Hello and welcome to week four lectures on knock Vanga Abby. In today's session, we're going to talk about the notion of Gothic reading and mental figures. Abby anticipates a reader intimate, not only with the conventions of Gothic and sentimental novels, but also the fashionable period press, which took pains to make productive. The associations between novel reading and women's intellectual advancement asset began to flourish in the first decade of the 19th century. There are two key points here. The first is that, um, Austen's novel Northanger Abbey, uh, expects the reader who is very intimate with the attributes of the Gothic Shauna and the sentimental novels. Uh, that's one thing. Austin knows that her readers would be very, very familiar with the tropes of the Gothic and the sentimental novel. And secondly, um, there is an awareness of the periodical press. Uh, the periodical press is important because it makes, uh, very useful. Uh, relations between, um, the act of novel reading and women's, uh, intellectual, uh, progress. Uh, and, and this kind of association is something that was, uh, thought about, uh, in the first decade of the 19th century. So there is a kind of a relationship between, uh, normal reading and the expansion of the female mind in a positive manner. And 80, not six extract of 11, go from a German lady to her friend published in John Bell's LaBelle assembly, or coat and fashionable magazine claims that it is inevitability necessary, that women should read novels, not withstanding what has been said by professed more or less on the subject. So very, very importantly, uh, we get a sense from a lady here, um, whom I'm using as an example, uh, to kind of, uh, put forward the idea. It is important for women to read. Novels, regardless of what are the more or less have been suggesting, the more or less have been very, very, um, unsympathetic, the idea of novel reading, especially for women. And they believe that novels had detrimental effect on the capacity for women too, process, um, such, uh, reading material. Therefore for the first time, there is a conviction or on the part of women. Okay. From polite society that it is essential to, to kind of read all these, uh, works of fiction. So novel becomes essential to, um, a kind of a healthy, a frame of mind for women. Now let's talk about the idea of the novel and how it sparked a philosophy. Well, bent of mind, uh, innovate you've been to the same, uh, Octa lady recommends a novel's ability to deter women from less worthy pastimes, such as card. Scandal and the toilet, I think increasingly familiar notes on the ways in which our novels illustrate mind and a noble sentiments, and even awakes in mind, some spot or philosophy. So the article is that a novel reading will take women away from worthless pursuits, such as, um, an obsession. Yeah, the Cod playing a scandal mongering and, um, uh, overindulgence of the toilet. Um, And, um, it was also believed that novels would put before the minds of women then, um, you know, and, and aspiration to minded and noble sentiments. And, uh, it will also prompt and provoke. Um, you know, a philosophy called action do too, but life in general. So you can see, um, the usefulness. Of a normal greeting for women in the early 19th century and how there was an awareness that, um, novels would be beneficial for the mind of women. Yeah. So this note, this idea that she expressed on the part of this German lady is something very, very important because it goes against the professor more or less we'll have, uh, hit the two being, uh, not advocating novelty. Leading for a genteel women, perhaps most significantly the letter emphasizes have novels give an elevated zest to the imagination. Does correction, the sort of absorbed, imaginative reading that had hit the Tobin characterized as so damaging to women. And so what we understand from this client kind of attitude that we saw on that, uh, uh, letter. Written by the German lady is, um, that, uh, for the first time imagination is appreciated, uh, uh, because, um, novel reading would inevitably mean, um, you know, uh, Prompting the imaginative capacities of women. And if novel reading is encouraged, then indirectly there is this advice that yes, imaginative reading is something that is welcomed, uh, for women. o, uh, there is a turn around, um, you know, uh, to this, uh, relationship that between a novel. And, uh, the idea of women reading them. So previously it was condemned because of the imagination that, uh, kind of, uh, was provoked by reading these novels were detrimental to women, but now that same imagination is considered as being useful because it would, um, it would kind of increase, uh, noble sentiments, uh, in women's minds. It would kind of. You don't make them more philosophy and most of the stick. So you can see how views are changing at the tone of the center. Now it's dope about Kevin Trent Moreland's reading. Catherine Merlin is often cited as a to susceptible reader of Gothic. Fictions who slacks, lackluster reading abilities must be performed by the Metro reader. Henry Tilney. So in not then Abby, um, there is this impression, um, that we, uh, derive about Catherine Morland. That is a Kathryn Mullen is not a great reader. She is too susceptible to do impressionable. Uh, she, um, you know, uh, takes for granted. She believes in the material that she reads and therefore her reading is considered to be lackluster, not something that is worthy of admiration. And so. Um, since we have this bad fleet, then we need a Mitchell reader, the perfect reader. And that reader is Henry Tilney. Who must come into the picture to correct the mistakes of this young hair, Ryan, while. Henry Tilney represents an idolized reader, one familiar with, with a wide range of texts and jhanas and possessed. You have a superior ability to synthesize this, acquired a knowledge be ms. Alter recall doc. Uh, he finished and rockets the ministries of the dolphin two days. I'm I'm he says my hair standing on end the whole time, indicating his absorption in the text. So Henry tell me is an idealized reader because he is able to make a distinction between what is reality and what is fiction. He is not impressionable as, um, Catherine Morlan had been, but, uh, he, he was also one of the readers who had been really. Taken in, by the impact of a novel, such as the mysteries of Adolfo. He also, um, kind of admits to, um, to, uh, to Catherine Morland that, you know, he read that this novel in two days, which means he had not been able to put this novel down and his, uh, he was really effected by the, uh, dramatic twists Tom's and the novel. So his absorption is interesting because he admits that even men. Where, um, you know, affected by this kind of, uh, writing and the fact that he admits it to, um, Catherine Morland also indicates that there is no hypocrisy on his part. So, um, That that's one thing. So we understand that even though he's an idealized reader, he is also affected by the nature of this genre. Um, while Catherine Morland is not an idealized reader, she doesn't know, read the novel properly because she it's kind of applying what she has read to, um, to the world around her. And therefore. Uh, she is not able to make a distinction, a distinction between, uh, should infection. Secondly Henry read quickly, but his immersion in that novel and the knowledge he boasts of hundreds and hundreds of others inform his ability to recognize and enjoy God tropes his playful authoring of a Gothic tale for Catherine during the carriage. Right? Not anger. Has been interpreted as pedantic, toying, or an indicator of his inability to recognize and susceptibility. So there are several things going on in this point that had been raised by Wyatt. Uh, firstly. Uh, Henry Tilney is widely read. He bows of hundreds and hundreds of Gothic, friction that he had read, and he is able to recognize and, um, enjoy got the tropes for what they are. He is not able to kind of apply what he has read onto. Real life. That's one thing which is on the surface of this particular comment. So when he also authors, he comes up with a Gothic narrative for the benefit of Katherine during the right to not anger, um, his father's house, so that I'm not at the, um, that he, uh, creates is interpreted as a, kind of a toying he's playing with Catherine Morlin and he is kind of from. Enjoying the fact that he is, uh, uh, able to kind of excite her as well as scare her. Um, the other thing that's also, uh, hidden in this comment is that, um, uh, he is a neighbor well, to recognize Catherine susceptibility, the fact that he, she is impressionable. Um, but the subtext that I want to, uh, bring up here is the art while, um, He is making up well, Henry Tilney is making up a Gothic, um, in order to have, uh, some kind of communication with Catherine more or less. And, uh, it's, it's a kind of very, yeah, a strange courtship that she, that he is having with her by, uh, by kind of conjecturing this Gothic natter, though. Catherine Lauren is doing something similar. She also kind of conjures a Gothic narrative, uh, in relation to not anger Abby. So we can see that, you know, these two characters are similar in that respect, whereas Catherine takes it to the extreme and, and Henry till needs tops while he could, and in a, in a very brief manner. So, um, there are parallels. Um, in fact there are, uh, you know, It can even go so far to say that Catherine and Henry, uh, are, uh, are mirroring one another, um, in, in this respect, that ability to Kanjab got the narratives in for the benefit of the other. Um, but yeah, in Catherine's case, she kind of really, I believe that this general Tilney had done something evil to his wife. But Catherine's absorption is precisely what goats Henry to continue writing in the scene. Her joy stems from a willingness to suspend disbelief exemplified by her response. Oh, mr. Telling me how frightful he was just like a book, but it cannot really happen to me. So this is the reaction that, um, Catherine had to dock a brief narrative of Henry Tilney that he writes to kind of pass the time, um, and that she kind of narrates to, uh, Catherine on the right to, uh, Northanger Abbey. So he enjoys the fact that. That he is getting, uh, an excited reaction from Catherine Morland and you can see how she is, um, you know, taken in by that narrative. And, and she says that, Oh, this is just like a book, but it cannot really happen to me. I, I don't think I, it will affect me, but, uh, Strangely, she kind of takes this narrative further when, when, um, she stays in North banger, Abby. So, um, you can see how, uh, Henry Tilney is, is, uh, is, is crucial continuing, um, Catherine Merlin's, faith, beliefs, um, and gullibility in this kind of Gothic, uh, narratives on the basis of such guileless enthusiasm. Many have deemed Catherine Morland a bad reader. Uh, some letting that simple description stat and others qualifying it by determining what a bad reader is and what sort of reform needs to take place to make her a good reader. I can then by, uh, I condemn that by providing Catherine Morland with no entirely adequate mentors, Henry is still smelled agriculture. Her parents are too provincial. Mrs. Allen is too concerned with muslin Austin Catherine's books, autism, as the only means by the she comes to know and understand her social world and the motives of the ed. So. The guy list enthusiasm is a goddess, the trope. Um, you can see, um, Manny got the Caroline's being, um, you know, simultaneously I did in the, um, you know, watered by the, by the strange things that happened around them to them. And Catherine Morland seems to act like one, um, such, uh, got the Corona. And however, there is this argument that she is a bad reader because she reads all the cues socially. She was wrongly, uh, during her time or Abby and, um, Since she's a bad reader, she needs to be it reformed. And there was a lot of criticism as to how the defamation is to take place and how Hindi Tilney is changing, how from her, uh, battery that you're a good reader, but, um, we also should realize something that, um, you know, Catherine Morland according to why it has no, uh, adequate mentors. No. A guardian figures who can guide her Henry, uh, ISAC trickle. He's very smug condescending. Um, and, and he is not really, yeah, very helpful. As you can see in in fact he also comes up with a Cortech narrative, right. Which he knows will affect her perhaps. Um, you know, and, and it does affect her because Katherine sees her, um, you know, uh, interiors of the interiors, um, In her room. Um, and through the lens of, uh, through the lens of Henry tail knees, uh, got the narrative. So you can see that. Effect that Henry has on, um, Catherine Morland. So he is not an ideal mentor. Her parents are very provincial. They don't have any experience, um, of the urban mrs. Allen is too concerned with, um, with find material cloth and Austin positions. Uh, Catherine central. Yeah, wait doc, we understand that Katherine has to learn her way around the society, uh, by, um, Kind of making mistakes and kind of, and kind of recovering from them. That's the only way she can learn, um, maturity and experience of the world. So, um, the Gothic is, uh, the way in which she finds her way. Thank you so much for watching. I'll continue in the next session.