JANE AUSTEN’S IRONIC REWORKING OF TRADITIONAL STEREOTYPES OF FEMININITY THROUGH CATHERINE MORLAND

Abstract

This article examines how Jane Austen uses Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey to question traditional stereotypes of femininity. It considers her treatment of literary conventions that present women as physically frail, submissive, emotionally impressionable, and dependent on constant protection. Particular attention is paid to Catherine’s childhood interests, her preference for cricket, and her unaffected behaviour. The analysis suggests that Austen’s irony exposes the artificiality of the sentimental heroine and challenges the restrictive assumptions about women that sustain this literary ideal. Catherine’s character offers a different understanding of female individuality, one that allows for spontaneity, physical vitality, and independence of character