealthy neighbor of the Morlands who invites Catherine to accompany her and her husband to Bath. She is good-natured, mild, and often more interested in clothes and acquaintances than in closely examining other people's motives.

First appears in chapter 2

Mrs Allen's prosperous husband and Catherine's host in Bath. He is sensible and protective without restricting Catherine's enjoyment of the visit.

First appears in chapter 3

A witty young clergyman whom Catherine meets at a Bath assembly. He enjoys playful conversation and gently tests Catherine's assumptions while treating her with more attention and respect than the louder people she later meets.

First appears in chapter 4

A fashionable young woman who quickly claims Catherine as an intimate friend in Bath. She shares Catherine's enthusiasm for Gothic fiction and speaks in intense terms about affection, while also paying close attention to wealth, status, and eligible men.

First appears in chapter 4

Catherine's older brother, a student at Oxford and a friend of John Thorpe. Straightforward and affectionate, he comes to Bath already attached to Isabella and assumes that her warmth is as sincere as his own.

First appears in chapter 7

Isabella's boastful older brother and James Morland's Oxford friend. He talks constantly about horses, carriages, money, and his own judgment. He presses his company on Catherine and commonly treats his wishes as though they were shared decisions.

First appears in chapter 8

Henry's accomplished and reserved sister. She befriends Catherine in Bath with quiet sincerity, offering a calmer form of companionship than Isabella's extravagant declarations.

First appears in chapter 10

Henry and Eleanor's imposing father, a widowed landowner with exacting manners. He welcomes Catherine warmly after meeting her in Bath and takes a conspicuous interest in her comfort and opinions.

First appears in chapter 15

Henry and Eleanor's elder brother, an army officer who joins the social circle in Bath. Confident and fashionable, he draws Isabella's attention even though she is engaged to James Morland.