Forget Pride and Prejudice — this adaptation of Northanger Abbey will delight fans of British romance and period dramas born from Jane Austen’s imagination.
When Jane Austen’s works are mentioned, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma usually spring to mind. These novels have become classics of English literature and have been adapted for the screen countless times. Less well known, Northanger Abbey nevertheless remains one of the British novelist’s most original works. Although it was first adapted in 1986, the BBC’s 2007 version is arguably the finest. A mysterious manor house, glittering society balls, hidden motives, and a budding romance — this period drama deserves to be rediscovered.
A mysterious manor in the heart of the English countryside
Adapted from Jane Austen’s novel of the same name, published posthumously in 1817, Northanger Abbey follows Catherine Morland, a lonely and imaginative young woman with a passion for Gothic novels. Invited to stay in Bath, the fashionable spa town in south-west England, she is introduced to the world of high society, balls, new acquaintances, and the first stirrings of romance. There, she meets the charming Henry Tilney, with whom she quickly falls in love.
To Catherine’s great delight, she is later invited to stay at the Tilney family home, the enigmatic Northanger Abbey. Once there, however, her overactive imagination begins to run wild. Dreaming of adventure, she becomes convinced that the manor conceals a dark conspiracy. It is a piece of naïveté that is destined to lead her into all manner of trouble.
A charming Jane Austen adaptation
During her lifetime, Jane Austen published six novels, and Northanger Abbey is perhaps the least well known among them. Yet it is also one of the author’s most original and amusing works. With great wit and irony, Austen playfully subverts the conventions of the Gothic novel, a genre that was immensely popular in her day, while offering a thoughtful exploration of imagination, romantic illusions, and the journey into adulthood. Through Catherine’s innocence, Austen also tells the story of a young woman learning to distinguish appearance from reality.
The 2007 adaptation captures both the humour and social commentary of the novel with remarkable accuracy. Much of the credit goes to Andrew Davies’ screenplay — Davies having previously written the celebrated adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth — and to a cast led by Felicity Jones. The film also contains everything audiences love about the finest Austen adaptations: exquisite costumes, the beautiful landscapes of the English countryside, elegant society balls, and the romantic storylines that have made the writer famous. It is a hidden gem that will appeal equally to devoted Jane Austen enthusiasts and to fans of series such as Bridgerton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3dSFh41pbg
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