Jane Austen at her best - so much better than the humorless MANSFIELD PARK, whose annotated edition I read earlier this year. Jane as narrator is just a barrel of laughs in this one. I bookmarked a few of my favorite quotes.

"Mrs. Allen immediately recognized the features of a former schoolfellow and intimate, whom she had seen only once since their respective marriages, and that many years ago. Their joy on this meeting was very great, as well it might, since they had been contented to know nothing of each other for the last fifteen years."

"It would be mortifying to the feelings of many ladies, could they be made to understand how little the heart of man is affected by what is costly or new in their attire; how little it is biased by the texture of their muslin, and how unsusceptible of peculiar tenderness towards the spotted, the sprigged, the mull or the jackonet."

"The expectations of his friend Morland, from the first over-rated, had ever since his introduction to Isabella, been gradually increasing; and by merely adding twice as much for the grandeur of the moment, by doubling what he chose to think the amount of Mr. Morland's preferment, trebling his private fortune, bestowing a rich aunt, and sinking half the children, he was able to represent the whole family to the General in a most respectable light."

The annotations are mostly excellent. Quibble, after a while it felt like they became downright harping on the lack of feminine power in Austen's society, constantly conjecturing whether in this passage or that she was commenting on it, insinuating on it, etc. ( )

The annotations on the critical discussions on Northanger Abbey at the back are great. The annotations of the text are less fascinating - although I had no idea of the important differences between gigs and curricles, phaetons and carriages. The main thing I learned is that you have to read a 'gothic novel' - such as the interminable Udolpho (but any other would do) - to get a lot of the jokes and satire. I had not read this book for years, but found it so much more impressive after reading the aweful Udolpho. ( )

Northanger Abbey may not be Austen's most polished novel, but it has a youthful exuberance and charm that I really enjoy. Catherine Morland is the main character; she is young, only 17, and on her own for the first time in Bath. She meets two families, the Thorpe brother and sister, John and Isabella, and the Tilney brother and sister, Eleanor and Henry. These two sets couldn't be more different - the Thorpes are all show and poor behavior, and the Tilneys have class, wit, and proper etiquette.

Austen strongly inserts herself into this novel, something which she does in all her novels but in this one I feel her sarcasm and wit most strongly. I think it's the main reason I like this novel so much; I feel like she is unable to hide her own voice in writing this and I love that.

This annotated edition is published by Harvard/Belknap press. It's a beautiful, enormous, hard cover book with beautiful pictures and interesting annotations. Susan Wolfson does a good job with the annotations - lots of info about the references to other authors and pointing out authorial techniques. ( )