After providing a short overview of the historical circumstances of both novels, this essay analyzes the representation of England and Englishness, first in Austen´s Northanger Abbey and then in Woolf´s Between the Acts. Aspects discussed include the relationship between town and countryside, the presentation of crime, houses and landscape as well as the selection of characters.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Historical Context of English Identity
3. Representation of Englishness in Northanger Abbey
4. Comparison and Synthesis in Between the Acts
5. Conclusion and Critical Perspectives
Objectives and Core Themes
This essay explores the literary construction of Englishness by analyzing and comparing Jane Austen's 1817 novel Northanger Abbey and Virginia Woolf's 1941 work Between the Acts, focusing on how historical context, geography, and social identity shape national character.
- The evolving literary representation of "Englishness" across different centuries.
- The significance of historical setting and socio-political turbulence.
- The role of space, place, and the countryside as symbols of national identity.
- The intersection of personal history and broader national narratives.
- The critique of social classes and the shifting perception of national purity.
Excerpt from the Book
The Representation of Englishness in Northanger Abbey
As mentioned before, Jane Austen concerns herself very much with “England [and] the English” (Southam 187), but she does so very selectively. Her England is “narrowly chosen, an England of the Home Counties and the counties further south and southwest of London” (188). This is certainly true for Northanger Abbey, since its predominant settings are the city of Bath and Northanger Abbey in Gloucestershire. The part of England portrayed in this novel thus merely covers a distance of 30 miles (Austen 126). Nonetheless, these two places represent very different sides of England. Whereas Bath is a place of culture, where men and women may go to converse, dance, see a play, visit a concert (13) and, possibly, find a suitable husband or wife, there are “[n]o theatre[s], no Rooms to prepare for” (180) in Gloucestershire, where the inhabitants of “one of the finest old places in England” (127) spend their days often in quiet and solitude.
The city of London is not depicted in this novel, but it is mentioned as a place of serious business (203), an improved version of Bath (66) and a place of possible violence (101). Catherine refers to her hometown, “a small retired village in the country” (67), in order to point out that “there is much more sameness in a country life than in a Bath life” (67). Presenting the countryside and Northanger Abbey in opposition to Bath and London leads to the imagination of an England that is divided into busy and quiet, central and remote, but also potentially immoral and moral places. The proposition of the latter notion can be seen in the following statement by Henry Tilney: “You spend your time so much more rationally in the country.” (67) Catherine attempts to contradict this idea, but the novel nonetheless refers to romantic ideas about life in the country.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the research scope by identifying the novels to be analyzed and explaining the importance of historical context in defining Englishness.
2. Historical Context of English Identity: This section provides the necessary background on the nationalism, wars, and social shifts that defined the eras of both Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf.
3. Representation of Englishness in Northanger Abbey: This chapter examines how Austen utilizes setting, character dynamics, and binary oppositions to construct a specific, narrow vision of English national character.
4. Comparison and Synthesis in Between the Acts: This part contrasts Woolf's holistic, history-embedded approach to national identity with Austen's selective and modernized setting.
5. Conclusion and Critical Perspectives: The final chapter summarizes the transition from Austen’s satirical, binary view to Woolf’s complex, critical examination of identity under the shadow of modern conflict.
Keywords
Englishness, National Identity, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Northanger Abbey, Between the Acts, Historical Context, Landscape, Social Class, Colonialism, Patriotism, Modernization, Literature, England, British Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work examines how two seminal literary texts represent "Englishness" and how that representation shifts based on the historical era in which the authors wrote.
What are the central thematic pillars of the analysis?
The analysis centers on the relationship between narrative space (town vs. country), historical awareness, social class, and the evolving perception of national identity.
What is the main research question?
The essay explores how literary texts reflect and construct the meaning of being "English" and whether these portrayals change when viewed through the lenses of different historical periods.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes comparative literary analysis, evaluating primary texts against their historical contexts and established secondary criticism.
What topics are explored in the main body?
The main body covers the portrayal of England in Austen's work through geography and social norms, and compares this to Woolf’s embedding of everyday life within a broad historical context.
Which keywords define this paper?
Key terms include Englishness, national identity, landscape, social class, and historical context.
How does the modernization of the Abbey in Austen’s novel function as a symbol?
It symbolizes an England focused on the future and technical progress, contrasting with the "exotic" and "past-stuck" images found in the gothic novels the protagonist reads.
How does Woolf incorporate violence into the everyday life depicted in her novel?
Woolf integrates threats of violence—such as references to gang rape or the looming shadow of World War II—directly into the daily experiences of her characters, unlike the largely imaginary violence in Austen's work.
- Citation du texte
- Silvia Schilling (Auteur), 2018, Representations of Englishness in Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey' (1817) and Virginia Woolf's 'Between the Acts' (1941), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/520758
